Chippendale, Thomas (1718-79) , English furniture designer and cabinetmaker, born in Yorkshire, the son of a carpenter. Chippendale established a furniture factory in London in 1749 and soon gained a wide reputation. The Chippendale style combines solidity with grace and elaborate decoration, usually in Chinese, Gothic, or rococo style. He published three editions of The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director (1754, 1755, 1762), a book containing 160 engravings of furniture designs, which were widely copied and imitated. In the later years of his long career, in collaboration with the architect Robert Adam, Chippendale created his most beautiful furniture. After his death his business was continued by his son, Thomas Chippendale.