It’s not hard to see the effect the Bauhaus continues to have on contemporary design. Just take a look at the tubular style furniture within our showrooms. Yet the link between the influential German design school and Heal’s goes far beyond that of recent memory.
Founded in 1919, the Bauhaus spearheaded a wave of experimental design that swept across northern Europe throughout the following decade. In contrast, British interiors of the time were very much stuck in the Edwardian or, at worst, stuffy Victorian era with a conservative preference for darkly coloured rooms and highly decorative furnishings.
Never afraid of ruffling a few feathers, one man was determined to import this new ‘international style’ into the nation’s homes. Through a series of exhibitions entitled ‘Modern Tendencies’, held within the stores Mansard Gallery, Ambrose Heal set about showcasing what was for many visitors their first taste of modernist tubular furniture.
While there may have been hostility from some quarters, upon visiting the exhibition The Spectator magazine (25 September, 1931) declared that it would ‘like to send there all those who gibe at the modern idiom and let them see how far from the operating theatre even steel furniture can be when used with proper discrimination.’
With each exhibition the spirit of innovation became more emboldened. In the midst of the Great Depression, Ambrose continued to champion the economy and efficiency of industrially styled furniture, investing in a nationwide promotional campaign ‘Heal’s Economy Furniture for 1932 and All That’ followed by ‘Economy with a Difference at Heal’s 1933’.
Alongside the work of in-house designer-makers Johnson, Greenwood and Shepherd, these glossy catalogues displayed a new line of chrome-plated furnishings from legendary Bauhaus designer Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe.
A former head of the school, his tubular steel MR 10 chair perfectly encapsulates the elegant balance of form and function Modernist furniture strove to achieve. Despite the fact that the Bauhaus had been forced to shut its doors in 1933, the floodgates had well and truly been opened, and by 1936 an exhibition entitled ‘Contemporary Furniture by Seven Architects’ featured the work of another former Bauhaus professor Marcel Breuer.
Having fled to London to escape the oppressive climate of Nazi Germany, Breuer began designing for progressive British manufacturer Isokon - whose head of design also happened to be the founder of the Bauhaus, Walter Gropius - with a number of these iconic pieces such as his Long Chair sold at Heal’s.
The rising political tensions of the time saw a number of talented designers flee Europe for America, with the outbreak of war putting any notion of design for anything other than service of one’s country on hold. Yet, the extraordinary work of the Bauhaus has continued to influence the following generations of designers, not least the furniture and homewares on display at Heal’s.
Just think, if it wasn’t for the ground-breaking work of messrs Breuer, Gropius and Van Der Rohe, would we have the designs of modern day pioneers Tom Dixon, Matthew Hilton and Philippe Starck? We think not! So here’s to Ambrose Heal for introducing revolutionary design to a whole generation of British homes – long may his and the Bauhaus’ legacy continue.
[ INSPIRATION ]
At Heal's
Today (10th May) in 1941, our shop was hit by an oil bomb & incendiary bombs. The Heal's Home Guard and workers who were staying in our basement bomb shelter managed to subdue the fires.
Sadly several adjoining buildings were razed to the ground. This photo is of the Heal's Home Guard on Alfred Mews. During the war, Heal's may have looked like a furniture shop on the ground floor but the 2nd floor & up were turned into a parachute factory for the airforce.
Read more about our 200 year heritage here.
Capper's Farm was a 17th-century farmhouse behind Heal's on Tottenham Court Road where some of the Heal's employees lived. The farmhouse was known as Capper's Farm from Christopher Capper who was farming the surrounding property as early as 1693. His widow died in 1739, and his daughters, Esther Capper, and Mary Booth were in occupation until 1768.
"The bedrooms were furnished with 2ft 6in iron bedsteads with spiral spring bottoms, Heal's mattresses, pillows, etc, and each occupant had a chest of drawers with a mirror, a pottery toilet set and a candlestick, with one candle per week. There was no other lighting or heating," remembers Leonard Thoday in an account of his time as a Heal's employee. He joined the firm in 1910 and lodged with other workers on the farm.
