Ercol
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Ercol is a British furniture manufacturer. It was established by Lucian Ercolani and his sons in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and is now based in Princes Risborough. It became a household name in British design for its distinctive style in mass-market products.[1]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]The company was founded in 1920 as Furniture Industries by Italian-born Lucian Ercolani (1888–1976), who had trained as a furniture designer at Shoreditch Technical Institute, and made his first piece of furniture in 1907.[citation needed]
"Ercol" was first registered as a trademark in 1928.[2] In 1944, Ercol was contracted by the government's Board of Trade to produce 100,000 low-cost Windsor chairs under the Utility Furniture Scheme.[3] Windsor chairs were constructed with a bentwood frame and an arched back supporting delicate spindles, using the steam bending of English elm – a wood previously thought impossible to bend because it distorts.[citation needed] This innovation allowed the chair to be assembled from 14 pre-formed components, and mechanization meant that a chair could be made every 20 seconds.[citation needed]
In 1946, Ercol exhibited its bentwood furniture at the "Britain Can Make It" exhibition, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In 1947, the first production-line Windsor chair, and other pieces from the range of Windsor furniture, went on sale. Ercol's mass-produced furniture found a good market in post-war Britain, which demanded smaller pieces with simpler lines than their chunky pre-war counterparts. Ercol furniture was exhibited at the 1951 Festival of Britain, as one of the latest styles in furniture design and manufacture.[citation needed]
Modern day
[edit]In 2002, Ercol moved to a new purpose-built facility in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, where it produces furniture made from North American elm and European ash, beech, oak and walnut. The company sources fabrics from mills in Italy and Belgium, offering a choice of over 100 different options for its upholstery. Because Ercol's upholstery is designed with solid wood frames, it is possible to replace worn-out cushions and other components, prolonging the life of the products. Ercol offers a reCover service to supply replacement cushions.[citation needed]
Awards
[edit]Ercol's Gina recliner was awarded the Ergonomics Excellence award by Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).
Ercol has been awarded the Manufacturing Guildmark by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers in recognition of its commitment to design and to quality of manufacture. Ercol's Treviso range was shortlisted for the annual Wood Awards held in the autumn of 2009. In 2010 Ercol was awarded two Design Guild Marks by the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers "for excellence in the design of furniture".[citation needed]
Activities
[edit]Ercol partnered with design magazine Wallpaper for an installation at the 2009 London Design Festival – a modern interpretation of the Chair Arch, which was exhibited in the Central Courtyard of the V&A Museum in September 2009.
In May 2023, Grown in Britain, an organization dedicated to safekeeping British forests, partnered with Ercol to launch a line of furniture including the Marino chair and Pebble nest.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ McConnell, Anita (23 September 2004). "Ercolani, Lucian Randolph (1888–1976), furniture designer and manufacturer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 1 (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/46982. Retrieved 4 November 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Trade mark number UK00000495084". trademarks.ipo.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "ercol and the Board of Trade". ercol timeline. ercol corporate website. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "Ercol launch iconic Marino chair in GiB certified ash". Grown In Britain. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Ercolani, Lucian R. (1975). A Furniture Maker: His Life, His Works and His Observations. Ernest Benn. ISBN 9780510000110.
- Jackson, Lesley (2020). Ercol: Furniture in the Making. Richard Dennis Publications. ISBN 9780957209534.
External links
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