Retro Furniture
Retro furniture still looks fantastic in a modern home. You can choose genuine pieces from the 50s and 60s or modern designs inspired by the past. A combination of a few original pieces with some modern basics can look great.
The 50s was the decade when people first took to modern furniture in a big way. The favourite term of the era was contemporary furniture. People loved bold patterns for wallpapers and fabrics, but went for elegant, modern furniture that floated magically above the floor on slender legs.
The 60s produced a diverse range of styles, from country cottage pine to blow-up chairs. The classic retro furniture look is typified by long, low, teak sideboards and coffee tables. This was a style epitomised by the firm E Gomme, or "G Plan" as the range was known.
In the late fifties and early sixties Scandinavian furniture design had a big influence in both the UK and the US. The combination of highly skilled craftsmanship with modern design captured the mood of the time. The Scandinavian teak and rosewood furniture set the standard and many UK furniture makers imitated it. Danish designer, Ib Kofod-Larsen, produced some fantastic pieces for G-Plan.
In the 70s the love affair with teak continued, although the new look was pine. 70s furniture has a chunkier feel to that from the 60s.
We are now rediscovering how great this furniture is. You can buy original retro pieces on eBay or choose modern pieces with a retro look. There are some great new designs, as well as some fantastic pieces from the past . Modern and retro go hand in hand. Follow our guide and develop a critical appreciation of both modern and retro furniture design.
See also:
Furniture design in the 50s and 60s
G Plan
G-Plan is the name that springs to mind when most people think of retro furniture. G Plan 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 suites of furniture were 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 'fifties, it was a breakthrough.
G Plan furniture was always modern, but never avante garde. The interior (left) 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 'fifties and 'sixties. Later in the 'fifties, the light wood of the earlier style was replaced with tola, a darker wood from Africa. The style too followed contemporary lines. This interior (right) 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 'fifties which continued into the early 'sixties. 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 'sixties. The original GPlan range was designed by Ib Koford Larsen in teak and afrormosia. These two woods were commonly used in 'sixties' 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 GPlan 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
The G-Plan Revolution
By Basil Hyman and Steven Braggs
Order a copy today: The G-Plan Revolution
The G-Plan Revolution tells the story of how the G-Plan brand transformed the British furniture industry of the 50s and 60s. When G-Plan was launched in 1953, it combined contemporary furniture design with modern branding and marketing. It was an instant success for E Gomme, the manufacturer of G-Plan.
The G-Plan Revolution is illustrated with period advertisements, many in colour, featuring G-Plan, Stag, Ercol, Austinsuite, Schreiber and many other brands from the 50s, 60s and 70s.
More on G-Plan.
G Plan was not the only company to make Scandinavian-style furniture in the UK
Nathan produced a beautifully simple 7ft sideboard called "Corinthian" in the mid 'sixties, in hand-oiled Amber Teak. Younger also produced a very high quality range of Scandinavian-style teak furniture in the early to mid 'sixties. 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 'sixties and well into the first half of the 'seventies. The sideboard, a common item in people's homes, was under threat though in the 'sixties. G Plan recognised that the long, low design, although stylish, did not suit smaller homes. They produced a more upright style in the mid 'sixties. 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 'sixties.
The storage unit, either against a wall or free-standing as a room divider, became increasingly popular in the 'sixties. Unit furniture that could be set up in a variety of configurations was a 60s 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 type of furniture was also produced in reproduction antique style by several manufacturers. The reproduction antique style was used in many homes throughout the 'fifties and 'sixties. Labels such as Old Charm and Strongbow did well in the 'sixties, 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 'sixties, 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 is still popular today. In the 'sixties 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 'sixties. 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 with furniture 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. The 'sixties became a throw away culture, which was very different from the previous generations, who would buy one set of furniture to last a lifetime. It became 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 retro furniture from the 60s
Retro furniture, 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 furniture. 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 'sixties 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 £300 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 'sixties, but were only one manufacturer.
G-Plan furniture - 'fifties and early 'sixties 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 'sixties - 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 'sixties 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!
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 'sixties to a modern design. Fashionable, but not avant-garde. Austinsuite furniture 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 'sixties. |
| 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 'sixties. 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 'seventies, but Schreiber did make furniture in the 'sixties. They pioneered "Furniture engineering" - new processes for making quality furniture at cheaper prices. |
| Stag | Produced stylish, high quality and modern furniture in the 'fifties and 'sixties. Introduced the more traditional "Minstrel" range in the 'sixties. |
| Strongbow | Was advertised as "furniture you can live with". In the late 'fifties and early 'sixties, 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 'sixties. They produced an innovative range of Georgian inspired furniture in 1967 in a variety of colours. |
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
Mass Market Classics: A Celebration of Everyday Design
Twentieth-century Furniture: Materials, Manufacture and Markets (Studies in Design)
Retrowow
Retro furniture, style and fashion