60s furniture

Modern furniture was the most popular style across all sections of the market in the 60s. Scandinavian design had a huge impact on the look of British furniture in this era. Many manufacturers sought to adopt the Scandinavian look: long low pieces in teak or rosewood.

In the UK G-Plan led the field in contemporary mass market design.

G-Plan

G-Plan is the name that springs to mind when most people think of retro furniture. The brand was introduced in 1952. It was a revolutionary idea for the time and one that set a trend for many years to come. G-Plan was modern style furniture, but the key part of the "plan" was that a limited range of items were manufactured, allowing customers to pick a subset of the range for their homes - mix and match if you like. They could also "collect" G-Plan by buying a few items at a time, but building up to a co-ordinated look throughout the whole house. Previously, only expensive suiteswere available for the lounge, dining room or bedroom. The G-Plan idea is so firmly part of furniture buying that it is no longer seen as remarkable, but in the early 50s, it was a breakthrough.

G-Plan was always modern, but never avante garde. The interior (right) is typical GPlan of the time. The lighter wood and splayed legs are 1950s touches, as is the upholstery.

G-Plan style continued to be modern throughout the 50s and 60s. Later in the 50s, the light wood of the earlier style was replaced with tola, a darker wood from Africa. The style too followed contemporary lines. This interior (left) is GPlan from 1962. The light feel to the upholstered chairs and the black dining room chairs is typical of the "contemporary" era of the late 50s which continued into the early 60s. The black dining room chairs may well have been influenced by the "Superleggera" chair designed by Gio Ponti for the Italian manufacturer, Cassina, in 1957.

The black wood and gold finish to the metal work is seen in many designs from this era from other manufacturers. The sideboard shown in this setup is quite small, being only five feet long. G-plan produced two other sideboards in this range, one 7 feet 3 inches in the typical long low style of the period.

G-Plan Danish

Throughout the 50s and 60s, Scandinavian furniture was being imported into Britain in large quantities. It was high quality, well designed and expensive. Favourite woods were teak and rosewood. Many British manufacturers produced their own versions of the Scandinavian style. G-Plan introduced their own "Danish" range in the early 60s. The original G-Plan range was designed by Ib Koford Larsen in teak and afrormosia. These two woods were commonly used in 60s furniture. Generally, teak or teak veneer would be used for table tops and sideboard panels. Afrormosia, which is similar in colour and grain pattern, was used for solid parts, such as the legs. The combination gave the overall impression that the piece was all teak.

G-Plan's most well-known teak range, and the one that is most identified with the revival or retro style today, is Fresco introduced in 1966. This range featured the use of teak veneer and a sculptural style. The range covered living room, dining room and bedroom furniture.

The chair (left), manufactured in 1970, shows the style, as does the table (right) c1969. The circular chair seat is very much in keeping with the geometric shapes popular in the mid 60s in other areas of design - such as pottery. This range was extremely popular and sold well into the 'seventies. [G-Plan still make Fresco - although the style has been changed. See www.gplancabinets.co.uk]

See also New G-Plan Fresco

More on G-Plan.

Other UK furniture

Nathan produced a beautifully simple 7ft sideboard called "Corinthian" in the mid 60s, in hand-oiled Amber Teak. Younger also produced a very high quality range of Scandinavian-style teak designs in the early to mid 60s. The firm of Macintosh also specialised in this type of design. Their trade mark was scalloped handles.

This dining room suite was produced by F Austin Ltd (or "Austinsuite"). At £102.3.0 it was in the mid-price range for the era. (Quite expensive by today's standards - that's £1,277 allowing for inflation). The scalloped handles are similar to those used by Macintosh. This type of furniture continued to be popular in homes throughout the 60s and well into the first half of the 70s. The sideboard, a common item in people's homes, was under threat though in the 60s. G-Plan recognised that the long, low design, although stylish, did not suit smaller homes. They produced a more upright style in the mid 60s. Even earlier than this, an alternative to the traditional sideboard was a taller unit - often used as a room divider in an open-plan dining room/lounge. G-Plan had these in their catalogue in the early 60s.

