Lucian Randolph Ercolani (8 May 1888 – 9 June 1976),Anita McConnell, ‘Ercolani, Lucian Randolph (1888–1976)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 17 Feb 2010
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Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

furniture designer born in St Angelo in Vado Marche Italy later emigrating to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England with his family. He began his career in furniture manufacture with the Salvation Army joinery department, later joining Frederick Parker (later of

Parker Knoll Parker Knoll is a British furniture manufacturing company, formed in 1931 by British furniture manufacturer Frederick Parker and Willi Knoll, a German inventor of a new form of sprung furniture. With roots in the manufacture of high-quality furnit ...

fame). In 1920, Ercolani had joined a furniture-making consortium in High Wycombe, trading as Furniture Industries. The business expanded through acquisition, and government orders during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

for wooden

tent peg A tent peg (or tent stake) is a spike, usually with a hook or hole on the top end, typically made from wood, metal, plastic, or composite material, pushed or driven into the ground for holding a tent to the ground, either directly by attaching to t ...

s and

bentwood Bentwood objects are those made by wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns. In furniture making this method is often used in the production of rocking chairs, cafe ...

chairs ensured its success. In the late-1940s, Ercolani developed his range of mass-produced Ercol furniture, which became a household name in post-war Britain, and which continues today.

Early life

Lucian Ercolani was born in St Angelo,

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, Italy. His father, Abdon Ercolani, a pictureframe maker, migrated to

, England, in search of work, and in 1898 was joined by his family. Ercolani attended a Salvation Army school in London, which he left in 1902, aged 14, to take up a job as a Salvation Army messenger boy. Encouraged by his parents to continue his education, Ercolani enrolled for night school at Shoreditch Technical Institute, where he studied drawing, design, and the theory and construction of furniture. In the early 1900s, Shoreditch was a thriving centre of furniture-making.

Furniture trade

By 1906, Ercolani was working in the Salvation Army joinery department, producing staircases and handrails. In 1910, Frederick Parker (later of

fame) invited him to join his firm, which made furniture at workshops in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, the 'furniture capital' of England. Though he was living at 27 Claremont Road, Walthamstow in 1911 census with his largely Italian-born family, including future TV cabinet manufacturer brother Victor. In 1912, Ercolani took up a part-time appointment at High Wycombe Technical School, teaching furniture design to evening classes which were attended by High Wycombe's furniture makers. It was here that he met Edward Gomme, son of a High Wycombe chair-maker. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Ercolani joined E Gomme Ltd., chair-makers (whose G Plan range of furniture enjoyed considerable success in the 1950s and 1960s). As Ercolani recorded in his biography: ''“At Gomme’s … it seemed to me … that the simple chair was the outcome of very good and precise workmanship.”'' In 1920, Ercolani had joined a furniture-making consortium in High Wycombe, trading as Furniture Industries. The business expanded through acquisition, and government orders during

for wooden

s and

chairs ensured its success. In the late-1940s, Ercolani developed his range of mass-produced Ercol furniture, which became a household name in post-war Britain, and which continues today. He played an active part in the Furniture Industry, being a founder member of the industry's guild, the

Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers referred to as The Furniture Makers' Company, is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation was formed in 1952, and was granted Livery status by the City in 1963 being the 83 ...

and its Master for 1957-58.

Personal life

Ercolani was married in 1915, to Eva Brett, and they had three children. He took British citizenship in 1923. Ercolani died on 9 June 1976.

Legacy

In 2010 the

awarded a Design Guild Mark for Ercolani's Originals collection, as they are now known. The Originals collection reflected a break from the heavy, ornate pre-war styles towards a new clean lined, simple elegance. They were first launched in the late 1950s and were relaunched by Ercol in 2003.

References

Sources

''A Furniture Maker: His Life, His Works and His Observations'', L. R. Ercolani (London: Ernest Benn, 1975) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ercolani, Lucian 1888 births 1976 deaths British furniture designers 20th-century British businesspeople Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom Italian woodworkers British woodworkers