DONALD DESKEY

Donald Deskey burst onto the interior design scene in early 1932 when he won a competition to oversee the interior styling of the soon-to-be Radio City Music Hall. His standout designs led to his selection for the project. Tasked with blending modern Art Deco aesthetics with functionality, Deskey chose a diverse group of artists working in various styles and mediums, weaving their talents into the fabric of the Radio City Music Hall we recognize today.

Deskey’s work is prominently displayed throughout Radio City Music Hall, including in the “secret apartment” known as the Roxy Suite above the stage. A notable element of his design, the “Singing Women” patterned textile covering the main auditorium floor, was reproduced in nylon and wool in the 1990s during a major renovation of the building. Another of his contributions, the “Nicotine Room” on the second floor, features Deskey’s print, The History of Nicotine (The Life of Saint Nicotine), cleverly stamped in “tobacco brown” on aluminum foil wallpaper produced by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, Donald Sidney Deskey initially studied architecture at the University of California. He later pivoted to art and industrial design, becoming a pioneer in the field. His visit to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris profoundly influenced his design approach. Deskey eventually established a design consulting firm in New York City, later partnering with Phillip Vollmer to form Deskey-Vollmer, specializing in furniture and textile design. His work evolved from Art Deco to Streamline Moderne.

Deskey first gained attention in 1926 with his window displays for the Franklin Simon Department Store in Manhattan. His career took off in the 1930s when he won the competition to design the interiors of Radio City Music Hall. He also sold geometrically painted objects through Rena Rosenthal’s fashionable shop and did custom design work for her. In the 1940s, he started the graphic design firm Donald Deskey Associates, creating iconic designs such as the Crest toothpaste packaging and the Tide bullseye. He also developed a decorative form of plywood known as Weldtex, which became popular in the 1950s.

Donald Deskey Associates is still in operation in Cincinnati, and a collection of his work is held by the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Deskey retired to Vero Beach, Florida, where he passed away in 1989. His personal life included two marriages: first to Mary Campbell Douthett, a pianist and later a professor of music, with whom he had two sons, and later to Katharine Godfrey Brennan.

Born on November 23, 1894, Deskey was an influential figure in establishing industrial design as a profession. He studied at the University of California at Berkeley, the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago before continuing his education in Paris. He served as director of the art department at Juniata College and later led the industrial design department at New York University.

Around 1926, after starting his career in advertising, Deskey began designing furniture, lighting, and interiors. His innovative use of industrial materials for decorative purposes brought him acclaim and caught the attention of Rockefeller Center, Inc., leading to his landmark project for Radio City Music Hall. In addition to package and product designs for major corporations, his firm produced notable projects for world’s fairs and designed interiors for clubs, restaurants, and hotels in New York City. Deskey also invented the high-pressure laminate known as Weldtex, contributing to his lasting legacy in design.