It is an important thing to support our own national industries. It seems that these days every kind of commodity you can think of is imported, shipped in from some other country. Each import supports the economy of another country, sure, but what about the British economy? We used to have a massive industry here for all sorts of things, coal and textiles amongst other things, for which we now barely produce anything. However there are still a few British companies going strong, even in the midst of a sharply rising rate of import.
One such company is G Plan. Founded over a hundred years ago, this furniture company made serious waves in the 1950s and ’60s with their sleek, innovative and ultra-modern furniture designs. From cupboards to sofas, from chairs to wardrobes, G Plan made everything. This was also a time of “Cool Britannia”, when everything British – be it design of any kind, our culture or our music – seemed to be very cool to the rest of the world. At this kind of time period G Plan released something that was dubbed “The Most Comfortable Chair In The World”, a chair which was apparently unrivalled in its comfort and look, winning many design awards at the time.
As a follow up to those glory years, G Plan have released a new line called G Plan Vintage, which features many key pieces of furniture – G Plan settees and chairs, for instance – that have been inspired by 60s-era G Plan design. It would be great to own a piece of this iconic furniture before the next range comes out – it is the kind of thing that has a retro yet futuristic look about it, a glorious mix of curved lines and straight edges that appeal to both feminine and masculine tendencies. Add to this a range of colours, from the vivid to the calming, and you’re looking at something that could add a great deal of style to any room in any home.
And most importantly: it’s British. Buying something created by G Plan doesn’t give any guarantee of getting the economy back on its feet overnight, not at all, but what it does do is support the jobs of many people working for a British furniture design company. Plus, it’s a good way of saying that we do it just as well as that well-known Swedish furniture manufacturer!