The storage unit, either against a wall or free-standing as a room divider, became increasingly popular in the 60s. Unit furniture that could be set up in a variety of configurations was a new innovation. Several manufacturers produced it, including Uniflex, Meredrew and Stag, as well as G-Plan. It was often delivered in "KD" (knock-down) form to be assembled, usually by the retailer, prior to delivery. Often these units were in a teak finish. Later white became popular. Stag "Opus 22" was a particularly well designed version from the late 60s. Strangely, this innovative furniture was also produced in reproduction antique style by several manufacturers. The reproduction antique style was used in many homes throughout the 50s and 60s. Labels such as Old Charm and Strongbow did well in the 60s, serving an entirely different set of tastes from the modern style teak look.

Terence Conran and Habitat

Terence Conran opened his first Habitat store in May 1964 on the Fulham Road in London. Habitat captured the mood of the times and was immediately popular with celebrities, as well as the younger generation. The new store offered a range of well-designed goods at reasonable prices. However, the essence of Habitat's success was that it sold a whole "lifestyle" package, as well as mere products. By the end of the 60s, there were nine Habitat stores throughout the country.

Looking at early Habitat products today, some of them do not look that exciting. There is a strong emphasis on pine, which was still popular in the 80s and 90s. In the 60s though, it was new. As early as 1962, Conran launched a range of kitchen units in Swedish pine, called Summa. As well as the units, there was pine panelling for the walls. Habitat also lead the way to a Victorian rival in 1967. The Victorian look included such commonplace items, in today's eyes, as the Chesterfield sofa. Today, we are so used to historical revivals that it is hard to appreciate how new and exciting this was at the time. The rediscovery of Victorian styles linked in well with the fashion for Victorian military uniforms and the graphics of the latter part of the 60s. Think of the cover of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper album, for example. Even earlier than this, Victorian style lettering was used in the titles of the popular film, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

Blow-up and cardboard furniture

One way to go retro today is to buy modern versions of the original sixties blow up furniture.

The end of the 60s saw a trend towards disposable furniture. Blow-up and disposable cardboard chairs went on sale. It was the throw away culture, very different from previous generations, who would buy one set of furniture to last a lifetime. It was possible to reinvent the look for the whole of your house or flat every few years. However, for a large section of the population, the solid values of quality furniture were still appreciated. A survey done by marketing consultants in 1970 showed that just under half of the population aspired to have G-Plan in their homes.

How to buy furniture from the 60s

Retro furniture, from the 50s, 60s and 70s and the modern retro style furniture has become very popular recently. You can mix and match genuine pieces from the 50s and 60s with modern retro pieces. Retro accessories such as light fittings can be bought from DIY stores. There are also shops specialising in retro design classics by top designers. Habitat, for example sells the classic Forum range by Robin Day.

Buying retro furniture today gives you such a range of choices, it is difficult to know where to begin. My advice is to choose a particular style and stick to it, rather than randomly acquiring pieces that do not really fit together. For example, G-Plan and Victorian revival don't really go!

A great deal of 60s furniture is still cheap. Visit charity shops, junk shops and car boot sales. Many pieces can still be picked up for a few pounds. I would avoid paying high prices for common place items. I believe retro furniture should be for fun rather than an investment. If you pay £2000 for a sideboard on eBay, you are unlikely to be able to get this price if you want to sell it - unless it is by a well respected designer. There is a trend on eBay of describing every piece of teak furniture as "G-Plan" - it isn't. G-Plan made a large quantity of furniture in the 60s, but were only one manufacturer.

G-Plan furniture - 50s and early 60s had a gold stamp on the base of it, confirming that it is GPlan. Later red stickers were used. Be warned, I have seen these red stickers for sale on eBay - so the only way to be really sure you are buying G-Plan is to do your research first! If in doubt, and you really want G-Plan - don't buy.

