11/1987

Collection

Furniture

Brief description

Set of three circular nesting tables made from bent plywood with bird's eye maple veneers and glass tops, manufactured by Hille in London c.1935-1940.

Object name

set of nesting tables

Object number

11/1987

Production organisation

Hille (designer)
Hille (manufacturer)

Production date

1935-1940 (manufactured)

Production place

London (manufactured)

Period

Twentieth century (1900-1999)

Material

plywood
glass
bird's eye maple

Technique

bent
veneered
manufactured

Physical description

A set of three nesting tables. They are constructed from bent plywood with birds eye maple veneer. The three circular tops are veneered plywood covered with glass, held down by four metal clips. The stems of the tables are also veneered plywood, bent at the bottom to attach to the rectangular wooden base. The three tables slot together.

Dimensions

Height: 59.7cm
Width: 87cm

Website keywords

tables

Label

Caption for Exploring 20th Century London website:
The London furniture manufacturer Hille, their workshop located in Old Street at the time, made this set of three nesting tables, of bent and veneered plywood topped with glass, in the late 1930s. From 1932, when she took over the firm on her father's retirement - an extremely unusual step in a traditional male industry - most of the designs were the creation of Ray Hille, a woman who "a lot of people were terrified by", according to designer and long-term collaborator Robin Day.