Robin Day the British designer had a vision of creating well designed furniture, beautiful and functional industrial furniture,furniture that is not only modern and of good quality, but affordable as well. The combination of the technical training he received at his high school and the education he received from the Royal College of Art allowed him to create furniture that fit in well with his vision. While in art school, He would meet a textile design student named Lucienne who was in her final year of studies. In 1942 Robin married Lucienne Conradi who is not only his partner in life but his collaborator in furniture design today. Together he and Lucienne who would become an award winning textile designer herself spent most of World War II teaching and perfecting their styles of design.



When the war ended, with the help of his colleague Peter Moro, Day began to broaden his business, working as an exhibition designer and graphic artist. He opened his own office in 1948. Both he and Lucienne shared in the enthusiasm of the post-war-era and anticipated the celebration of what was to come. In 1949 Day entered and won first prize in the Low Cost Furniture competition in New York. His design was functional, yet simple tables, desks and chairs displayed wood and metal design techniques modern to that era. As a consequence of this achievement, Day began to work at Hille a British furniture company and was asked to design a dining room set for the British Fair. Day became the Chief Design Director of this very same company and encouraged the broadening of the company’s image by appearing in their advertisements and articles. It was an innovative idea to use both himself and his wife Lucienne as part of the marketing of Hille, because by then both were well known and liked. By 1951 Day was not only known as Hille’s chief designer but also an award winning designer. Both he and Lucienne won gold medals at the Milian Trennial Day won for a the interior design of a space that he adorned with chairs a desk and cabinets and Lucienne won for her complimenting textiles. It was yet another example of how their artistic styles complemented each other.

Day was also commissioned to do the furniture design for the Royal Festival Hall. It would be one of the highlights of his career. He designed the display rooms for both the House and Garden Pavilions. One room display features articles that were of a higher cost and at a lower cost, but both equally design with his furnishings and storage units. The design of the Royal Festival Hall also included among other things, the design of functional auditorium and orchestra chairs. It would be a complex but creative achievement for Day but it too was a success.

In 1962 Day would design a landmark furniture piece. It is simple in design but its durability and affordable price would make it an iconic piece of furniture. The Polyprop chair is an ingenious design constructed from polypropylene plastic with a base of bent steel tubing. The chair could be made in a variety of colors and was extremely function and affordable. The Hille Company had enough faith in this new design that they quickly sent out six hundred complimentary samples assured that they would soon profit from it. They were right. It is an item that can still be found even today in schools and business because of its versatility and price.

The Polyprop chair design would come to change over the years. In 1963 the padded Polyprop chair would make it’s debut. The added padding made the entire design more comfortable while keeping all the traits of the original design, inexpensive and easy to mass produce. As the years passed and styles became ritzier and extravagant Day’s concept held on strong with the production of the Polo Chair in 1975.This particular design is still known as the best selling Robin Day chair. To date over 14 million copies of this chair alone have sold.

Robin Day is not only one of the most influential British furniture designers of the 20th century; his ideas were well before his time. His ideas of ergonomic structures that would be both functional and affordable helped pioneer the importance of comfort and durability. Day became the designer of choice for many when it came to constructing areas for public seating. He grew a passion for perfect arrangements for public seating and was commandeered to design seating for both the Gatwick benches in Tate Britain and the auditorium for the Barbican Arte Centre in London. He also designed the seating on the London Underground.

This pioneer of contemporary design still keeps creating and engineering furniture today. Both Robin’s and Lucienne works are still featured in a variety of art shows and displays. He is a celebrated and award winning British talent that has influenced furniture design around the world. His work has represented the blending of culture, style, function, and durability that will live on for many years to come. Robin Day is one of the greatest and profound furniture designers of the 20th century whose influence on the world of furniture is a model for many upcoming artists. It along with his wife Lucienne he is continuously inspiring generations to think out of the “box" and look into the future.