Lucienne Day
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Lucienne Day
Lucienne Conradi Day was born in Coulsdon, Surrey, England, on 5th January 1917. In 1934, Lucienne joined Croydon School of Art and began taking an interest in printed textiles. Lucienne later attended the Royal College of Art and specialized in printed textiles.
Lucienne started working at a time when design was starting to get recognition as a profession. She is one of the pioneers of design. She began by making dress fabrics and later moved on to furnishing fabrics. She also started making designs on carpets, table linens, and wallpapers. Lucienne made printed fabrics for renowned companies such as Edinburgh Weavers and Heal’s Wholesale and export. She worked with her husband, Robin Day. In 1951, Lucienne showcased her designs at the Festival of Britain. Her most famous design is Calyx. It was showcased at the Festival of Britain. The design won a gold medal at the Milan Triennale that same year. Other designs showcased at the Festival of Britain include Stella, Provence, and Diabolo.
Lucienne was inspired by European abstract painting. Many of her fabrics were created in long production runs. This made them affordable. It made her glad that those who could not afford to buy paintings could afford to buy her works.
In the 1950s, Lucienne created many designs. They include Dandelion Clocks, Spectators, Graphica, Ticker Tape, Trio, Herb Antony, Script, Jack Sprat, Too Many Cooks, Ducatoon, and Sequoia. These designs created after the Second World War included patterns that symbolized the post-war era. Motifs included leaves, stems, and butterflies. This design was known as Contemporary Design.
In the 1960s, Lucienne created designs such as Larch, Cadenza, High Noon, Pennycress, Poinsettia, Apex, Causeway, and Sunrise. These designs were made of brighter colors. During this period, she made designs for Liberty’s, British Celanese, Cavendish Textiles, and Thomas Somerset. Lucienne would sometimes partner with her husband, Robin. Between 1961 and 1967, they made interior designs for various aircraft. They also made designs for the John Lewis Partnership.
Lucienne quit industrial design in 1975. She started making mosaic wall hangings out of silk. Her most famous work is the Aspects of the Sun mosaic. It was created for the John Lewis store. Others, including Signs of the Zodiac, were showcased at the National Theatre, London, and Rohsska Museum, Gothenburg. Lucienne was also involved in the making and design of tapestries. Her best tapestry is known as The Window. She made it in 1986. The tapestry was commissioned for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminister (Casey, 2020).
Lucienne was half-British and half-Belgian. She never dropped her name, Conradi, even after she got married. This made some of her clients expect foreign designs from her. She faced other challenges in her line of work. Lucienne sold her first design eight months after leaving the Royal College of Arts.
Lucienne received many awards and recognition for her works. In 1952, she was awarded Citation of Merit from the American Institute of Decorators for her work, Calyx. In 1954, she was awarded Gran Premio at the Milan Triennale for her works, Spectators, Ticker Tape¸ Graphica, and Linear. She also won the Design Centre Award from the Council of Industrial Design for the design, Tesserae. She won that same award again in 1960 for her works, Bouquet Garni, Too Many Cooks, and Black Leaf, and in 1968 for Chrevron. In 1962, the Royal Society of Arts made Lucienne, a Royal Designer for Industry. Lucienne became the fifth woman to be elected to the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry, and she was elected the first female Master at the faculty in 1987. In 2004, she was also awarded The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Lucienne Day died in 2010.
Samples of Lucienne Day’s Works
Aspects of the sun Calyx
References
Casey, A. (2020). Lucienne Day: Walls of Silk. Retrieved from Mid Century: The Definitive Guide to Modern Furniture, Interiors and Architecture: http://midcenturymagazine.com/furniture-objects/lucienne-day-walls-of-silk/
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