Robin Day Centenary Edition Reclining chair in Tokyo

The Reclining Chair is a classic of modern British design – originally created by Robin Day in 1952, re-clothed by Margaret Howell in 2015 and now exhibiting in Tokyo for the first time. 

Margaret Howell opted to use a classic midcentury Mourne tweed designed by the noted textile designer Gerd Hay-Edie. Further research revealed that Howell’s fabric of choice had in fact been developed by Hay-Edie following a series of meetings with Robin Day.

Moreover, Robin Day’s daughter revealed at twentytwentyone’s launch of the Robin Day Centenary Edit that this particular fabric had been used to cover another chair in Robin and Lucienne Day’s home – the High, Wide and Handsome chair designed by Robin Day in 1958.

Margaret Howell’s tribute to Day can currently be seen on display in Tokyo, where it forms part of an exhibition of classic and contemporary furniture and household goods selected by the designer.

Sitting alongside other timeless designs from Ercol, Anglepoise, Mourne Textiles and Robert Welch, the Centenary Edition Reclining chair attests to the discerning eye of Margaret Howell as well as the enduring vision of Robin Day.

Above all, it stands as a respectful and resonant tribute from one designer to another.