5/1998

Collection

Furniture

Brief description

Storage seat with a teak veneer base including sprung metal supports and storage space below, and two foam-filled removable cushions upholstered in dark green woollen fabric, possibly made in Denmark and imported by Finmar Ltd., retailed by Heal's in 1956. It was acquired from the son of the original owners and there is a Documenting Homes collection associated with this object, 221/2011.

Object name

chair

Object number

5/1998

Production organisation

Finmar Ltd (importer)
Heal and Son Ltd (retailer)

Production date

c.1955 (manufactured)
1956 (retailed)

Production place

Denmark (manufactured)
London (retailed)

Period

Twentieth century (1900-1999)

Material

wool
teak veneer
beech

Technique

woven
sewn
joined
veneered

Physical description

Rectangular storage seat with two cushions (see 5/1998-2 and -3, and 6/1998-1 and -2) which are removable. The back cushion is supported by a rectangular black painted frame (possibly beech) and beneath the seat cushion is a veneered teak frame enclosing a sprung metal seat support covered with a cotton jersey fabric in pale blue/grey which is torn along one edge. The seat lifts to reveal a storage space beneath, formed from the boxed base of the seat. The base of the seat is faced with teak veneers and has light-coloured wood braces in the corners of the inside, possibly of beech. Beneath the seat is a curved support, possibly of beech. The base is mounted on two short cylindrical legs at the front, and two castors at the back.

Dimensions

Height: 54.7cm
Length: 99.7cm
Depth: 69.1cm

Website keywords

seating
storage

Label

Caption used for Exploring 20th Century London website:
This storage seat, which is one of a pair, was owned by a London couple in the second half of the 20th Century. The husband was a cab driver and the wife was a fashion buyer for Harrod’s department store, in Knightsbridge. In 1956 they kitted out the living room of their brand new council flat in Whitechapel from Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road. This chair was made in Denmark, as was the rest of the couple’s new furniture. After the Second World War, Scandinavian furniture design became very sought after in Britain because of its high-quality but simple, clean design.