Modernising Furniture: Four Melbourne Designers 1946-60

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.