Chippendale, Thomas (1718–1779)

English furniture designer. He set up his workshop in St Martin's Lane, London, in 1753. His trade catalogue The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director (1754), was a significant contribution to furniture design, and the first of its type to be published. Although many of his most characteristic designs are rococo, he also employed Louis XVI, Chinese, Gothic, and neoclassical styles. He worked mainly in mahogany, newly introduced from South America.

Chippendale's work is characterized by solidity without heaviness; his ribbon-backed chairs are perhaps his most notable work, followed by his settees of two or three conjoined chairs. His business was carried on by his eldest son, Thomas (1749–1822), until 1813.