Designer Spotlight: Michael Weiss

The Baer’s Design Team has a reputation in the furniture industry for finding new and exciting designers that produce high-end pieces that are compatible with our esthetic. Today we are spotlighting Mr. Michael Weiss and some stunning pieces from his Bowers Collection. Learn more about this celebrated New York designer.

Mr. Weiss was born into the furniture business, with both his father and grandfather employed in furniture manufacturing. Michael Weiss graduated from the prestigious N.Y. Fashion Institute of Technology and began designing furniture in the 1980s.

Since those early days, Michael Weiss has distinguished himself as a celebrated and award-winning furniture designer, garnering the Pinnacle Award for Design Excellence and the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architectural and Design’s Good Design Award. He is known for constructing furniture from high-quality natural materials, which is one of the things that first interested Baer’s Furniture about this designer.

Michael Weiss has a modern approach to design, combining crisp, straight lines and subtle, elegant curves. The work he’s done with designers like Vanguard Furniture is truly revolutionary.

In a 2013 interview with Furniture World Magazine, Michael Weiss characterized his designs as “modern with a twist.” At Baer’s, we’ve carefully curated our modern furniture offerings to avoid a homogenous look. Consequently, Michael Weiss’ use of light colors and exposed wood is the unique approach to modern that our discriminating customers gravitate toward. 

A good example of his signature take on modern is the Bowers Lamp Table from the Michael Weiss Vanguard Furniture collection. At first glance, the understated tones and razor-straight lines give the impression of simple elegance, but the details are a little more complex, with wood-grain details, satin brass legs, and a lighter drawer with a gold handle. This piece offers a shelf for open storage and display, and a drawer for hidden storage. What isn’t apparent from the photo is the high quality of the hardware, which is why you should stop by a Baer’s showroom to see this piece in person.

Michael Weiss’ modern classic furniture can fit with a number of decorative styles. The pieces in the Vanguard collection have a distinctively contemporary bent that will work well in that space. The straight lines also allow it to be matched with minimalist designs — although the extra details in some of those pieces stretch the limit for minimalist themes. Michael Weiss Furniture will also look amazing in Mid-century Modern and Art Deco themes. Finally, these pieces can be placed in transitional motifs.

Using high-quality materials is a hallmark of Michael Weiss designs. Whether he’s using a solid piece of finely-grained wood or a solid metal piece of hardware, Michael Weiss Furniture is constructed from materials that were made to last, but the quality of the products doesn’t end there. Every detail is painstakingly fitted and assembled to give each piece a custom feel. 

This bedroom features the Vanguard Furniture Bowers King Tufted Headboard Bed. Like the gorgeous bed in the center, each piece is designed to seamless perfection.

Michael Weiss is known for taking classic pieces and adding modern flare and unique details. Pieces look like a study in geometric shapes, which means that they can be matched to pieces outside the collection. Consider the Vanguard Furniture Michael Weiss Bowers Desk With Filing Cabinet. The drawer side is offset by a single square leg with a satin brass finish. The negative space between these two components provides extra legroom.

If you appreciate high-quality furniture that is built to stand the test of time, Michael Weiss Furniture might be a good fit for you. Before committing to this designer, answer the following questions: