“A good design must fulfill its purpose well, be soundly constructed, and should express in its design this purpose and construction.” Robin Day, 1962
The post-war reconstruction was a dynamic time for British design and its first couple were Robin and Lucienne Day. In that time of rediscovering materials, where straitened circumstances and new-found optimism forged experimentation, the couple forged design paths both singly and separately. They are now considered the essential couple of 20th-century British design, which has inevitably drawn comparison with their US counterparts, Charles and Ray Eames.
The couple married in 1942, during World War II, after meeting at the Royal College of Art. Robin, ever inventive, made a dining table from a door with a lino top and iron gas pipes for legs. That ingenuity was a boon to the recovering country and Robin took his work into mass production.
Robin’s achievements are innumerable but two well-known pieces are the Q-stak Chair (1953), made of a single piece of moulded plywood, and the Polypropylene stacking chair which has sold 50 million since it burst on the market in 1963. Robin Day was amused to see Polyprops in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, screwed to dugout canoes as seating. Although Robin Day designed everything from interiors to signage he always came back to seating and he designed the Toro benches on London Underground’s platforms.
As well as collaborating with Robin, Lucienne became best known for surface design. Her textile design Calyx was among the standout works of the 1951 Festival of Britain, and across her career she also designed wallpapers, carpets and ceramics, some of which have been reissued.
Both Robin and Lucienne died in 2010, but the first couple of British design haven’t been forgotten. Indeed, the last decade has seen a rediscovery of their work.
At Harry CJ Wix, we are delighted to offer Robin’s Case 675 Armchair of 1952, and the Forum sofa range, both reissued by Case. We also stock the Lucienne Day Collection of wallpaper, reproduced by Mini Moderns.
© Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation
Purchase Robin Day Collection here:
https://harrycjwix.com/search?q=robin+day&options%5Bprefix%5D=last