We’re proud to announce that the Rapson Thirty-Nine Collection is a finalist in Interior Design magazine’s Best of the Year awards. Judging by the full list of finalists, these Ralph Rapson designs are in pretty good company. The collection comes to life almost 80 years after the pieces were originally sketched by a young student just starting out on a long career in design, architecture, and teaching.

The new Rapson Thirty-Nine Collection was born from a whole series of sketches that Ralph made during his studies at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. 

Leland International, a proud Michigan company with many Cranbrook connections of its own, saw these striking, unrealized designs within Ralph Rapson's design library during an extensive design planning session in 2015. After a year of work between the teams at Leland and Rapson-Inc.'s owner (and Ralph's son) Toby Rapson, these simple and still-unique designs were launched at NeoCon in summer 2016. Those lucky enough to attend the launch party got to see a new video highlighting Ralph Rapson's career and knock back some period-appropriate cocktails to celebrate these pieces.

Back when he was studying at Cranbrook, Rapson often worked alongside innovators such as the Saarinens, Bertoia, and Eames. The Thirty-Nine Collection features the sleek and yet slightly playful modern lines that make many Rapson designs memorable.

Each piece is inscribed with Ralph’s signature as a stamp of authenticity. We are so thankful to the team at Leland International for their care in bringing Ralph’s sketches to life in this beautifully curated collection with a lounge chair, a guest chair, benches, and stools (and with more on the way—stay tuned).