Page 43 - Demo

41Powerhouse design duo Grant and Mary Featherston were responsible for some of the most admired, collected and iconic Australian furniture of all time. Grant%u2019s Contour series of%u00a0 chairs, designed in the 1950s, remains in%u00a0 production today and invokes the spirit of the%u00a0 postwar interest in design, particularly Australian design. In the 1960s, the pair dazzled the world with the Expo chair, which was specially designed for the Australian pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal. A large upright chair, it enveloped the user, had two speakers placed in the wings, and featured a trigger system in the base that activated a tape deck, playing stories of Australia through the speakers. In a nifty twist, the seats had di%u00a0erently coloured cushions to signify the language of the recordings: green for English and orange for French. After Expo, the chairs were released commercially and were dubbed the %u2018swingingest%u2019 chair of the decade.In the 1970s, the Featherstons released the lightweight Numero Uno series, a foam modular lounge with pull-on covers (see page 18). Once again, the design seemed to capture the zeitgeist.But perhaps their most impactful design is one of their least known, even though it%u2019s incredibly recognisable. The Delma chair, designed in 1962, was an unashamedly functional steel-framed chair initially made for Monash University. Also%u00a0boasting a similarly simple table, the Delma range was the perfect representation of the Featherstons%u2019 desire to make well-designed furniture that was a%u00a0ordable and accessible to everyone.The Delma chair was stackable, and it looked good on its own or when placed in a row. It quickly became more than a student chair, growing commonplace in hotels, homes, hospitals, o%u00a0ices and airports %u2013 anywhere people needed a robust chair. The instant success of the series led to widespread copying of the design, and those versions, along with the original, have arguably made it the most sat-on chair in Australian history. The version shown here is from my personal collection. Whether originals or copies, Delma chairs are%u00a0 still a regular feature in various venues across the nation, even though, sadly, their exceptional design is rarely celebrated.YEAR 1962DESIGNERS Grant and Mary FeatherstonMANUFACTURER AristocThe Delma chair, designed in 1962, was an unashamedly functional steel-framed chair.