Brown Jordan

About

Brown Jordan is an American manufacturer of outdoor furniture and patio furniture founded in 1945 in Pasadena, California, by Robert Brown and Hubert Jordan. Brown was an industrial designer and Jordan an engineer, and the partnership formed around the idea of leisure furniture built to remain outdoors year-round rather than being brought in after each use. The company's first product was a wrought-iron breakfast set, after which the partners turned toward lighter materials suited to the climate of Southern California. In 1948 the company introduced its Leisure collection, among the first to combine aluminium framing with woven vinyl strap, materials that had become widely available after the Second World War. The lightweight aluminium frame paired with weather-resistant vinyl strapping became a defining construction method for the brand and helped establish a category of furniture intended for residential terraces, pool decks and patios. Over the following decades the company expanded into cast and extruded aluminium, sling fabrics, synthetic resin weave and rope, broadening its range of outdoor seating, dining and lounge programs. Several Brown Jordan collections have become reference points for mid-century outdoor design. The Tamiami line pairs a streamlined aluminium frame with vinyl straps arranged in a diamond pattern and is associated with Robert Brown. The Kantan collection, a lightweight tubular-aluminium seating group from the same period, was reissued in updated colours when the company marked its 70th anniversary in 2015. The Calcutta collection, produced in powder-coated aluminium, draws on Chinese Chippendale motifs with faux-bamboo framing and fretwork detailing and remains one of the brand's recognisable dining and deep-seating lines. The later Quantum program, designed by Richard Frinier, introduced a modular approach to outdoor seating and stayed in production for many years. The company's furniture has appeared in a range of well-known settings, which it cites including the White House Rose Garden and various hotel and resort properties. This reflects the two markets the brand serves: residential outdoor furniture for private homes, and contract or hospitality furniture for hotels, resorts, restaurants and similar commercial environments. The brand positions itself in the upper tier of the outdoor furniture market, emphasising hand-finished aluminium work and durable outdoor materials. The corporate history behind the brand has involved several ownership changes. In 2001 the predecessor operations were brought under WinsLoew Furniture, which adopted the Brown Jordan name for the broader enterprise the following year, with operations later consolidated in Florida. The parent entity, Brown Jordan International, Inc., grew through acquisitions to include additional outdoor and contract furniture brands. In early 2017 Brown Jordan International was acquired by Littlejohn & Co., a private investment firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the company has continued to operate as a portfolio business of that firm. Brown Jordan International maintains its corporate headquarters in St. Augustine, Florida. As a group, Brown Jordan International offers indoor and outdoor furnishings across residential and commercial segments, with the Brown Jordan name applied to its outdoor line and other brands addressing hospitality, multi-family, restaurant and contract markets. Within this structure, the Brown Jordan brand remains focused on premium patio furniture and outdoor seating, drawing on a catalogue of collections developed across its history. Its long-running aluminium-and-strap construction continues to be associated with the broader category of mid-century and contemporary outdoor living. For buyers researching outdoor furniture, the brand is generally encountered through interior designers, specialty patio retailers and hospitality specifiers rather than mass-market channels.