First and foremost, Jonathan Wayne is an artist. Yes, he owns Red Modern Furniture in uptown Phoenix. Yes, he has taught tennis professionally and lived on a kibbutz in Israel. But in his heart of hearts, he’s still searching for the poetry of life. This is good news for anyone who appreciates modernist design, because these days, Wayne channels his artistic energies into sourcing, restoring and reselling midcentury modern furnishings. “Breathing new life into these pieces is the art now,” he says—although he is also launching a line of credenzas he designed and produced himself. Pop into Red, and you may come across a walnut-and-ceramic dining table by Allen Ditson and Lee Porzio, a restored Eames sofa or maybe even a Swedish end table that doesn’t have a designer attached to it but that speaks to you nonetheless. This, Wayne says, is the point. “The right piece transcends language, just as a prayer or moment in nature can,” he explains. Wayne honors their legacy through careful restoration. His small team strips, seals and lacquers wood pieces in what he describes as an “old-world approach,” while upholstered furnishings may be taken down to the frame and rebuilt. The process, much like the way Wayne built his business, is painstaking, organic and ethical.
