Our History
From the age of 14, our founder, Joseph F. Tuohy, was a dreamer and a doer. When he won a children’s competition sponsored by Fisher Body, one judge doubted that Joseph’s model replica of Louis XIV’s coach was built by a child. Townspeople in the boy’s hometown of Chatfield, Minnesota, knew differently. Joseph’s creative abilities were renowned.
Crafting Period Reproductions
In the 1950s, with 13 children, Joseph left his job to begin making period reproductions for religious institutions in need of one-off pieces for their sanctuaries. Unrelenting sawdust proved too much for his wife, and his small enterprise moved into an abandoned blacksmith shop in Chatfield. Realizing there was more potential outside the region, Joseph sent his seventeen-year-old son, F. Mike, to experience and research the New York market. Mike returned with a love for the city and its unlimited potential.
Evolving the Business
During the 1960s, the Tuohy business grew from a small firm into a major manufacturer of congregational seating. This prosperous decade also brought Joseph the opportunity of a lifetime. Hungarian-born giant of Bauhaus architecture, Marcel Breuer, had received a commission for a Benedictine abbey in central Minnesota. Known for using fine materials and having strict attention to detail, Joseph Tuohy was selected to provide all the wood furnishings.
By this time, Joseph’s son, F. Mike, had joined the firm and was enamored with the high-end designs presented by ICF, Stendig, Atelier International, and others who pioneered Designers’ Saturday in New York. These firms observed North Americans’ evolving taste for international styling and sought domestic production of European-influenced fine wood tables and components. In a move that would reshape Tuohy’s identity, F. Mike seized the opportunity to manufacture products for the founders of today’s contract furniture industry.
Continuing the Legacy
Inspired by Joseph and F. Mike’s eagerness to accept new challenges, third-generation family members Dan and Michael Tuohy continue to shape the innovative culture at Tuohy.
Over the decades, the company’s purpose has remained the same—to provide furnishings that make people’s lives more productive, pleasing, and treasured.
Serving Global Customers
Today, Tuohy supplies some of the world’s largest companies with high-quality, personalized wood solutions, including case goods, conference tables, and seating. Our team is committed to practicing disciplined design, utilizing modern engineering techniques, and sourcing high-quality materials to achieve a high level of elegance.
