Designer Desire: William Plunkett

Montage of William Plunkett furniture designs

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/may/15/william-plunkett

William Plunkett (1928 – 2013) was born in India, moving to Britain in 1946 to join the Royal Artillery. After leaving the army in 1959, he attended Kingston School of Art to study basic design, furniture design and sculpture. After a stint working for A. and R. Duckworth Ltd (Aidron Duckworth had been a tutor at college), he founded William Plunkett Ltd in 1963. By 1977, he had sold William Plunkett Ltd to Giroflex, setting up Plunkett Plan Ltd the following year.

His upmarket designs retailed in department stores such as Heal’s and Liberty. His modernist pieces furnished embassies and leisure, business and retail outlets; including IBM, Russell & Bromley, Clarks, Ravel, Peter Lord and a bar on the QE2.

He was a multiple winner of Council of Industrial Design (CoID) awards. He won twice in 1968 for his Reigate rocking chair (seen top left in the above montage) and his Coulsdon coffee table (bottom right).

Reflecting on his long career, he revealed:

My generation of designers were idealists. We really believed we could make a difference to Britain by producing well-designed products.

Vintage examples of Plunkett’s furniture designs are available on 1stDibs and Etsy. Alternatively, twentytwentyone have reissued some of his designs.

Portrait of William Plunkettcredit

Additional image credits:
Artnet | Bonhams | Bukowskis |

Auction alert: 20th Century and Modern Interior Design

YNGVE EKSTROM for Swedese, Sweden 'Lamino' laminated frame chair & footstool

This week’s featured auction is the 20th Century and Modern Interior Design sale taking place at Burstow & Hewett in Battle, East Sussex. 134 lots will go under the hammer on Thursday 27th January 2022 from 10am.

It’s not very often that I look at an auction catalogue and like so many of the lots. It’s like a mid-century modern lover’s idea of heaven! Quality vintage furniture, art glass and rare fabrics.

Leaving live bids via their website incurs a 24% (inc. VAT) commission fee. You may also bid via Easyliveauction where you’ll pay either a 3.6% (inc. VAT) commission on the hammer price or a £3.00 flat fee. Alternatively, you can bid live on The Saleroom website who charge 6% (inc. VAT). Burstow & Hewett has a handy fee calculator on its website.

B & H is happy to post small items such as jewellery and watches and they recommend a number of other shippers and couriers for larger and more fragile items.

SARAH PETERSON Caithness limited-edition glass sculpture

Lot 1502: SARAH PETERSON, Caithness, a limited edition glass sculpture
Nr 61/100, inscribed to base, height 17cm. Good condition. Inscription reads “Caithness, Scotland, Set Ring 5910? 61/100
Estimate: £30 – £50

ERIC HOGLUND for Ystad, a four branch 1950/60s wrought iron candelabrum

Lot 1503: ERIC HOGLUND for Ystad, a four branch 1950/60s wrought iron candelabrum
Height 33cm. Good condition
Estimate: £150 – £250

JOE COLUMBO for Alessi clock, optic model 02

Lot 1524: JOE COLUMBO for Alessi
Designed 1970, a clock optic model 02. Good condition
Estimate: £50 – £80

YNGVE EKSTROM for Swedese, Sweden 'Lamino' laminated frame chair & footstool

Lot 1548: YNGVE EKSTROM for Swedese, Sweden, a ‘Lamino’ laminated frame chair
With natural lambs wool upholstery and matching ottoman, designed 1956, makers marks on frame, height 102cm
Estimate: £800 – £1,200

6 'Parisienne' pattern dinner plates

Lot 1555: 6 Parisienne pattern dinner plates
Together with 2 smaller plates (8), largest diameter 25.5cm
Estimate: £30 – £50

JOHN AND SYLIVA REID for Stag Furniture 'C' range writing desk

Lot 1559: JOHN AND SYLIVA REID for Stag Furniture, a “C” range desk/dressing table
In oak finish, H75cm, L88cm, D46cm. Some surface wear and watermarks, maker’s label in drawer, no restoration or repairs
Estimate: £80 – £120

JAN JOHANNSEN for Orrefors 'Northern Lights' Ariel glass bowl

Lot 1572: JAN JOHANNSEN for Orrefors, an Ariel glass bowl
“Northern Lights”, designed 1974, signed and numbered 397 E-4, height 12.5cm, diam 17.6cm.
Estimate: £400 – £600

Vintage Ercol dining set

Lot 1623: A 1950/60s ERCOL elm and beech dining set
2 model 376 Latticed Windsor chairs and a square top, model 395, table with shelf under, table h 72cm, top 69cm sq. Table in good condition, chairs in good solid useable condition with multiple surface marks and one crack at back of seat from wood movement.
Estimate: £200 – £300

