Pair Of Original Robin Day For Hille Telechairs 1953 Mid Century Vintage Retro MCM

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Pair Of Original Robin Day For Hille Telechairs 1953 Mid Century Vintage Retro MCM

A superb and increasingly scarce pair of Telechairs, designed by Robin Day for Hille in 1953, during the formative years of one of the most important partnerships in post-war British furniture design.

The Telechair, with its low deeply-padded seat and springy upright back, was designed specifically for the new 1950s leisure activity of watching television. As with the 1951 Hillestak, the backrest was supported by a curving band of beech ply.

The name 'Telechair' is associated with the new post-war habit of sitting comfortably in front of the television. Rather than being an upright dining or occasional chair, it is a compact low lounge/easy chair, intended for relaxed domestic sitting. That makes it an interesting little piece of social history as well as a piece of furniture: television ownership was beginning to transform British living rooms in the early 1950s.

They have been reupholstered at some point in the mid 20th century with synthetic sheep’s wool style fabric. Some of the original handwoven Mourne Textiles wool upholstery is still underneath the backrest

An example from Robin and Lucienne Day’s own home was subsequently donated by the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation to the Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum), underlining the model’s significance within Day’s body of work.

Dimensions
Height - 71cm
Width - 56cm
Depth - 69cm
Seat Height - 41cm

Robin Day is one of the most significant British designers of the 20th century. Since winning first prize in the Storage Section of the International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design (organised by MOMA in 1948), Day built a legacy of innovation and forward focused design.

As a result of winning the MOMA award, Robin Day was sought out by the cabinet-making firm of S.Hille & Co, and began a partnership that flourished over the ensuing decades. Hille company had specialized in reproduction furniture but with the ambitious young designer on board, Hille completely changed direction and embraced modern design.

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Collection in person is welcome. We are West of Cambridge in Bourn CB23.

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Please note that vintage furniture may have some slight imperfections, which is to be expected in keeping with its age, as we do not offer returns on items sold.