(baptized June 5, 1718, Otley, Eng.
died November 1779, London) English cabinetmaker.
Little is known of his life before 1753, when he opened a showroom and workshop in London. In 1754 he published The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director , a popular collection of designs illustrating almost every type of domestic furniture. The designs were mostly his improvements on already existing styles. Though much 18th-century furniture is attributed to him, only a few pieces can be assigned with certainty to his workshop. See also Chippendale style .