Designed in Hackney: this week’s focus on classics from design company SCP in the heart of Shoreditch continues with the Balzac armchair by Matthew Hilton.
Created in 1991, it was the first upholstered piece from SCP and went on to be their best-selling chair of all time.
It’s manufactured entirely in their Norfolk factory, which has just been expanded so all chair-making processes can happen under one roof.
All this week our Designed in Hackney series features designs from the archives of SCP, working with some of the best designers in the industry at its Shoreditch headquarters since the mid 1980s. See their first product, Jasper Morrison’s Side Table, in yesterday’s story.
See all our stories about Matthew Hilton »
See all our stories about SCP »
Here’s what SCP have to say about the Balzac armchair:
In 1991 came our first upholstery piece, the Balzac armchair by Matthew Hilton. The chair has a solid beech frame and is upholstered in multi-density foam with feather cushions and American oak legs. Few were sold in the first two years and it initially received mixed reviews but the chair went on to become the bestselling SCP chair of all time, something of an icon. Conran took it on in 1993 and continue to stock it in all of their stores today. It was included in the well-known Taschen book “1000 Chairs” and has a permanent residency at the Geffrye Museum, the Museum of the English Domestic Interior. Many famous people have been spotted sitting on the Balzac including politicians and rock stars. The Balzac is still in production today. Designed in Hackney, made in Norfolk.
Key:
Blue = designers
Red = architects
Yellow = brands
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Designed in Hackney is a Dezeen initiative to showcase world-class architecture and design created in the borough, which is one of the five host boroughs for the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as being home to Dezeen’s offices. We’ll publish buildings, interiors and objects that have been designed in Hackney each day until the games this summer.
More information and details of how to get involved can be found at www.designedinhackney.com.
