John has over thirty years of experience creating and manufacturing furniture for designers and architects. He has worked with top designers from around the country to fabricate their custom designs, has created works for sacred spaces, and created a line of his own designs. He takes his inspiration from the Mid-Century and Art Deco masters. In the last eight years, interior designer Carisa Marie has joined forces with John to heighten the artistic appeal to the high end market.
Born in Chicago, John grew up in the "furniture world". His Great-Aunt was Mabel Schamberg, the interior designer of the "House of Tomorrow" at the 1933 Chicago Worlds' Fair. She was a memorable character who lends her name to Strauss's first design line. His father owned a high-end furniture showroom in downtown Chicago that is still remembered as a pioneering establishment and his mother was an interior designer.
John Strauss trained as a sculptor with an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from City University of New York. John moved to New York City for a fellowship with the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. He worked in the Brooklyn atelier of master furniture maker Gabriel Giuntini as his main assistant.
John resides and works in Ohio, where all of his furniture is made. He has close relationships with master craftspeople who help create his designs, including glass and mosaic artists, metal workers and many wood specialists in the Amish community.