1950s JESSIE TAIT for Rosebank Furniture 'Toadstools' fabric

Lot 1631: JESSIE TAIT for Rosebank Furniture, a 1950s design ‘Toadstools’ unused fabric panel
In two pieces, overall panel size 124 x 90cm. Smallest piece, 51 x 52cm, is a cut out of the original panel. Good unused condition.
Estimate: £300 – £500

LUCIENNE DAY for Heals 'High Noon' fabric

Lot 1632: LUCIENNE DAY for Heals, a ‘High Noon’ curtain panel
Marked on selvedge, 200 x 112cm
Estimate: £100 – £150

MARCO ZANINI for Bitossi post-modern coffee set

Lot 1633: MARCO ZANINI for Bitossi, a Post-Modern coffee set
Maker’s labels to bottom on coffee pot and sugar bowl. All pieces have crazing, several chips to lid of coffee pot and cups. No cracks or restoration.
Estimate: £100 – £150

Auction alert: Mid Century Design

Brillo, For Instant Shine', print

This week, our featured auction is the Mid Century Design sale that takes place on Friday 20th August, commencing at 10:30am. That’s tomorrow folks!

Mid century modern is one of our favourite eras for interior design, it was really hard to narrow down the lots we wanted to share. There are so many quality pieces of furniture, art, pottery, glass, lighting and the rest.

Although the auctioneers – W&H Peacock – are based in Bedford, bidding at this sale is entirely online.

Do be aware, on top of the final hammer price there’s a buyer’s premium inc. 17.5%+VAT (plus an additional online commission of 5%+VAT if you bid via thesaleroom.com). Budget wisely if you’re planning on bidding.

Penguin Donkey Mark II bookcase

Lot 6: Ernest Race for Isokon Plus, a Penguin Donkey Mark II bookcase in white, label to the underside *Originally designed in 1963
Est £250 – £350

Brillo, For Instant Shine', print

Lot 18: ’Brillo, For Instant Shine’, print with embellishments, numbered B1-12-64, 20 x 35cm
Est £40 – £60

Jens Quistaard Danish teak tray with glass dishes

Lot 49: Jens Quistaard, a 1960s Danish teak lattice tray with six moulded glass dishes, together with a pair of teak salt and peppers by Digsmed
Est £150 – £200

Orange moulded glass table lamp with abstract brightly coloured shade

Lot 147: An orange moulded glass table lamp with an abstract brightly coloured shade
Est £50 – £80

Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset, 2-seater 'Pumpkin' sofa & footstool

Lot 158: Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset, a French two-seater ‘Pumpkin’ sofa in orange, together with the matching stool

Faux bamboo brass finished 2-tier cocktail trolley with glass shelves

Lot 164: A faux bamboo brass finished two-tier cocktail trolley with glass shelves, in the French manner, h. 77cm

Bernard Rooke 'Totem' pottery lamp

Lot 167: A Bernard Rooke ‘Totem’ pottery lamp with a matching shade, signed
Est £150 – £200

Franco Albini wicker lobster pot footstool

Lot 239: A Franco Albini wicker lobster pot footstool
Est £50 – £80

1970s woollen floor rug

Lot 244: A 1970s woollen floor rug, the cream ground with orange, yellow and black abstract shapes, 160 x 94cm
Est £30 – £40

Tomado 3-tier shelving unit

Lot 287: A Dutch three-tier shelving unit enamelled in yellow, red and grey by Tomado, w. 66cm
Est £100 – £150

Charity Vintage: Uniflex drawers

'Charity Vintage' blog post banner

Vintage Uniflex chest of drawers (ends 30 Sep, 2014 11:10:34 BST)

St Vincent Support Centre* is currently selling a couple of pieces of vintage Uniflex furniture but this chest of drawers is what caught our eye. Clean of line, easy on the eye and with beautifully contrasting teak and sycamore woods, it’s currently for sale on eBay for Charity with an opening price of £69.99.

We’ve seen the very same model currently for sale elsewhere online priced at over £350.

Uniflex was at the vanguard of British furniture design and manufacturing. Their furniture was exhibited at the Design Centre in 1962 and they had a show room in New Bond Street, London.

In 1965, as part of the British furniture industry’s Economic Review for 1964, Leslie Leyton of L. Lazarus & Sons Ltd (the makers of Uniflex) proclaimed:

Had the public not become much more discerning we would not be able to sell the sort of furniture we make in the quantities we do.

Leslie Adrian, in a 1965 edition of The Spectator made a bold statement that still holds true today:

British furniture can be clean-limbed and elegant without being second-class Scandinavian…

You can see the article in its entirity here. It makes for very insightful reading into the evolution of furniture manufacturing and retailing over the past 40 years.

*St Vincent Support Centre is part of the international charity, the St Vincent de Paul Society, and exists to promote self-sufficiency by building bridges of support and creating opportunities that enhance the quality of life for those deprived of income, employment, education, social networks and community support. They offer a wide range of services to people who need it most, including free debt advice, counselling, free adult learning, and volunteering/training placements for unemployed and adults with special needs.