British Heritage

How do you win a design award in 1958? Well, turning out one of these would do it for you:

 

 

Image - VADS: http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=60989&sos=10

In 1958 the  Council of Industrial Design (CoID) gave awards to twenty products selected by members of the CoID's own Design Index selection committee. Winners included Robert Heritage's 'Hamilton' sideboard.

Robert Heritage trained as a furniture designer at the Royal college of Art, where eventually he was appointed Professor, as the head of the School of Furniture. He was honoured as Royal Designer for Industry in 1963.
 

In the early 1960s, Heritage was responsible for designing the teak and rosewood home furnishings that the East London firm Archie Shine sold mainly through Heal's. Archie Shine were one of the premium manufacturers of the period, their high quality furnishings were aimed at the affluent middle classes. In style they were typically British, not so modern that they scared off traditionalists, and not so traditional that they were scorned by the more adventurous.

 

Designs were low key but warm, with plain geometric silhouettes and subtle details, such as the reeding on the Hamilton’s drawers.

Archie Shine pieces are becoming increasingly collectible, especially the simple tables and consoles. Although the furniture was commercially produced, the quantities were limited. Archie Shine is an example of British furniture that is just as good in quality and design as the Scandinavian pieces of the same period.

Heritage also worked with Gordon Russell. In 1969 he created the GR69 range of living and dining room furniture.
 

Image - Gordon Russell Design Museum: http://www.gordonrussellmuseum.org/gordon-russell.aspx


In the 1960's Heritage created iconic chairs for the QE2 made by Race Furniture Ltd . 'Britannia' (left) and 'Columbia' (right) were for use in the restaurants aboard the ship and won a CoID Design Award in 1969.

 

Image - VADS: http://www.vads.ac.uk/x-large.php?uid=59665&sos=20