Milo Baughman (American, 1923–2003) was a furniture designer who was born in Goodland, KS, on October 7, 1923. His family moved from Kansas to Long Beach, CA, soon after he was born. He spent four years in the military during World War II, mainly designing officers' clubs. After the war, he went back to California and studied design at the Art Center School of Los Angeles and the Chouinard Art Institute. His first job out of school was for Frank Brothers, a furniture store, where he was a custom furniture designer.
In 1947, Baughman left Frank Brothers and established Milo Baughman Design, Inc. Under this name, he designed furniture for Glenn of California and Pacific Iron. In 1948, he created the California Modern collection using walnut, iron, and Formica, and marked a distinct style for Los Angeles furniture. In 1952, Murray Furniture of Winchendon, MA, released The Milo Baughman Collection. In 1953, he began to work for Thayer Coggin. He designed for them until he died. Each year, his collection at the High Point Market, the largest home furnishings trade show, was highly anticipated, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s. Notable pieces from this time period include the 951-103 chair introduced in 1962, the 989-103 lounge chair introduced in 1963, and the 955-304 sofa. In 1965, he converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He created the Department of Environmental Design at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, in 1969. He was an adjunct professor for a time. He later moved back to Virginia for 12 years.
Baughman moved back to Utah and spent nine years as a senior lecturer at Brigham Young University. He also lectured over the years at the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Tennessee. His designs were included in the High Styles: Twentieth Century American Design exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1985. He was inducted into the Furniture Hall of Fame in 1987. His pieces have been exhibited at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC. He died in 2003 in Utah.
