RFH dining chair – &Tradition 🇩🇰 Robin Day, 1951

The RFH dining chair is part of an iconic collection designed for an iconic building, the Royal Festival Hall, built as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951.

Reissued by &Tradition in close collaboration with the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation, the RFH collection includes the RFH dining chair, the RFH lounge chair and the RFH Terrace outdoor furniture. Some of this furniture is available to buy for the first time.

The order also included the auditorium seats that can still be seen today. The Royal Festival Hall, designed to help rebuild the country after the Second World War, was intended to inspire hope and enthusiasm while identifying future talent in design and other creative industries.

Robin Day first gained recognition after winning the Museum of Modern Art's low-cost furniture competition in New York in the ‘storage’ category, in partnership with Clive Latimer.

He was commissioned by Peter Moro, the architect responsible for designing the interiors of the Royal Festival Hall, to furnish the concert hall, foyers and public areas.

The RFH collection laid the foundations for what was then known as ‘contemporary’ on the British design scene, and is now known as ‘mid-century modern’.

The RFH chair was a revolutionary piece of design when it was created. Its singular shape was radically different from what was available on the market at the time it was launched.

Originally created to seat visitors in the restaurant dining room, the RFH chair is characterised by its gently curved backrest and arms that extend outwards.

The chair is made from beech veneer and a walnut veneer front, giving it an original look and a contemporary two-tone effect. Its striking wing shape is achieved through a pressure moulding process. Three flat-head brass screws attach the black tube legs to the chair, adding an elegant design element to the front of the seat back.

ready-made versions

Hallingdal 103

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Fauteuil RFH &Tradition – Robin Day, 1951

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Materials Walnut and beech veneer, powder-coated steel tubing.
Dimensions 58 x 51,5 x H78 cm – Seat height 46 cm – Armrest height 66 cm

Robin Day

Born and raised in the furniture-making town of High Wycombe, Robin Day (1915-2010) grew up surrounded by lumberyards and cabinet-making workshops. After studying at High Wycombe Technical Institute and High Wycombe School of Art, and working as a draughtsman in a local furniture factory, he won a scholarship to the Royal College of London.

At the time he was studying at the RCA, the product, furniture and interiors design departments were in their infancy, allowing Day to chart his own educational course. After graduating, his aspirations to become a furniture designer were put on hold due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Instead, he developed his skills by making drawings and models for architects, signing signs, producing window displays for fashion boutiques and teaching technical drawing and lettering on a part-time basis. He later became a renowned exhibition designer, meticulously taking care of every detail, from the composition of the installation to the production of the poster.

In 1948, the Museum of Modern Art in New York issued a call for entries for its international competition for low-cost furniture. The announcement matched Day's democratic approach to design, so he entered with his friend and contemporary Clive Latimer. Their modular plywood storage system not only won first place in its category, but also kick-started Day's career as a furniture designer. The attention he attracted led to a partnership with British furniture company Hille (for whom he created the Hillestak collection), a commission to design all the furniture for the Royal Festival Hall and projects for the 1951 Festival of Britain, including sets of pieces for the Homes and Gardens Pavilion, which featured his RFH lounge and dining chairs - now part of our collection of classics.