Designer
Robin Day
Robin Day (25 May 1915 - 9 November 2010) was a British furniture and industrial designer, born in and raised around the furniture-making town of High Wycombe. He studied at High Wycombe School of Art and then, from 1934, at the Royal…
Biography
Background
Robin Day (25 May 1915 - 9 November 2010) was a British furniture and industrial designer, born in and raised around the furniture-making town of High Wycombe. He studied at High Wycombe School of Art and then, from 1934, at the Royal College of Art in London. His plans to design furniture were delayed by the war; he made architectural models and taught before the 1948 MoMA low-cost furniture competition, which he won with Clive Latimer, started his career as a furniture designer.
Signature Style
Wikipedia describes his early work as optimistic and post-war in mood, and quotes him on making good-quality seating that most people can afford. He joined metal for strength and lightness, rubber for comfort and wood for touch and appearance.
Notable Works
- Seating for the Royal Festival Hall, 1951, including the restaurant and foyer chairs now reissued by &Tradition
- Hillestak Chair, 1951, his first mass-produced design for Hille
- Polypropylene Chair, 1963
- Toro bench for London Underground stations, 1990
Legacy
He became a Royal Designer for Industry in 1959 and received an OBE in 1983 and the Minerva Medal for lifetime achievement. Since 2012 the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation licenses authentic reissues of his designs.
