Retro Furniture
Retro furniture is the new collecting craze. Retro furniture from from the 60s is cool again. Most people
have an idea about what retro
furniture was about. Yet, the story of 60s furniture is an extremely complex
one. The decade produced such a diverse range of ideas, encompassing both
country cottage pine and blow-up chairs. Neither were typical
of what the majority of people had in their homes. Before researching this
article, I had a clear idea of how retro furniture looked: 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.
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.
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]
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. |
|
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. |
|
Nathan | 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 Sixties - decade of design revolution" by Lesley Jackson (published
Phaidon, ISBN 0-7148-3963-9) is good on top designers in the 'sixties. It
describes the complex storey of how design evolved in the 'sixties, 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 'fifties,
'sixties, 'seventies and 'eighties. This is a light and entertaining read. It
is well illustrated, but is a pity that there are so many foreign pictures
used.
"Twentieth-Century Furniture - Materials, manufacture and Markets" 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 'sixties. It is a good
background read, but not intended as a reference for the collector.