70s House Of Hackney

A champion of maximalism in what was in 2011 a largely minimalist world, the fledgling British brand House of Hackney offered fantastical wallpapers, sumptuous fabrics and playful accessories layered so daringly and intensely that it caused quite a stir in its inaugural year. Fast-forward a decade or so, and the company had gone from strength to strength, thanks to an ever-expanding collection of high-quality British-made products and a set of social and environmental values that have earned it the prestigious B-Corp Certification. 

“When we first launched, there was a real focus on Scandi design, and everyone, including us, was living in white boxes,” recalls Frieda Gormley, who founded the business with her husband, Javvy M Royle.

“We found ourselves in this very sterile environment at what was politically and economically quite a bleak time in the UK. What we wanted was color, pattern and to really bring nature into our home. But at one end of the market was IKEA, and at the other were the kind of traditional wallpapers and furniture our parents were buying.”

Desperate for beautiful, well-made products, they created the designs themselves. Thus was born the House of Hackney, named after the East London borough where Gormley and Royle lived. The couple drew on a rich melting pot of inspirations, including Victorian-era palm houses, their urban neighborhood and the iconic William Morris. 

Right from the start, the pair knew they needed their heritage-inspired range to be made in the UK. With no little black book of suppliers, they embarked on a six-month road trip around the British Isles in search of craftspeople with whom they could collaborate.

“It was so exciting to discover factories that had been family run for generations — ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent, for example, and weavers in Lancashire and Suffolk,” Gormley said in 2023. “Almost thirteen years later, we’ve forged important relationships with those people and grown together. They’re very much part of our family.”

With no physical shop or showroom, they shot photographs and presented the designs to buyers in their own Victorian house, swathing the living room and bedrooms in layer upon layer of bold and botanical prints.

The company focused in 2023 on an initiative that Gormley and Royle were calling the Year of the Garden, a series of projects with an emphasis on both nature and sustainability that included an exclusive partnership with 1stDibs. Along with an edit of core House of Hackney items, including wallpapers, textiles, rugs, lighting and furniture, the 1stDibs collaboration had Gormley and Royle curating a selection of vintage pieces by the likes of Mario Bellini, Tobia Scarpa and others, several of which have been given a new lease on life with vibrant House of Hackney fabrics. 

A continuation of the couple’s ongoing mission to connect people with the great outdoors, the project also reflected their dedication to bringing maximum joy into people’s homes.

“We don’t look at trends, but we do stay close to nature, and we’re quite tucked in to that,” says Gormley. “It’s exciting when people are playful with decorating and just want to have fun with it.”

Find House of Hackney sofas, armchairs and other furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.

Armchairs have run the gamut from prestige to ease and everything in between, and everyone has an antique or vintage armchair that they love.

Long before industrial mass production democratized seating, armchairs conveyed status and power.

In ancient Egypt, the commoners took stools, while in early Greece, ceremonial chairs of carved marble were designated for nobility. But the high-backed early thrones of yore, elevated and ornate, were merely grandiose iterations of today’s armchairs.

Modern-day armchairs, built with functionality and comfort in mind, are now central to tasks throughout your home. Formal dining armchairs support your guests at a table for a cheery feast, a good drafting chair with a deep seat is parked in front of an easel where you create art and, elsewhere, an ergonomic wonder of sorts positions you at the desk for your 9 to 5.

When placed under just the right lamp where you can lounge comfortably, both elbows resting on the padded supports on each side of you, an upholstered armchair — or a rattan armchair for your light-suffused sunroom — can be the sanctuary where you’ll read for hours.

If you’re in the mood for company, your velvet chesterfield armchair is a place to relax and be part of the conversation that swirls around you. Maybe the dialogue is about the beloved Papa Bear chair, a mid-century modern masterpiece from Danish carpenter and furniture maker Hans Wegner, and the wingback’s strong association with the concept of cozying up by the fireplace, which we can trace back to its origins in 1600s-era England, when the seat’s distinctive arm protrusions protected the sitter from the heat of the period’s large fireplaces.

If the fireside armchair chat involves spirited comparisons, your companions will likely probe the merits of antique and vintage armchairs such as Queen Anne armchairs, Victorian armchairs or even Louis XVI armchairs, as well as the pros and cons of restoration versus conservation.

Everyone seems to have a favorite armchair and most people will be all too willing to talk about their beloved design. Whether that’s the unique Favela chair by Brazilian sibling furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, who repurposed everyday objects to provocative effect; or Marcel Breuer’s futuristic tubular metal Wassily lounge chair; the functionality-first LC series from Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret; or the Eames lounge chair of the mid-1950s created by Charles and Ray Eames, there is an iconic armchair for everyone and every purpose. Find yours on 1stDibs right now.