Arkana (furniture maker)

Arkana company logo

Arkana logo

Arkana Limited was a British furniture manufacturer that existed in Bath in the 1960s and 1970s and became famous for its mid-century furniture .

history

The furniture manufacturer originally existed on Glasgow Road in Falkirk, Scotland . In the mid to late 1960s, Arkana was acquired by the Christie Tyler Group , which also included Avalon Furniture and the Bath Cabinet Makers . Arkana then relocated production to the Bath Cabinet Makers' offices on Lower Bristol Road in Bath, England. The Canadian Maurice Prentice Burke (1921–2013) designed numerous seating furniture and tables for the company, many of which were made of plastic such as polystyrene . For other products such as sideboards, Tables and armchairs were made of wood (e.g. walnut or rosewood) and aluminum. Another designer for Arkana was Geoffrey Harcourt. The furniture had names like:

• Safari armchair or Chelsea , Maurice Burke
• Tulip chairs and table , modeled on the tulip chair by Finnish designer Eero Saarinen , Maurice Burke
• Bar stool , bar stool, Maurice Burke
• Mushroom chair , Maurice Burke
• Trumpet chair , Maurice Burke
• Sling or hammock chair , Geoffrey Harcourt

Arkana seating in the tulip style was used as props in episodes of the television series Raumschiff Enterprise . In 1972 Arkana won the Living Award for Good Design for its Orbita Easy Chair . Arkana ceased production in the late 1970s. Arkana furniture is valued by collectors today.

literature

• Catriona Gray: House & Garden Sixties House. Interiors, design & style from the 1960s. Hachette UK, 2016, ISBN 1-8409-1699-0 , p. 59.
• Dominic Bradbury: Mid-Century Modern Complete. Thames & Hudson, 2014, ISBN 0-500-51727-4 , p. 501.
• Kate Beavis, Paloma Faith: Style Your Modern Vintage Home: A Guide to Buying, Restoring and Styling from the 1920s to 1990s. David & Charles, 2013, ISBN 1-4463-6682-0 , p. 264.
• Sylvia Katz: Plastics: Designs and Materials. Studio Vista, 1978, ISBN 0-289-70783-8 , p. 86.

Web links

Commons : Arkana  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Maurice Burke (American). In: artnet , with images of Burke's designs for Arkana.
• Pictures 1 and 2 of the former company headquarters in Bath, shortly before the building was demolished in 1994.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Design Journal , 1969, p. 16.
2. ^ Arkana, Avalon and Bath Cabinet Makers the link is the Christie Tyler Group. In: vintageretro.co.uk, 2017.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Rare Model Dining Table & 6 Chairs By Maurice Burke For Arkana. In: vinterior.co
4. ^ Design Journal , 1969, p. 21.
5. ↑ Maurice Burke. Objects from the Designer. In: pamono.com
   Maurice Prentice Burke. In: companieshouse.gov.uk
   Pedestal Chair. In: Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Patents, Volume 903, 1972.
   Table. In: Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patents, Volume 933, 1975.
6. ^ Design Journal , 1970, p. 8.
7. ^ Design Journal , 1969, p. 10.
8. ^ Arkana Bath 1970'S Sling / Hammock chair by Geoffrey Harcourt. In: the-saleroom.com
9. ^ Paula Benson: The Tulip Chair in Star Trek. Putting the record straight. In: Film and Furniture from November 13, 2014.
10. ^ Design Journal , 1972, p. 5.
11. ↑ Emma-Lou Montgomery: Could you be (literally) sitting on a small fortune? In: Yahoo! Finance UK 19 May 2012.

Coordinates: 51 ° 22 ′ 52.8 "  N , 2 ° 23 ′ 19"  W.