We can’t remember a moment when the gallery didn’t have a piece by Jon Jansen on display. Recent acquisitions of rare designs by this New Zealand maker and retailer have prompted us to share a brief slice of its design history.
Opened in 1951, Jon Jansen was a fictional name, evoking European sophistication. With just 12 years in retail and 21 years as a manufacturer, it made a lasting impact on New Zealand design and introduced post-war Aucklanders to local and international modernist designers who were shaping a new interior style.
Evern though we can be confident that there were thousands of furniture pieces produced by Jon Jansen, published history is rare to find. Founder Lincoln Laidlaw is only mentioned in Wikipedia as part of his father’s page, Robert Laidlaw, who established New Zealand’s iconic department store, Farmers Trading Company.
With his exposure to business it’s unsurprising that Lincoln Laidlaw established his own, starting in toy manufacture – Lincoln Industries which became Lincoln International, names which appear on early Jon Jansen labels. There was also a latent passion for modern designer furniture which he developed on the side.