With a career spanning 60 years, Lucienne Day has had an important influence on surface pattern design which was recently celebrated in an exhibition at The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.

The iconic work of Day symbolised a post-war revival in design. Prints became more bold and vibrant, exploring the use of colour and pattern in new and different ways.

 

She created a unique style which rekindled the enthusiasm interior design following the dreary era of utility design during the war years.

The design that catapulted Lucienne onto the mass market was ‘Calyx’ in 1951. The design was forward thinking, abstract yet still resembled the idea of nature and growth. This was the start of a long relationship between Day and Heals and an iconic shift in the history of textiles.

This design has since won numerous awards and went on to become a best seller for the Heal’s Wholesaleand Export Company so much so that is was reissued as part of their Classic Textiles 2003 collection.

Courtesy of the Robin & Lucienne Day Foundation

Courtesy of the Centre for Advanced Textiles, Glasgow School of Art

Lucienne also went onto design prints for wallpaper for companies such as Cole & Son and John Line & Son.

Robin and Lucienne Day with Telechair in their Cheyne Walk studio

Copyright the Robin & Lucienne Day Foundation

“A keen gardener, Lucienne was fascinated by the structure of plants. Many of her early patterns have a quasi-botanical quality, incorporating abstracted pod, stem, root, flower, petal, leaf or seed head motifs.” Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation

Classic Textiles, https://www.classictextiles.com/lucienne-day/

John Lewis is celebrating Lucienne Day’s Centenary with an exclusive range of cushions made up from Classic Textiles reprints of her iconic 1950s designs.

https://www.johnlewis.com/brand/lucienne-day/_/N-1z135aq

http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/currentexhibitions/lucienneday/

All Images Copyright the Robin & Lucienne Day Foundation