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Kone chair

Kone chair
 (1948)

Medium
plywood, steel, rubber, brass
Measurements
71.7 × 74.4 × 63.6 cm
Inscription
printed decal on back l.c.: KONE / DESIGN
printed decal (vertically) on back l.c.: By ROGER McLAY
Accession Number
1998.1
Department
Australian Decorative Arts
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1998
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work

Kone chair and Kone table are made from aircraft-grade plywood used in the production of the de Havilland Mosquito plane in Sydney during the Second World War. Roger McLay was prompted to use this material because, unlike many other raw materials, it was available in large quantities in the postwar years. Knowing that international furniture designers were using plywood, especially Charles and Ray Eames in the United States, might also have played a part. However, rather than moulding the plywood to create organic forms as they did, McLay simply bent pre-cut plywood sheets, joining them with glue and brass screws before attaching to a painted steel base.