The Barossa Germanic furniture craft explained the historical settlement blueprints of the Barossa Valley and also gives more than a few chapters on diverse types of craft practice. Barossa German is the German language mainly spoken in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia, where it got its name from. Barossa Germanic furniture collection is available in side tables, stool, and wooden armchairs used by a 19th-century immigrant German family in South Australia. The furniture pieces are quite exceptional and are an excellent way of decorating your apartment. Some of the Barossa Germanic furniture collections can still be found at the National Museum of Australia till today.

Robin Day possessed a talent for drawing from an early age and his birthplace was also a great influence on his chosen career path as High Wycombe was a place renowned for its furniture making. Day may have produced a wide range of furniture but perhaps the most well-known of his creations was the polypropylene chair, fondly known as the polyprop chair. It was a game-changer and its phenomenal success made it a landmark in modern design. His designs prioritised durability, function, and comfort. His furniture was an inspiration for many modern furniture designers. Robin Day devoted himself to creating high-tech, mass-produced, budget furniture believing it would contribute to the betterment of the world.

Schulim Krimper was an Australian furniture designer and cabinetmaker who took the local Melbourne furniture market by storm during the 1960s and 70s with his modernist pieces. His furniture and cabinets during that time had exceptional materials and artistry making them instant collector’s items. His cabinets usually had simple designs, with a focus on clean, smooth lines and ergonomically curved edges. He was also quite partial to low profiles. So in awe were the clients of his work that they afforded him the kind of respect that was usually reserved for artists such as sculptors and painters. His pieces are still highly sought after today and often fetch high prices in auctions and sales.

Among the seven designers inducted into the Design Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame on June 15, 2018, was a posthumous inductee—furniture, interior, industrial and exhibition designer Lester “Bun” Bunbury. Bun is recognised as a pioneer and leader in establishing Mid-Century Modern design locally, but there is not much information about him. His practice covered not only furniture and exhibitions but products and corporate branding as well. Aside from private practice, he passed on his knowledge by teaching and writing on design. He was passionate about design even in personal life. His contributions to design continue to be appreciated today.

Gordon Arthur Andrews is known as one of Australia’s greatest designers. His first inspiration was his father who was also an inventor and designer. The early 1960s saw a lot of Gordon’s interior design but the year 1963 was perhaps one of the most notable for him. It was in this year that the Advisory Committee chose Andrews’s designs for Australia’s new banknotes. He designed furniture as well. The designer believed that furniture should not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also comfortable and efficient. Gordon’s furniture designs are sought-after and even copied by others. Andrews is seen by some as a “cultural hero” deserving of a place with those represented in the banknotes he had designed.

Marc Newson may well be one of the most influential and groundbreaking designers of the present generation. He has delved into aircraft design, product design, furniture design, and even clothing and jewellery. He is known for collaborating with a number of big corporations including Apple, Montblanc, Nike and Louis Vuitton to name a few. Newson has quite a number of solo exhibitions under his belt including his very first one in 1986 where he unveiled his Lockheed Lounge chair. He is known for smooth geometric lines with an absence of sharp edges. As he is still quite young and active, we can only speculate as to how impactful his legacy would be.

Fred Ward was considered a pioneer by fellow designers. He was creating furniture that took ergonomics into consideration way before it became a fad. He demonstrated the beauty of unstained native Australian timber when others were imitating the look of European wood. His designs have been described as having a simple beauty, pleasing to look at yet streamlined and functional, which seemed to have reflected him. After the war, Fred applied his innovative mind to meeting the needs of the era. Australians could have affordable yet stylish furniture. Two decades after Ward’s death, collectors and antique lovers are rediscovering his work.

Roger McLay was not only a designer; he was also a builder. He used to build the designs that he made himself. At his apprenticeship, McLay learned lithography, a printing method, which was his first foray into design. McLay got interested in industrial design when he was on his way to Europe to join the RAAF. He had a stopover in New York where he saw, in one of the museums, a display of the famous Studebaker motor car by industrial designer Raymond Loewy. Roger McLay may not be as prominent a figure as some of his contemporaries, but he did leave his mark on the Australian design landscape.

