Wanders Studio Robin Day Interplan Cabinet , 1954

Interplan cabinet by Robin Day for Hille.

Interplan was an extensive range of storage units designed around a standard module size. The cabinets worked singularly or as a system. With fourteen modules available, the range offered a new level of flexibility for users.

Launched at the Milan Triennale in 1954, the design was well-received for its timeless and restrained design. Available in a variety of wood veneers, the outline for flat-fronted cabinets proposed a new aesthetic for storage, when many other designs maintained recessed drawer and door fronts.

The use of Vitrolite door panels recalled a material employed by pre-War modernist architects and designers. The opaque pigmented glass was developed at the turn of the century by Pilkington.
In this application, it provides a durable and reflective surface in contrast with the wood carcass. The contrasting colours of black and light grey create a dynamic and graphic front to the cabinet, as a precursor to Op-Art patterns.

Unit L is the largest design from the series and offers a versatile storage function with both drawers and open storage.

Robin Day is Britain’s most renowned furniture designer. Having won the Museum of Modern Art’s Low-Cost Furniture Competition in 1948, he went on to design an exceptional and respected cross-section of furniture in a career spanning more than 60 years.

An acute understanding of materials and manufacturing processes, aligned with progressive design skills allowed for landmarks in the history of furniture design.

His polypropylene seating is acknowledged as the world’s best selling chair.

Robin Day’s achievements are not restricted to furniture and his industrial designs, exhibitions, graphics and interiors are highly respected for individual flair and modernist sensibilities.

Alongside his wife, textile designer Lucienne Day, the couple is revered and acknowledged for introducing contemporary design to Britain.