Karl Kipp

 
Karl Kipp (1881–1954) was a prominent designer and craftsman best known for his work at the Roycroft Copper Shop and his later career as an industrial designer. Born near Saratoga Springs, New York, Kipp's early life was marked by a scandal involving embezzlement, which led to his time in prison. While incarcerated, Kipp pursued architectural studies, gaining skills that would shape his future. Upon his release in 1908, he joined the Roycroft community, where he quickly became a key figure in the Copper Shop, designing metalworks that introduced modernist design elements to American craft.

Kipp later established his own metalwork business, the Tookay Shop, before rejoining Roycroft after Elbert Hubbard’s death. In the 1930s, Kipp shifted to industrial design, working for the Daystrom Corporation, where he became a leading designer of chrome and steel furniture. Kipp’s work helped popularize modern kitchen and dinette furniture in the mid-20th century. Despite his early contributions to the Arts and Crafts movement, much of Kipp's earlier career was forgotten until a series of discoveries in the early 2000s uncovered the full scope of his life’s work. Kipp passed away in 1954, leaving behind a legacy in both hand-crafted metalwork and industrial design.