The Australian label TH Brown, founded in 1911 by Thomas Howard Brown, became an exemplar of Mid-Century Modern style especially with the work of designer Peter Brown, one of Thomas Howard’s sons. The company’s pieces quickly became popular and in high demand. Despite a change of hands and a few decades away from the spotlight, TH Brown pieces have never gone out of style. The focus of Mid-Century Modern style on clean lines and functionality make it timeless and easy to incorporate in modern settings. The combination of style, quality and functionality make TH Brown an enduring name in classic yet modern, classy luxury furniture in Australia and around the world.

Clement Meadmore was best known for his massive outdoor steel sculptures that can be found all around the world. He was an Australian-American sculptor, designer and author. Meadmore was greatly influenced by his mother who was a great admirer of the arts. He initially majored in aeronautical engineering, but quickly took a formal industrial design course when the opportunity arose. Meadmore promoted himself by designing furniture that met with more than a modicum of success until 1953, the same year his first sculpture was put up for sale. When creating furniture, he treated his work as if it were a problem that needed to be solved.

Is Brown Back? Firstly, I really don’t like the term “brown furniture”, currently used to describe Georgian, Victorian […]

Born to a bootmaker, Douglas Snelling already had a design business at 16 and was employing other boys. He had a passion for Hollywood films and his dream was fulfilled when he travelled to Los Angeles to work as a freelancer for film studios, doing sketches of stars onset. He became a popular writer and cartoonist in New Zealand. In 1940, Snelling moved to Sydney where he would spend most of his life. He began designing some of Sydney’s shop fit-outs after World War II. He then developed a range of furniture, which was considered the first modernist chairs designed by an Australian. Thus, the “Snelling Line” was born.

Fritz Karl Heinz Lowenstein was born in Upper Silesia, Germany. After making it to England to escape from Nazis, he arrived in Australia aboard the Dunera. He began selling wooden dinnerware despite having very little knowledge of wood. He met Ernest Rodeck, who was making pencil propellers at that time. It was this fateful moment that they struck a partnership and opened their own small workshop. Fred Ward, a designer of Myer Emporium, convinced Lowen to make chairs after noticing his craftsmanship. Fred Lowen then refined his skill. He won several awards like the Dunhill Design Award in 1970. Today, his designs have reclaimed the spotlight alongside those of notable designers like Boyd, Featherston and Parker.

Fred Lowen and Ernest Rodeck never imagined they would become founders of one of the most sought-after brands for modern furniture when they first came to Australia. Being Jewish, they escaped from Nazi Europe and arrived on the prison ship Dunera. The name Fler is a combination of the initials of their names. Fler furniture leaned towards the modern styles and gradually took the limelight from the cumbersome and dark English style furniture. The growing interest in mid-century furniture has allowed Fler furniture back into the spotlight. Up to this day, their pieces are being sought out by antique sellers and restorers.

A partnership between Alf Dagger and Jack Parker is what started Parker Furniture. However, it was Jack’s eldest son, Tony Parker, who turned the company into an icon. While working for his father during the day, Tony took night courses for industrial design. He drew plans for homes and interiors. He honed his skills in managing a team and measuring the success of a design during his stay in London. With Tony at the helm, Parker Furniture incorporated the innovations and iconic designs of the times, but the company still made certain that their products maintained the same quality and attention to detail their brand was known for.

The term “Mid-Century Modern” was already being used as early as the mid-50s, but it wasn’t until author Cara Greenberg mentioned it in her 1983 book, as a descriptor of the design aesthetics at the time, that it gained attention. The term is now used to define a design movement originating from a bygone era, specifically those from the mid-40s to the early 70s. This was due to the renewed interest in furniture designs which began in the early 20th century. Despite the advent of postmodern aesthetics, mid-century modern never truly went into a decline. Nowadays, mid-century pieces are still highly sought-after in auctions and sales. Even authorised reproductions are in high demand.