All Mix Blog

A nice little piece by Kate Watson-Smyth in The Independent today on the Ercol Butterfly chair. Here's the pick of the quotes: 'Ercolani had perfected the technique of steam-bending wood into curves as well as drying elm with steam so that it wouldn't warp. These methods allowed him to produce both the classic Windsor and curvy Butterfly .' 'Lucian was always fiddling with the designs and the boardroom is full of prototypes that didn't quite work or didn't last very long.' (Edward Tadros, Ercolani's grandson) Interesting to note that the Butterfly went out of production in the 1980s and it was not until, in 2000, Margaret Howell spurred the resurgence in popularity of the design by stocking it in her shops. 'Thanks to her, sales of the Butterfly went up again and so we put it back into production.' (Tadros) Image from eBay

Robin Day, Britain's most famous furniture designer, passed away on 9th November 2010 aged 95. Born in High Wycombe, a route in to furniture was geographically apt. After art school he worked at a local furniture factory, ensuring a depth of understanding of the manufacturing process that would see his designs sell in their millions around the world. A wonderful obituary of Mr. Day has been written by Fiona MacCarthy of The Guardian so I shall not attempt to better that here. Instead, I will take a quote from Charlotte Higgins' blog to finish on: 'Remember him next time you sit in the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Theatre, on the platform at a Tube station, or on a Polypropylene stacking chair (the standard seat of my, and so many other people's, schooldays). His work, as he would have wanted, goes on.' Photo from Manufacture & Industry Flickr

Last night I spent some of my evening putting together an Ercol table that we bought from a lady in Liverpool. The construction of the base is truly beautiful, it was slightly sad to think I won't be seeing it again until we (inevitably) move house once more. In an instance of fortuitous timing, Ercol have today published some pictures of DEFRA minister Lord Henley visiting its factory in Princes Risborough. We would love to see more of the steam bending process that is intrinsic to the creation of the Windsor Quaker chair. Picture from Ercol

'It is the combination of quality and craftsmanship and a straightforward, yet elegant approach to the design that attracts me to this particular period of Ercol furniture and has led me to re-evaluate Ercolani's original designs' (Margaret Howell, 2004)

Another Country? No, still very much to do with products made in the UK, fear not. M&I attended a tastefully modest event at Oliver Spencer 's shop on Lambs Conduit St, London last night. On display was a fine array of understated furniture from Dorset based Another Country . We couldn't hang around for long but enjoyed what we saw and appreciated the hospitable nature of the hosts. Thanks to Oliver Spencer (lovely shop with some excellent clothing on a very pleasant road in WC1N) and Another Country for the invite. The image above is from the excellent Another Country gallery . We took some pictures that are not quite as good and they can be found here .

The Milan Furniture Fair is over. According to Sight Unseen the documentation of the manufacturing process was evident throughout the show, something M&I was pleased to hear: 'The only trend worth writing home about was the diaristic glimpse into process that so many designers chose to offer this year, supplementing their finished products with sketches, models, and real-time demonstrations. Droog, Tom Dixon, and the Belgian gallery Z33 turned manufacturing into a spectator sport, churning out saleable objects on the spot, while the young Berlin duo Studio Hausen decided to forgo actual products entirely, outfitting their Satellite booth with a vitrine full of experimental bits and bobs from recent research projects. Certainly in some cases the conceit helped mask a lack of new production pieces, an economic consequence that plagued the fair in general, but mostly it celebrated curiosity, storytelling, and a growing interest in where things come from and how they’re made.'...

We are glad to see Ercol putting some effort in to its public relations through its blog. Other manufacturers looking to do the same should take note of Ercol's mix of new product features alongside more in-depth, historically noteworthy items . Above, the company's founder, Lucian R Ercolani OBE and his son, Lucian B Ercolani, DSO DFC are shown giving an interview to the BBC on 25th April 1966, demonstrating the bending of Windsor chair backs - the same equipment is still in use today.

Thanks to It's Nice That for bringing the new Established & Sons site to our attention. The products featured above are the De La Warr Pavilion chair by BarberOsgerby and the M5 table by Frank. *File under, 'Unaffordable Beauty'

Peter Marlow's office in Narrow Street, Limehouse. London. 1982 Pellicci's cafe, Bethnal Green Road. London Marx's shield design - used in 1949 on the Bakerloo, Northern and District Lines

YVES DESK JOYCE CABINET IMO STOOL CLEMENT COFFEE TABLE

'Established to produce considered, practical, relevant and reasonably priced products, originated by emerging and recognised design talent with longevity in mind.'