Furniture trends in the 1980's

• Hedonism

     Hedonism was more highly rated than morality because of the society and the status in the 1980's. Enjoyment was the most important principle. Instruct manufacturers and the public in the rules of good design and taste.

Ron Arad:

Rolling Volume rocking armchair, 1989

Well Tempered chair, 1986

 

     This evolving series of volumetric chairs began with the 1986 Well-Tempered chair. At the invitation of the Swiss furniture manufacturer, Vitra, Arad conceived a chair whose outline suggested a stuffed armchair but whose softness – or “give” – came from the naturally sprung properties of tempered steel held in tension by bolts. An experimental, upholstered version of the Big Easy was seen at the Milan Furniture Fair by the Italian upholstery specialist Moroso, which in turn commissioned upholstered versions of Arad’s steel volumes – the Soft Big Easy and Soft Little Heavy. Almost ten years later Arad returned to the cartoonish armchair form when he painted layers of pigmented polyester into a mould from a steel Big Easy to create the 1999 New Orleans. 

Danny Lane:

Stacked chair 1986/87

Table shell
Table Atlas

PIERS GOUGH Chaise longue 1987/88

• Nostalgia

      heritage the notions of tradition and national identity. Using the new materials and technology and getting inspiration from traditional culture. Product expressed people ‘s imagination.

chippedale chair designed by Venturi Scott Brown made by knoll international 1984

     This chair, designed by the architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, has been celebrated for re-introducing decoration and historic form into contemporary furniture. The name of the chair refers to the designs of Thomas Chippendale, the most famous British furniture designer of the 18th century. Venturi used Chippendale's designs for chairbacks as an inspiration for this model but the materials, techniques and design of the chair differ radically from that of the 18th century designer.
     The chair is constructed of plywood, with a simple cut-out detailing on the back rest of the chair. The laminate used to coat the plywood is decorated with floral emblems and what has been described by the design team as, an 'ant pattern'.

MATTHEW  HILTON Antelope Table

• Back to nature

     People concerned more about materials, they chose plywood, steels, etc to make the furniture look like more natural.

• Visual identity

     People tended to have the need of different styles and colors' products. 

     Memphis furniture, lighting, ceramic, glass, and jewelry designs drew upon the symbols, forms, materials, and decorative motifs of mass culture. Emphasizing surface decoration, color, and layers of meaning at the expense of apparent function.

Memphis furniture: 

belvedere console table 1982 designed by aldo cibic

beverly desk 1981 designed by ettore sottsass

d'antibes cabinet 1981 designed by george sowden

dublin sofa 1981 designed by marco zanini

memphis style interior

carlton cabinet 1981 designed by ettore sottsass

Terence Conran-------established the 'Habitat' shop and let people themselves choose their own furniture and decorated their house themselves.

     Pictures from the habitat catalogue 1981/85/89. The trends was that people could choose more than one color for a product and there were more technical appliances popping on the book in the late 80's