Daystak by Robin Day for &Tradition

This Autumn sees the launch of a landmark early furniture collection by Robin Day, one of the most significant British furniture designers of the 20th century, reissued after more than 70 years under a new name: Daystak.

Robin Day grew up in the furniture making town of High Wycombe, surrounded by timber yards and cabinet making workshops.  After studying at a local technical institute and art school, he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London to study product, furniture and interior design.  His aspirations to become a furniture designer were halted by World War II.  His big break then came in 1948 where he, in partnership with Clive Latimer, won first place in the storage section of the International Low-Cost Furniture Competition held by New York’s Museum of Modern Art, leading to countless prestigious partnerships and commissions. One such partnership was Day’s Hillestak, now renamed Daystak – a three-part series designed in 1951 which began with his first low-cost stacking chair for British furniture company Hille.

These designs were inspired by the potential of moulded plywood as a material and the ethos of the MoMA competition, which aimed to find affordable housing and furniture options suitable for compact living spaces. Evident from the production of these early works, Day’s democratic designs were made to suit the needs of people living in realistic spaces, meaning they were made with durable materials, such as wood, and their proportions well-suited to typical homes.

His affinity for organic shapes is apparent in each join and curve of the Daystak collection, which consists of a side chair, a table and a desk.

Wanting to keep the essence of the collection intact, &Tradition has worked with the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation to ensure all reissued pieces remain as true to the original design as possible, including only some minor adjustments to meet the needs and impact considerations for 21st century users.

The Foundation endorses and licenses only high-quality, authentic productions of Robin and Lucienne Day’s original designs, and all royalties are paid directly to the Foundation to support its work.