£1,550.00
A quality pair of bedside tables made by Brynmawr Furniture and designed by Paul Matt. Each bedside cabinet with an open shelf below the top and a cupboard beneath. The company’s white and black ivorine label to one of the bedside tables. Made to traditional furniture making methods and so excellent construction and quality.
This pair of bedside tables have been professionally waxed and polished and are in showroom condition.
History.
Brynmawr , South Wales was an unemployment blackspot in the late 1920s. The Quakers sought to bring aid to the area along with new skills and employment which became known as the ‘Brynmawr Experiment’ between 1929 to 1940.
Paul Matt (1901 – 1987), a skilled designer and cabinet maker from London, was inspired by the experiment, which led to development of Brynmawr Furniture Maker Ltd in 1931.
He was able to design furniture that was simple to construct (and was greatly inspired by the work of Gordon & Don Russell) using imported Northern European Oak and finished with a coat of clear wax giving the overall look of the furniture a simplicity and solidity in appearance in line with the Quaker philosophy.
Promotional literature emphasised the high quality of the design of products and affordability whilst providing employment for the local community. This appealed to the middle and professional classes of the 1930s. The furniture could be purchased from large department stores in Cardiff, Birmingham & Manchester as well as having its own shop in Cavendish Square, London.
Pieces of furniture were named after welsh place names eg Cwmbran chest.
The events of the second world war led to materials being difficult to import and the company ceased trading in 1940.
Height is 101cm (39.8inches)
Width is 36cm (14.2inches)
Depth is 41.5cm (16.3inches)
