Grant Featherston

Grant Featherston is a pioneering Australian designer, celebrated for his innovative furniture designs that have become emblematic of mid-century Australia. Born on October 17, 1922, in Geelong, Victoria, Featherston's work in the 1950s propelled him to national and international acclaim.

Featherston's journey into design began after his studies at the Gordon Institute of Technology in Geelong, where he pursued architecture. His career took a creative turn when he started designing lighting and glass panels. His service in the army from 1940 to 1944 further honed his skills as a draughtsman.

Post-war, Featherston's design ethos was influenced by modernist principles, particularly those of the Bauhaus movement. His commitment to humanism and professional design led him to become a founding member of the Society of Designers for Industry in 1947, which later became the Industrial Design Institute of Australia.

A high point in Featherston's career was the creation of the ‘Contour’ series of furniture, a range of lounge and dining furniture featuring upholstered plywood shells, that not only showcased his mastery of form and function but also his understanding of the human body. The designs were so ahead of their time that examples were featured in design publications across Britain, Europe, and the USA.

Featherston's partnership with his wife, Mary Featherston, an English-born interior designer whom he married in 1965, was a significant collaboration. Together, they worked on numerous interior design projects and completed iconic designs like the Expo 67 Talking Chair and the Numero range for Uniroyal.

Grant Featherston's legacy is not just in the pieces he created but also in the inspiration he provided for future generations of designers. His work has been featured in museum retrospectives, including the National Gallery of Victoria's 2013 exhibition, "Mid-Century Modern: Australian Furniture Design". Featherston passed away on October 9, 1995, but his work continues to be celebrated and his furniture remains highly collectible.