A fold of chairs

have fallen in love with & beautiful Rye over the past few days.

It’s a joy to be surrounded by our latest art collection from mid century artist Anthony Curtis (1928-2018). The stunning abstracts are on the walls of our St Albans shop and available to view on our website.

Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, Anthony Curtis was a pivotal figure in the post-war British art scene. His formal studies began at Loughborough College and continued at the renowned Bath Academy of Arts in Corsham, where he immersed himself in the vibrant artistic community of the early 1950s. Under the tutelage of prominent 20th-century artists such as Terry Frost, Bryan Wynter, Peter Lanyon, and Kenneth Armitage, Curtis’s creative vision began to take shape.

In 1957, Curtis’s work garnered national attention with his inclusion in the Daily Express Young Artists’ Exhibition, and he was further celebrated as one of Jack Beddington’s Young Artists of Promise. By 1959, he was holding solo exhibitions at the Bear Lane Gallery in Oxford, where his unique voice emerged within the contemporary art landscape.

The works we have in store are drawn from Curtis’s personal estate, with a focus on his output from the 1950s and 60s. These pieces, rich in texture and movement, reflect the profound influence of his St Ives mentors. Many were conceived during his regular visits to Cornwall, where he frequently visited and painted alongside Terry Frost and Peter Lanyon, capturing the dynamic spirit of the era’s artistic experimentation.

September means a new autumnal colour palette 🍂

Wishbone seat pads made from leather offcuts 🧡

A lovely lady came into the shop a few months ago and after spotting our 1960s Fred Scott folding chair, manufactured by british company ‘Hille International’. She told me how she’d worked at the ’Hille House’ in Watford, designed by Erno Goldfinger in the 1950s.

She recounted stories of working with midcentury furniture designers Scott and Robin Day and the amazing team work and entrepreneurial spirit of the company at the time.

Watford’s Hille house (situated on St Albans Road) was where Erno Goldfinger first deployed his tell-tale coloured glass slits. The office and factory was built between 1959-61. It wasn’t a chance collaboration; the Hille furniture company has an illustrious history in modernist furniture design – including the signature Polyside and Hille chairs, and not least the very Bond-villainy 4-4000 Easy Chair. Many of us will have used their Toro or Woodro benches around London, especially in the Tube.

Hille House is an instantly recognisable Goldfinger building, constructed with a reinforced concrete frame and an Uxbridge brick infill. Still there today (if slightly obscured by antennas) - worth a visit if you’re on your way to a Watford game.

One of our latest finds; The classic ‘Pirkka’ chair by Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara.

Born in 1914 into the family of a forester, where culture and creativity was appreciated. Ilmari studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in Finland. Going on to work with, and be heavily influenced by revered architects Alvo Aalto and Le Corbusier.

Tapiovaara believed High-quality and reasonably-priced objects belonged to all. His aspirations and career were interrupted by the war. However he was still able to gain experience as an interior designer during the trench warfare period when he became head of the production office of the 5th division in the forests of East Karelia. The office produced building and interior solutions for the army. Under Tapiovaara’s guidance, dugouts, mess halls, cattle sheds, utensils and pieces of furniture were created. The work was done with limited tools and the wood was taken from the surrounding forest. Tapiovaara learned how a tool shapes a product and vice versa. “I had been in a good school, evidently the best college of my life,” he reminisced later on.
Even though Tapiovaara created many different products during his career, he believed the chair to be the key to optimum interior design. “He designed chairs again and again. He remade chairs and formed whole product families through them, with shelving and tables”.

Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory (Den Kongelige Porcelænsfabrik), was founded in Copenhagen in 1775 under the protection of Danish Dowager Queen Juliane Marie.

During the midcentury they looked to art directions from Nils Thorsson who trained at the Technical High School in Copenhagen before joining Royal Copenhagen as an apprentice. He became a major designer for the Royal Copenhagn Porcelain Factory from 1912 to 1975 working in the uniquely Danish mode of simplicity and functionalism using nature as the basis of his artistic influence.

His form and pattern designs from the 1950s – 1970’s, especially from the ‘Baca’ and ‘Tenera’ ranges, were and remain some of Royal Copenhagen’s most popular works coveted as being prime examples of mid-century and Danish modernism.

We will be closed for 2 weeks from this Sunday. You can shop at our online store anytime & all orders will be fulfilled from Monday 12th August.
Here’s to the loveliest of summers ☀️

📸 Slim Aarons, Positano Beach, 1979

Our beautifully crafted loveseat by Lucian Ercolani was designed in 1956 and uses traditional wedge and tenon joinery techniques where the legs are extended through the seat and secured with a wedge. The joints are then sanded until they lie flush with the seat.

This loveseat will be making this way in store this week.

