Sally S. Lewis (Born 1932) American, Pair of Essex Dining Armchairs for J. Robert Scott. Elegant wood frame with black cushioning. Labels on underside of seat. Small paper label tied to one with information and prior pricing. 

Condition: Very good. 

Size: 24 1/2 x 27 x 37 1/4 in. 

Sally Sirkin Lewis was born in Miami, Florida in 1932. Her father managed a medical equipment company, and her mother was an artist, who encouraged her in painting, sewing, and sculpture. She attended the University of Miami, studying art with the intention of becoming a fashion designer. However, a chance encounter with a woman who asked her to create an interior design for a new home quickly led to a host of clients seeking her advice on furniture, decor, lighting, and more. She became a design assistant to British-born Henry End, contributing key ideas to his private residence and the International Design Center he built in Miami in 1960. She moved to New York and enrolled at the Parsons School of Design while working as a freelance designer for multiple corporations and fashion showrooms. In 1966 she moved to Los Angeles to work full-time for a showroom. Here she met real estate developer Bernard Lewis, with whom she went on to raise six children and eventually opened a design company of their own, J. Robert Scott, in 1972. The name was an amalgam of their children’s names, and Sally focused on design and being the face of the company while Bernard took a backseat role in the business as the CEO. They are credited with being an early proponent of the “California style” in the 70s that incorporated “transitional” forms and highlighted unique textiles and contemporary materials like Lucite. Within ten years the company had expanded to own luxury showrooms in New York, Chicago, Dallas, and London in addition to the original location on Melrose Avenue. In the early 1990s the company began to face difficulties as Bernard became less and less involved, wanting to retire to Santa Fe, culminating in their divorce in 1995 that gave Sally complete control of the firm and their assets. Over the next ten years she doubled their employees and quadrupled their sales, as her interiors for celebrities and royalty began to appear in magazines, documentaries, and online blogs. As President and Chairman she divided her time between her base of operations in California and additional studio spaces in Japan, Russia, France, and England, and eventually held over 150 design patents for iconic furniture that incorporated Mid Century Modern styles and multiple ethnic influences. She has been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, recognized by the L.A. Times as one of its “Fifty Titans of Design,” and is on the board of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, with a yearly scholarship in her name awarded to deserving female students. The late 2000s and early 2010s saw downturns in the economy and a significant shift in luxury fashion as companies were consolidated and reorganized by various hedge funds and multinational groups, and in 2019 J. Robert Scott declared bankruptcy, although Lewis tirelessly continues to explore new design possibilities on a commission basis even into her 90s.

Very good.