Modernist White Formica and Curved Steel Coffee Table by William Plunkett, 1971

William Plunkett 1971 White Formica & Curved Steel Modernist Coffee Table. By British Designer William Plunkett (1928 - 2013) His Designs Sold by Heals and Libertys of London.

Label to the underneath, Also Stamped 7/71

Provenance: The Estate of John Graham architect (1927-2021) of Harlow, Essex

William Plunkett
Made a memorable and lasting contribution to postwar British design. His heyday was the 1960s but some of his designs are still being revived today. Working in a Modernist idiom but in a highly individual style, he combined engineering skills with sculptural flair to create striking metal-framed seating and tables that won a string of design awards. "My generation of designers were idealists," Plunkett reflected in later life. "We really believed we could make a difference to Britain by producing well-designed products."

Although his furniture was sold by design-conscious retailers such as Heal's and Liberty, there was only a limited market in the domestic field. For this reason, and also because of the uncompromising modernity of his designs, the main focus of the business was high-specification projects for the contract market, such as the Commercial Union's London headquarters in 1969. His steel-framed semi-circular Coulsdon Chair (1964) and glass-topped Coulsdon Coffee Table (1965) – which won a Council of Industrial Design Award – were particularly refined in form, materials and construction. These pieces were juxtaposed to stunning effect in a bar on the QE2

William followed an unusual path to realise his creative output. He trained as an army officer at Sandhurst and served in the Royal Artillery from 1948 for 11 years. Plunkett then enrolled at Kingston School of Art in 1959 and specialised in sculpture and furniture.

He won the 1961 Aeropreen Award with a chair constructed in flat-bar steel with Pirelli webbing and went on to set up his own company in 1963.

Plunkett‘s preference for metalworking and his attention toward form and construction ensured designs were both sculptural and architectural.

The labour-intensive nature of his designs created a high retail price. This was married with uncompromising modernity and meant only selected design-conscious retailers offered his work and exports accounted for a significant proportion of the company's output through the 1960s.

‘Plunkett’s designs accent purity of form and craftsmanship' British Export Gazette, 1964
The sculptural quality of his designs was central to their ethos. Even at the height of his success, Plunkett's furniture was only ever batch-produced in limited quantities, which explains why his work is less well known than his more high-profile contemporaries, such as Robin Day. Plunkett preferred to keep the operation small so he could retain creative control. "I don't want my furniture to lose its character,"