I really enjoyed Tate Modern’s latest exhibition

EXPRESSIONISTS -KANDINSKY, MÜNTER AND THE BLUE RIDER

Expressionists is a story of friendships told through art. Exploring the radical work of a circle of friends and close collaborators known as The Blue Rider who congregated in early 20th century Munich, Germany.

Rejecting the traditional realism of past art, they strove instead to create spiritual, symbolist art that came close to abstraction. This group took their name from a painting by Wassily Kandinsky that featured an unknown man in a blue jacket riding into a distant landscape.

I’d highly recommend a visit and whilst your at the Tate, I’d definitely check-out the Yoko Ono exhibition MUSIC OF THE MIND which I also absolutely loved.

Music of the mind is on until 1st September
Expressionists - until October
📸 1 - Wassily Kandinsky
📸 2 - Franz Marc
📸 3 - Lionel Feininger
📸 4 - Robert Delaunay

Our beautiful new sideboard was manufactured by Scottish company McIntosh of Kirkcaldy which was was one of the most prominent makers (along with G Plan) of British contemporary dining furniture in the 1960s and 70s, using traditional skills such as cabinet making.

Founded in 1869 by Alexander Henry McIntosh within the Fife region of Scotland, the business expanded quickly thoughout the UK and internationally, exhibiting at the World Fair in Paris in 1878, and the Sydney Exhibition in 1879. Like many other business during the First World War, McIntosh contributed to the war effort by manufacturing airplane wings and other parts for the duration.

By the early 1960s, McIntosh began to move away from producing more traditional style dining and bedroom furniture towards making furniture in the Danish Modern style. This move was lead by design directors Tom Robertson and Val Rossi and lead the company into a period of prosperity. It was around this time that McIntosh stopped making bedroom furniture in order to focus production on its more popular dining room tables, chairs and sideboards.

This sideboard is in store and ready to view.

Our latest 3 seater sofa is by British manufacturer R W Toothill. Made from rich aformosia wood and upholstered in the softest wool felt - It’s currently gracing one of our shop windows.

La Cité Radieuse - Marcus and I made a pilgrimage to this revolutionary block of flats in Marseille 10 years ago and have loved it ever since.
The French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier built the block between 1946 and 1952. It comprises of 337 flats with 23 different layouts, for households of one to ten people. Most flats are duplexes and extend from one side of the building to the other, meaning they get light and air, both from the city and the sea. Shortly after World War II, France had an acute housing shortage: a great opportunity for Le Corbusier to put his theories about a new way of living and the vertical city into practice. The concrete building rests on tall piles, ensuring people can circulate in the space beneath. There are various shops on the third floor: a baker, restaurant, the 21 room budget Hôtel Le Corbusier and the Imbernon bookshop. The stunning rooftop terrace – with panoramic views over Marseille and the sea – was built to house a paddling pool for children, a solarium, an open-air theatre and a small school, which has since been converted into an artist’s residence. Part of the building is open to the public, so if you’re in the vicinity this summer I’d highly recommend a visit.

Michael Cardew’s ceramics are highly collectable. His stone and slipware are found in a palette of greens, browns and dusty blues, painted and etched with geometric, animal and foliage motifs reminiscent of folk art, Asian and African calligraphy.

Cardew was born in London in 1901, growing up in a bohemian family in the circle of Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll. He heard of the St Ives Pottery through his father, a collector of ceramics, and on leaving Oxford University he went to join the revered potter Bernard Leach as a student.

Cardew stayed at St Ives until 1926 when he took over a disused pottery near Winchcombe, then In 1939 set up a new pottery at Wenford Bridge, on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

During the war Cardew was a Pottery Instructor in Achimota College in what is now Ghana - a Government backed venture that was to supply the whole of West Africa with good quality pottery, but was a dismal failure.

After the war he spent his working life for the most part in Africa where he set up a pottery at Vumë on the Volta river. And where he was appointed Pottery Officer in Nigeria. He started the Abuja Pottery, a training centre for native potters, and would spend ten months of each year there, and two months at Wenford Bridge. After his retirement he moved back to Wenford where he was joined by his son, Seth in 1971.

Cardew taught by example, using few words. He did not criticise his students’ work, but would give lavish praise when he thought a pot was good. This is in contrast to the Leach Pottery practice of breaking pieces that did not come up to standard.

Cardew’s stone and slip decorated earthenware pots are distinctive. His work was exhibited widely, and he was awarded many honours before his death in 1983.

One of my all time favourites.
1960s recliner by Soren Ladeforged for SL Møbler of Denmark 💫

Fallingwater - It’s unbelievable to think that Fallingwater was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. It continues to look incredibly contemporary.

