Form and Function: Sam Maloof's Cradle Hutch

Ninety-seven years ago today, on January 24, 1916, renowned furniture designer and woodworker Sam Maloof was born. While the beloved artist died in 2009, today's Throwback Thursday is a tribute to Maloof and one of his most unusual and extraordinary creations - the Cradle Hutch. First designed in 1966 as response to an invitation from the Museum of Contemporary Crafts to submit a special work for a thematic exhibition entitled "The Bed," the hutch was Maloof's largest piece at that time.

A version of the Cradle Hutch was included in the seminal 1971 exhibition "Woodenworks," held at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution from January 28 - July 19, 1972, and the Minnesota Museum of Art in St. Paul from October 12 - December 31, 1972. "Woodenworks" featured objects by five of the 20th century's biggest names in wood: Maloof, George Nakashima, Wharton Esherick, Arthur Espenet Carpenter, and Wendell Castle. In the catalog for the exhibition, Maloof explains his concept for the Cradle Hutch:

"You know, many times one idea begets another idea. I didn't do it to be different. I didn't say, 'Now, let's see, has anyone ever done this or that or that?' I just thought, 'Well, here my son's wife is going to have a baby soon; it would be fun to make a cradle . . .' And I thought, 'Well, most cradles are so low that a mother would break her back putting the baby in. Why not bring it up high?' And I thought then, 'Why not make drawers under it for the baby's clothes?' I started on that idea and then I thought, 'A cabinet with storage space for blankets up above?' And this is the way the thing is conceived."

The Cradle Hutch was reimagined five times by Maloof during his career. Each subsequent design featured additional functional elements including a diaper changing board, rounded cutout door, and drawer pulls. Today, original Maloof designs, including his cradles, are still being produced by hand in the spirit of the artist's legacy through Sam Maloof Woodworking, Inc.  

Throwback Thursday is a weekly series highlighting visuals from the American Craft Council Library's Digital Collections Database. Check back on Thursdays for more.