Home Front furniture - Harriet Dover

During the period 1941-1951 all major areas of British design came under the aegis of Government in a programme which became known as the utility scheme. In a ground-breaking analysis of this extraordinary liason between politicians, designers and manufacturers, Dover situates the utility scheme within the context of earlier ideologically based British design movements such as the arts and crafts. She examines the extent to which a particular or political mood is reflected in the designs of the utility scheme particularly in utility furniture design, and assesses the implications of this alliance between politicians and designers for the post-war furniture industry. Dover argues that despite its initial promise, the ambiguous tenor of the partnership ultimately served to restrict its impact bringing about neither a dramatic change in consumer choice nor in furniture design itself. - - Dover's sympathetic account draws attention to a hitherto overlooked yet recurrent theme in the history of British design: the symbiosis between political and aesthetic thought. British. By arguing the need to link design history with social, economic and political history, 'Home Front Furniture' provides an important starting point for a re-evaluation of British design.