The must read book of 2009/10 - Heal's: 200 Years of Design & Inspiration

If you read our last blog update you will know that to kick off our Bicentenary celebrations we recently held the launch party for our new book Heal’s: 200 Years of Design & Inspiration.

The limited edition book charts the fascinating retail history of our much-loved brand over two centuries of trading. Working closely with the archivists at the Victoria & Albert Museum where the Heal’s archive is now housed, this is first time many fascinating anecdotes and photographs have come to light and been published for everyone to enjoy. Drawing on Heal’s rich design heritage it’s been possible to include contributions from esteemed past employees and collaborators including former chairman, Sir Terence Conran, design director Priscilla Carluccio and photographer Nadav Kander.

Each one of the 2000 cloth-bound, gilt edged copies has been numbered and hand-stamped with the company seal, ensuring it will become a collector’s item for design enthusiasts.

Extracts of the book have also been posted on line at http://www.heals.co.uk/page/heals_1810_2010_book&link=news.


We think it's a real a visual treasure trove of imagery and historical information: for instance, did you know…

• Heal’s sent beds to officers fighting the Crimean War?
• The author of 101 Dalmations, Dodie Smith, ran the bedding department
• The Mansard Gallery on the 4^th floor of the Heal’s Building the first place to exhibit Modigliani in the UK?
• During the Festival of Britain in 1952 900 Heal’s chairs covered the South Bank?

Have a look and let us know your thoughts!

Heal's ReDiscovers & Bicentenary Launch Party at the Whisky Mist!

Last Monday, September 21st was the launch of our bicentenary celebrations. After months of planning and ‘hush, hush’ details of the event it was very exciting to invite a select list of guests to our launch at the Whisky Mist in Mayfair. The launch of the bicentenary anniversary and Heal’s ReDiscovers was well attended by leading members of the press and many members of the Heal’s extended family, Orla Kiely, John Reeves and Sir Terrance Conran to name a few.

Guests were warmly welcomed to the event and got the opportunity to sip the Heal’s cocktail while studying the new products launched during the first phase of Heal’s ReDiscovers. The exhibit of the pieces can now also be seen at Heal’s Tottenham Court Road on the first floor. Heal’s ReDiscovers is a unique revamp of former Heal’s pieces modernised by some of the leading designer’s in the industry for contemporary living. Tom Dixon, Donna Wilson, Matthew Hilton, Johnny Egg, Kay + Stemmer, Wales & Wales, John Jenkins and Robert Welsh are the first phase of designer’s who used the Heal’s heritage of past pieces and pulled inspiration from the craftsmanship of the past.

It was quite an exciting evening to see the first phase of ReDiscovers come together under the dim lights of the Whisky Mist. John Jenkins (Heal’s design manager for 12 years) beautifully crafted four poster bed made of American walnut dominated the room with a striking moss green canopy that oozed sophistication and modernity. On the other end of the venue Johnny Egg’s sleek black lacquer and bright pink vanity could easily be described as sexy and secretive. Lifting the vanity’s top produces a lovely bright pink, flocked interior complete with tiny gems and a secret etched quote that only the lucky owner gets to see. It’s a beautifully crafted piece that’s modest and revealing at the same time.

The party was also the unveiling of the ‘Heal’s: 200 Years of Design and Inspiration’ book which has been printed and is now on sale in stores with a limited print run. These are sure to go fast, we are only printing 2,000 of these-customers are already making requests for specific book numbers! If you are interested in getting an exclusive piece of Heal’s history you can buy it in-store or online for £25.00. The book traces the story of Heal’s from the company’s inception in 1810 to the present day. Displaying the furniture of past and the ReDiscovers pieces for today. It’s beautifully laid out with old photographs pulled from our V&A archive. The book weaves the 200 year history of Heal’s; a supremely British brand with a strong sense of heritage that has consistently lead the way with trend and innovation. The event last Monday was celebration of all that Heal’s has achieved in 200 years--cutting edge design and inspiration for future designer’s to emerge.

Winter Comforts: 1950 to 2009

We have a vast archive here at Heal's of old catalogues and posters. The majority of the archive is held at the V&A. In fact it is the largest flat archive that they hold. However, there are a few gems still hidden around the Heal's store; iconic pieces of Heal's history such as the iron Heal's cat which has pride of place on the Cecil Brewer designed Spiral staircase and this 1950s Winter Comforts poster from our head office on the 5th floor.

What I love about this poster is the bold design; the striking use of black and white text and imagery punctuated by one small detail of red. I also love the structure of the armchair design and the exoticism of the animal hide.

Not only was the poster very on trend for the time but it still has a very modern feel today. Inspired by this, when we started brainstorming ideas for our new Autumn Winter catalogue we looked to this vintage poster as reference point to create a similarly styled, up to date version using new season furniture and accessories. I think the result is rather contemporary and very sleek. We've added a few extra colours, notably the brown leather lounger and blue Heal's lettering but I think the essence is still there. My favourite part is the small red bird in the left hand corner of the image.

I think in the run up to our Bicentenary celebrations this is a great example of how to both look back at our rich history whilst also looking forward to the future. This image is one of many that forms our new 2009/2010 look book. Available in-store and online, take a look and like us, be inspired.