Article by Dennis Coleman on major designers and trends in Retro furniture design–Adelaide,South Australia context
[500kB] Retro Furniture and hip designs –PDF
‘Retro’ goes beyond the seventies, back to the founders of Modernism. Local designers and manufacturers played a major role in producing ‘modern’ furniture.
Reflect for a moment upon how
you purchase or display objects
or furnishings for your own dÈcor.
Most of us, whether as frenetic
collectors or minimalists, seek
harmony and balance ñ perhaps our
own particular brand of feng shui.
We seek a balance of form and
function, perhaps a hint of opulence
yet simplicity of lifestyle.
A magnificent Murano glass vase
will flaunt its riot of colour on a
window ledge, yet cringe in despair
in a darkened boxed-in shelf. A
grand sculpture will be ill at ease co-
existing with lesser contenders or
will only tolerate, at best, those
objets díart which complement its
form. Smaller collectables, yearning
for detailed study, will feel cast adrift
in a wide-open space, seeking a
cluster of others of their ilk.
So, where does the concept of
Retro fit in with this? Is it just a
passing phase or a serious force to
be reckoned with? Until recently,
when most of us thought of Retro, it
was images of 70s plywood, stapled
furniture and handkerchief-shaped
coloured glass vases that sprang to
mind, along with orange ceramics,
macrame, rice-paper light shades
and purple walls.