We love sharing the details behind the design icons on urbnnest.com. Stories are a huge part of the products we sell. It gives them so much more depth and character, and gives customers like you a real connection to the pieces you buy.
WHO ARE THE "CROWN SUPPLIERS"?
The Crown Suppliers, as seen stamped on this chair, are not actually a manufacturer. Our understanding is that it’s a seal of approval (a bit like you find on the back of Fairy liquid!), demonstrating that it has been supplied for “The Crown” by another supplier.
What is “The Crown”? No, it’s not for use by the royal family. It’s simply for use in establishments which were / are part of the Crown Estate. In the past, this could have been anything from civil service offices, to schools and armed forces buildings.
It’s quite hard to find concrete information on this as the products weren’t designed or marketed for domestic use. They often found their way into the hands of others when they were replaced. Details naturally weren’t published or widespread, and products weren’t routinely stamped by manufacturers.
One of the companies that we know made furniture for the Crown Estate was Staverton, who made a lot of utilitarian furniture for military and educational settings. We know this as one of our prized possessions is a 1968 Staverton teak cabinet - it’s an absolute tank and is so beautifully understated and functional. We have fond memories of squeezing this into the backseat of a Corsa so we didn’t miss out on it (years before the days of urbn nest!)
WHAT'S SO GOOD ABOUT THEIR FURNITURE?
Furniture made for the Crown Estate had to be seen to be modern, especially in the post war era, in a time where innovation was fast paced and the UK Government would have wanted to be seen as keeping pace with other countries. Often pieces reflect the clean lines of modernism and use period materials such as teak and steel.
Furniture also had to be bulletproof. OK, not literally. But it had to be very well built to withstand heavy duty use and require minimal maintenance. So it was often over-engineered for today’s standards, very much built to last so they didn’t have to spend budgets on replacing or fixing it. They were incredibly strong and well built, and making them with solid teak elements also helped.
As a result, they often have a very minimal, chunky look which kind of accidentally looks very mid-century modern by default, a look which is very desirable today!
We’d recommend getting former Crown Estate mid century furniture where you can - you won’t find better made furniture anywhere and it always manages to look great too.
Our teak easy chairs were originally made for the Crown Suppliers and are naturally stylish. Their simple teak frames and clean lines suit loads of different fabrics.
You can buy them from urbnnest.com upholstered in this cool retro themed fabric or you can choose your own fabric and let us do the rest! Whatever you choose, you’ll end up with an amazing aesthetic and an indestructible chair!
WHERE CAN I BROWSE MORE MID CENTURY DESIGNS LIKE THIS?
urbnnest.com - the home of vintage and mid century - stocks a wide range of vintage and mid century style furniture and decor, from the past to the present. We hand pick only the most stylish pieces to make your interior special.
Tap here to start shopping.
If there’s something particular you’re looking for, email us and we’ll source it for you
ABOUT URBNNEST.COM
At urbnnest.com, we only stock amazing, sustainable mid century designs from the past and present, marketing them at competitive prices. Helping you save money when styling your dream interior, while also helping to save the planet. Start shopping now and complete your dream look.
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