Modernising Furniture: Four Melbourne Designers 1946-60
Date
2013
Authors
Santoro, Leanne
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Abstract
This thesis seeks to address the work of Australian
mid-century modern furniture designers, focusing on four
Melbourne-based designers, from 1946-60. Melbourne was a creative
centre during this fourteen-year period, with some of the
best-known modern Australian artists and designers working out of
the city. This thesis will examine the furniture designed by Fred
Ward (1900-1990), Fred Lowen (1919-2005), Grant Featherston
(1922-1995), and Clement Meadmore (1929-2005), during this time,
and will answer the question of how international design as well
as Australian post-war aesthetics and society were manifested
through their furniture. There has yet to be a definitive account
written of the work these designers produced in the post-war era,
and how Melbourne as a city responded to the emerging modernism
of these designers. This thesis seeks to address this gap. It
will also explore the craftsmanship of the designers, the
materials and production techniques used, and the styling and
marketing of the furniture. It will be shown that the majority of
the furniture produced by these designers sold in large
quantities and was used extensively throughout Melbourne and
other cities. It will also examine the legacy of mid-century
modern furniture and its resurgence in popularity in recent
years.
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Keywords
Fred Ward, Fred Lowen, Grant Featherston, Clement Meadmore, Fler, Mary Featherston, The House of Tomorrow, cafe culture, modernism, mid-century modern, mid-century modern furniture, furniture design, modern furniture, Australian furniture, Melbourne furniture, DIY furniture, 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the International style, Bauhaus, Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Eames furniture, Robin Boyd, ICI House, post-war Australia, Australian houses, flat pack furniture
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Thesis (Honours)
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