A Younger Ltd were a leading British furniture manufacturer in the 1950s and 1960s. They produced high quality, well made furniture, made in low volume, aimed at the top end of the market, selling through independent retailers as well as though Heals. They were amongst the first British furniture companies to adopt the Danish modern style in the 1950s and the first to abandon it, in search of a new style in the late 1960s.

Younger’s first contemporary design, teak, dining suite was the Moselle range, released in 1955. Two years later, they introduced the Volany range of teak furniture, which was kept in production for the next ten years. The award winning Fonseca collection, another inspired by Danish modern design, was release in 1959 and was produced through the early and middle part of the 1960s.

Younger’s approach to furniture making echoed the Danish modern movement in more than aesthetics; like their Scandinavian counterparts, they also emphasised the importance of quality materials and excellent craftsmanship.

Their 1964 catalogue states:

‘Although essentially modern in design Younger Furniture is based on the sound principles of traditional furniture. The natural finish of the carefully chosen woods, the many years of craftsmanship and the design of Younger Furniture has brought the Company six awards given by The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers for excellence of craftsmanship and for original and creative design’.

Towards the end of the 1960s, in reaction to a market flooded with teak, modern furniture, Younger’s made the conscious decision to move away from Danish inspired furniture, choosing instead to develop a new direction for the company. This resulted in Younger’s producing ranges inspired by traditional Spanish style furniture and made in darker woods, the most popular of these being the Toledo range, released in 1972.

John Herbert

John Herbert was A Younger Ltd’s head designer from c1955-c1970, and designed most of their pieces, until he was joined by Alan Pledge in 1967/68. In the mid 1950s, he lead Younger towards making modernist furniture inspired by the Danish style, making the company at the forefront of British companies doing so. Herbert was an accomplished designer: in 1960 he won three awards from the Furniture Makers' Guild for a sideboard and two tables, one of the tables being from the Fonseca range. In the late 1960s, Herbert and Pledge took the company in a new direction, designing and releasing the Toledo range in 1972

 - reference: https://afternoah.com/page/mid-century-design/british-mid-century-design/a-younger-ltd

​

Younger was a leading light in high end British contemporary furniture and design.

Younger made top end furniture for discerning customers during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Their products were made in low volume, crafted to the highest standard and always on the cutting edge of design.

Under the direction of talented design director John Herbert, Younger was a pioneer of contemporary style. The firm was one of the first to embrace the organic Scandinavian style in the late 1950s.

By the late 1960s Herbert had tired of the Scandinavian style and was keen to forge a new direction in contemporary design. Herbert found new inspiration in traditional Spanish design and well crafted Georgian furniture. This new design direction paved the way for a new style that would define the coming decade.

Although the Younger style was always leading the way in contemporary design it remained an expensive and exclusive product, loved by many but owned by a lucky few.

​

 - reference: https://mrbigglesworthy.co.nz/designers/59/younger-furniture

Our A Younger Ltd pieces