"Breakfast was served at 8am, after which we were due in our offices at 8.30am. Lunch was served in two sittings, consisting of a joint with vegetables and a sweet. The shop closed at 7.30pm. Those who 'lived in' went to our rooms after finishing work, then we went down to the dining room.
"Nine nights out of 10 there was bread and cheese, and a glass of beer for supper. This was the worst meal of the day and was often deposited in the piano, which made a good hiding place for it." In 1913, the house was pulled down to make way for a new Heal's bedding factory and other buildings.
Discover more about our heritage here
Congratulations are in order for our very own Creative Director Carmel Allen, who snapped up ‘Retailer of the Year’ at last week’s prestigious Homes & Gardens Designer Awards 2015.
Facing stiff competition in this hotly contested category, the judges remarked that our ‘More than a Store’ programme of events, workshops, talks, craft markets and parties make us a destination store and a great example of experiential retail.
In addition, the awards panel also hailed our championing of young designers through the Heal’s Discovers programme, with former winner Sam Lloyd also nominated in the Best Kitchen Production category for his Sand Cast Stool.
Humble as ever, on receiving the award Carmel had this to say:
"Homes & Gardens is read by over 762,000 people each month, so it was particularly heart-warming when a big cheer went up as Heal’s was named winner. It’s great to see the tremendous amount of goodwill out there and appreciation for our efforts in championing design".
We’ll most certainly cheers to that! To see more of our award-winning designs, head over to Heal's online or why not keep up to date with what's happening in-store by following us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Shop Now
Back to top
No stranger to the Heal’s showrooms, legendary designer Sir Kenneth Grange popped by our flagship store this week to inspect the results of our recent Bodging race. Personally guided by fellow designer Chris Eckersley, one of the bodgers at the event,
Sir Kenneth took great joy in seeing the public’s reaction to our makeshift studio space: “As soon as someone picks up a tool the crowds flock to have a look. The simple act of making or doing something suddenly brings these seemingly inanimate objects to life. Crucially, it demonstrates the great care and thought that goes into designing and making quality furniture.”
Having created seminal products since the 1950s, Grange knows a thing or two about the history of design and was keen to stress the value of continuing such traditional practises: “In the east end where I grew up, we’d think of bodging as a sort of make do and mend approach. Similar to upcycling, it’s an honourable use of seemingly excess stuff. It’s been wonderful to learn more about the history and to trace that line through the heritage of British design.” Of course, Sir Kenneth isn’t the only one who gets a say in the winning design.
Following a week of whittling, Sunday saw the close of our Great Heal’s Bodging Race. Transforming our windows into a working studio, 6 top designers from around the globe battled the clock to each produce a handmade chair (and not forgetting a stool) using the ancient English craft of bodging. Needless to say, we all had a great time watching their creations come to life.
But how did the bodgers fair with their new surroundings? Apart from the unanimous response that it was “rather hot”, it seems it didn’t take our designers long to get settled. As furniture designer William Warren pointed out “it’s definitely a change from the studio, but it’s actually been surprisingly easy to forget that you’re working on a busy high-street.”
Of course, while it may seem strange to the crafters, it’s not every day that our shoppers see the famous displays replaced by workbenches and tools. Thankfully, we couldn’t have hoped for a better response, with plenty of curious visitors “popping in and asking lots of questions.”
On the public’s reaction, furniture and homewares maker Carl Clerkin muses “I suppose we just take it for granted that this is the process, but to the public it’s really useful to see the furniture being made as it makes the objects a lot more real.”
To view the beautiful bodges in real life, head to our flagship store where you can also get involved in all the other wonderful events taking place as part of Heal’s Modern Craft Market.
Discover more
-
Behind The Design
-
Trends & Lifestyle
-
Tips & Advice
