A 1950s Hilleplan bureau designed by Robin Day for Hille. Made in beech and cherry, it combines a writing desk and three drawers in a compact cabinet.
The upper front folds down to create a work surface, with open compartments and smaller pigeonholes inside for letters, stationery and paperwork. Close it again and everything is neatly tucked away. Below are three full width drawers with recessed finger pulls, giving you plenty of storage without interrupting the lines of the front.
The contrast between the beech frame and the grain of the cherry drawer fronts is particularly attractive. Turned legs with dark feet lift the cabinet off the floor, so it feels lighter than its storage capacity might suggest.
This bureau has been carefully restored in our workshop and is in fantastic vintage condition. We’ve kept the natural variation and character of the wood, along with the small signs of age you would expect from a piece made in the 1950s.
Robin Day developed the Hilleplan range during his long partnership with British furniture maker Hille. His designs brought practical storage and straightforward forms into postwar homes, and this bureau is a good example: a useful desk when you need one, with generous drawer space for the rest of the day.
£1,095.00
In stock
Hille is one of the most important names in British mid century furniture design, best known for its long and highly influential collaboration with designer Robin Day.
The company was founded in London in 1906 by Salamon Hille, initially producing high-quality traditional furniture. Under the direction of his daughter Ray Hille, the company underwent a dramatic transformation after the Second World War, moving away from reproduction furniture and embracing modern British design.
Robin Day began working with Hille in 1949 following his success in the Museum of Modern Art’s International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture. Over the following decades he became central to Hille’s identity, designing not only furniture but also the company's logo, catalogues, exhibition stands and showrooms.
The partnership produced some of the most recognisable furniture of post-war Britain, from early timber designs such as Hilleplan and Hillestak through to the revolutionary polypropylene chairs of the 1960s. Hille’s willingness to experiment with new materials and manufacturing techniques helped establish the company as a leading force in modern furniture production.
Today, original Hille furniture is valued both for its understated modernist styling and for its important place in the history of British design.
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Delivery to Scotland: FreePlease allow approximately 2–3 weeks for delivery.
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Robin Day (1915-2010) was one of the most influential British furniture designers of the 20th century and a key figure in the development of post-war modern design.
Born in High Wycombe, Day studied at the Royal College of Art before gaining international recognition when he and Clive Latimer won the storage category of the Museum of Modern Art’s International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture. This success brought him to the attention of Hille, beginning a collaboration that would last for decades.
Day believed strongly in creating affordable, functional furniture for modern life. His early work for Hille explored timber, plywood and steel, producing designs such as the Hilleplan storage system, Hillestak chair and furniture for the Royal Festival Hall. His designs were characterised by economical construction, clean lines and an absence of unnecessary decoration.
During the 1960s, Day and Hille pioneered the use of polypropylene in furniture manufacture. His moulded Polypropylene Chair became one of the most successful chair designs of the modern era, bringing good design into homes, schools, offices and public spaces around the world.
Day was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry in 1959 and awarded an OBE in 1983. His work remains closely associated with the optimistic, practical spirit of post-war British modernism and continues to be highly regarded by collectors of twentieth-century design.
My beautiful bentwood ply nest of tables arrived today. Sympathetically restored, and looking even better than they did in the pictures. What an amazing little company, a pleasure from start to finish, making everything so easy. What Speedy delivery, and impeccably packaged. I shall definitely be perusing your collection of quality items for future purchases. We'll deserved 5 stars!
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