The building was commissioned by
Edgar Kaufmann and his wife Liliane, after meeting Wright through their son, Edgar Kaufmann Jr., who was a student of Wrights. The brief was to design a family retreat near their favourite countryside spot, a 30-foot waterfall on the Bear Run tributary in Pennsylvania.

A Modernist masterpiece of twentieth-century architecture. The building illustrates Wright’s ideas about organic and dynamic architecture. Built of raw materials into the nature surrounding it, the house sits above the waterfall and is characterised by huge cantilevered sections and large windows, bringing nature into the home’s open internal spaces.

Wright, who studied architecture in Japan, was inspired by Japanese architecture’s ability to integrate nature and rooms, allowing inside and outside to flow into one another. Equally reflected in the interior design through the use of multiple floor cushions and beautiful paper screen light shades on the ceiling.

The partnership between the 2 former cabinet makers Carl Hansen and Hans Wegner began in 1949. When Holger Hansen (Carl’s youngest son) invited the young architect Wegner to the company home in Odense, on the Danish island of Funen.

During his 3 week stay, Wegner designed 4 iconic chairs for the company - the CH22 (pic 2) CH23 (pic 3) CH24 - the wishbone chair (pic 4) & CH25 (pic 5)

Wegner’s groundbreaking designs, characterised by clean lines, organic shapes, and timeless elegance, found a perfect match in Hansen’s dedication to traditional techniques and attention to detail. They continued to collaborate for the following 20 years, creating furniture that defined an era.

Whilst working at Holmegaard, Per Lütken, previously an artist, adopted his predecessor, Jacob Bang's modern shapes. He designed more than 3000 pieces during his time working at the company from 1942 and until his death in 1998.  In the 1950s he implemented considerable improvements in manufacturing and aesthetics at Holmgaard inspired by the Trienalle di Milano. Per Lütken used heated metal to sculpt and create his fluid glass forms .

We have several beautiful glass works by Lütken currently in the shop, drop by to@take a look at them.

St Albans is celebrating this weekend with the annual Alban Pilgrimage procession & the Alban Festival, both on Sunday.

The pilgrimage sees the city centre filled with awe-inspiring 12ft puppets and hundreds of local school children dressed as Roman soldiers (and an eye…) weaving through the streets, retelling the story of St Alban – from whom the City gets its name.

The procession begins at St Peter's Church at 11am, and its journey takes you down St Peter's Street and onto the High Street, culminating with a re enactment (using the eye (!) ) at the West End of the Cathedral. 

It’s a really lovely day out - particularly for kids.

Pop and say hi to us in the shop if you’re in town - we are open 12-5 this Sunday.

New in our store window this week. A rosewood flip top table with removable serving tray. The swivel top allows the surface space to double in size.
Designed by Grete Jalk of Denmark (1960s)

The B9/209 chair or Wiener Stuhl was designed around 1900 by J & J Kohn/Thonet. The chair has gained fame partly because it was a favourite of French architect and designer Le Corbusier (📷3) finding a place in his interiors.
This chair was produced by Thonet in 1979 and is available in our store now.

One of my husband’s favourite houses - Farnley Hay in West Yorkshire - designed by the architect Peter Womersley in 1954 as a wedding present to his brother. When it was listed in 1998, English Heritage commented: ‘In style Farnley Hey suggests the influence of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright […] It typifies the best of the 1950s in its lightness, sense of the picturesque and optimistic stance.’

I love the large floor-to-ceiling windows with views over the Pennines and the use of materials from camphorwood and York-stone flags for flooring to the lemon-yellow Formica panels. The defining room of the house – known as The Dancefloor thanks to its polished floors, inbuilt audio system and double-height ceiling – was originally designed for Womersley’s notorious parties and even for recording live music.

In researching this post I discovered that Farnley Hay is currently back on the market.

Please don’t tell my husband.

My favourite pieces of furniture;
📷 1 - Robin Day, modular form sofa for Hille (1960s)
📷 3 - Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, Minerva sofa for France and son (1960s)
📷 4 - Arne Jacobsen Grand Prix dining chairs for Fritz Hansen (1960s)
📷 5 - Torbjørn Afdal Butterly chair for Bjarne Hansen (1950s)
📷 6 - Architect Peter Womersley

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Coward House in Nottinghamshire was designed by architect David Shelley for Simon and Monica Siegel In the 1970s.

It is steel-framed, built into a hillside and showcases a courtyard garden, carp pond, swimming pool and sunken conversation pit. It definitely wouldn’t look out of place in 1970s California.

The interiors are awash with terrazzo floors, rosewood and teak detailing, integrated drinks cabinets and granite walls.

My favourite pieces of furniture are,
DCM Chrome chairs, Vitra
Tulip dining table - Eero Saarinen for Knoll
Arco Lamp - Achille Castiglioni for Flos
The Pretzel Chair - George Nelson for Herman Miller

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In store today☀️