Habitat now stock a small selection of items that were actually designed in the 60s - such as a revival of Robin Day's Forum sofa and chairs. The classic rectangular leather sofa is also made by other manufacturers. If you want one of these, look for a light, visually pleasing design. Too many modern sofas are heavy and overstuffed. Other 60s classics such as blow-up chairs and cushions are being re-manufactured. Personally, I would buy a new one, rather than pay a high price for what was regarded as disposable at the time!

Whatever you do, retro furniture is meant to be fun. Don't take it too seriously. Art Deco was like that a few years ago - now the investors have driven out those who really appreciated the style!

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60s furniture manufacturers

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but a brief guide to the style of the various manufacturers.

Austinsuite	F Austin was a well respected manufacturer. They made teak and afrormosia furniture in the 60s to a modern design. Fashionable, but not avant-garde.  Austinsuite was mid priced rather than cheap.
Avalon	Fashionable, but at the cheaper end of the market. The emphasis was on price as well as style.
Ercol	High quality, craftsman-made furniture in English elm. Made in conservative, but modern style. Ercol is highly respected and collected today. Second-hand prices are high.
G-Plan	The original modular furniture. G-Plan was very popular in the 50s, 60s & 70s. Good quality, not the most expensive, but not the cheapest either. G-Plan set the trend for many homes in the 60s.
Hille	Hille employed designer Robin Day, whose ground breaking contemporary designs defined the look of modern furniture. Hille's furniture was expensive and aimed at the top end of the domestic market, but their main business was the contract market. Robin Day's Hillestack chair was used at the Festival of Britain in 1951.
Limelight	Built-in bedroom furniture. Teak doors and white frameworks were common. You could fit it yourself.
Macintosh	Produced mid-priced teak and rosewood furniture in the 60s. Look out for trademark scalloped handles.
Meredrew	Produced a range of modular storage units. Good quality - if a little like office furniture.
Minty	Manufacturer of fashionable upholstered furniture. Minty followed the latest contemporary style in the 50s and 60s.
Nathan	Nathan followed the 50s contemporary style. Later they made high quality, Scandinavian-style furniture.
Old Charm	Reproduction antique specialist. Heavy oak style was popular with the public - not with the design press!
Parker Knoll	Very high quality chairs and sofas. Conservative in style. Many people aspired to own Parker Knoll.
Schreiber	A name more associated with the 70s, but Schreiber did make furniture in the 60s. They pioneered "Furniture engineering" - new processes for making quality designs at cheaper prices.
Stag	Produced stylish, high quality and modern furniture in the 50s and 60s. Introduced the more traditional "Minstrel" range in the 60s.
Strongbow	Was advertised as "furniture you can live with". In the late 50s and early 60s, Strongbow was something of a cross between G-Plan and Old Charm. They switched to full blown reproduction antique in the mid-sixties.
Uniflex	High quality, minimalist and stylish. Uniflex furniture dispensed with handles!
Younger	Top quality Scandinavian-style furniture in the early to mid 60s. They produced an innovative range of Georgian inspired furniture in 1967 in a variety of colours.

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More on retro furniture:

The G-Plan Revolution    by Basil Hyman and Steven Braggs (published Booth-Clibborn Editions 2007, ISBM 978-1861543103) is a new reference book about retro furniture. It tells the story of how the G-Plan brand changed furniture buying in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The G-Plan Revolution covers the furniture industry including brands Stag, Nathan, Austinsuite and Ercol.

The Sixties: Decade of Design Revolution by Lesley Jackson (published Phaidon, ISBN 0-7148-3963-9) is good on top designers in the 60s. It describes the complex storey of how design evolved in the 60s, covering architecture, ceramics and fashion, as well as furniture.

Mass Market Classics: A Celebration of Everyday Design by Wayne Hemingway (published RotoVision, ISBN 2-88046-734-9) - covers the 50s, 60s, 'seventies and 'eighties. This is a well illustrated, light and entertaining read.

Twentieth-century Furniture: Materials, Manufacture and Markets (Studies in Design) by Clive D Edwards (published Manchester University Press, ISBN 0-7190-4067-1). This book is useful for tracing developments in the furniture business. It covers the whole of the twentieth century and not just the 60s. It is a good background read, but not intended as a reference for the collector.