Our story

Kneeland Co. was founded in 2010 by Joanna Williams as a way of sharing her discoveries, inspirations, and ideas. As an homage to her family’s love of travel, she named the company after her maternal side of the family, a nod to her late Irish grandfather who was an avid explorer and who built an 85-foot schooner to sail the seas.  Her great-grandfather, who fought with Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution after leaving his home of Scotland, settled in Mexico City and started a family business that still continues today. He built three homes in a beautiful historic neighborhood where Joanna’s mother and her nine siblings were raised by their Irish father and Mexican mother. The siblings later established residences in Guatemala, Indonesia, Germany, Mexico, and various parts of the US.  A great sense of adventure resides within the Kneeland name.

Located in Los Angeles, Kneeland Co. is a vintage textile library and consulting service for designers seeking inspiration to assist in developing their collections.  Her clients include global lifestyle brands, luxury and contemporary fashion design studios, and interior designers. The studio has collaborated on merchandise and content curation with major brands and has been featured in publications including The New York Times T Magazine, VOGUE, and WSJ.   In March 2020, Joanna expanded Kneeland Co. to include a brick and mortar retail store, Kneeland Co. Rarities, in the historic neighborhood of West Adams.  With a focus on one-of-a-kind, globally sourced, and handmade home goods and jewelry – the shop offers clients a point of view from Joanna’s extensive travels and resources.  In addition to offering a thoughtful and carefully edited shopping experience, Kneeland Co. Rarities hopes to educate clients on what they purchase, sharing the history and significance of each product.