Velvets by
To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the London Underground, Kirkby Design have collaborated with Transport for London (TfL) to recreate five iconic moquette designs originally used for seating fabric across the Underground and wider TfL network. Transport for London is steeped in a history of innovative design, built on the convictions of one man, Frank Pick, who rose to become the Managing Director of London Transport. Pick believed in design excellence and commissioned work of the highest quality from station architecture to poster design. Under Pick’s direction, special upholstery designs were first commissioned in the 1930s by Christian Barman, London Transport’s publicity officer. Artists included Enid Marx, Marion Dorn and Paul Nash. The design brief emphasised that designs should draw on colours which responded well to artificial light and patterns which took into account wear and tear. The resulting moquette patterns were predominately geometric and utterly contemporary; a complete change from the floral patterns previously produced. These new designs were used on a variety of surface and tube stock, buses and trolleybuses during this period. This tradition of commissioning moquette designs has continued over the years and has resulted in strikingly original seating fabrics, creating a distinguished visual identity for the corporation. Woven using viscose yarns to produce a luxurious handle, the designs selected have been stripped back and re-coloured in Kirkby Design’s signature palette, encapsulating the spirit of the original designs whilst adding a contemporary twist to suit modern tastes. Design sources include iconic 1930s London buses, 1950s Green Line coaches and Tube seating from the 1970s and 1990s.
District
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Marylebone
8
Piccadilly 12
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Southbank 20
cushions from left: k5097/03 district blackberry, k5096/07 bakerloo kingfisher, k5098/08 marylebone lime, k5098/06 marylebone eden, k5096/05 bakerloo neon orange, k5099/02 piccadilly havana.
Bakerloo
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District
armchair: k5097/01 district gold. cushion left: k5096/11 bakerloo jet black. cushion right: k5096/10 bakerloo magnet.
District Designed by the prolific Architect and Designer Misha Black, this brightly coloured block design was first introduced on the London Underground’s District line (D78 stock) in the late 1970s to complement the brighter finishes within the carriage interiors. The fabric was also used on most new buses entering service in London, notably the large fleets of Metrobus and Titan types. In 1983, the design was introduced on new Underground trains on the Jubilee Line and fast became a subconscious icon of the city.
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District
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armchair: k5097/01 district gold. cushion: k5096/10 bakerloo magnet.
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Marylebone
seat cushion left: k5098/08 marylebone lime. seat cushion right: k5098/06 marylebone eden.
Marylebone This design was developed in the late 1930s to be used on the new batch of RT-type London buses delivered between 1939 and 1942. This model was the forerunner of nearly 7,000 buses of its type which dominated the streets of London in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Marylebone
cushion back: k5098/08 marylebone lime. cushion front: k5098/06 marylebone eden.
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cube footstools from back: k5098/08 marylebone lime, k5099/04 piccadilly ruby, k5097/03 district blackberry, k5096/07 bakerloo kingfisher, k5099/06 piccadilly eden, k5098/05 marylebone neon orange.
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Southbank
sofa: k5100/08 southbank lime. cushion: k5098/08 marylebone lime.
Southbank After World War II, London Transport’s bus and coach fleet was out-dated and rather careworn after nearly 6 years of continuous conflict and the rigors of wartime service. A new fleet of coaches were ordered for London Transport’s Green Line coach service and thus a new and elegant moquette was commissioned. This design was also used on a small fleet of Private Hire coaches which were ordered to run tours to and from the iconic Festival of Britain at London’s South Bank in 1951. It remained in use for several years.
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Southbank
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sofa: k5100/08 southbank lime. cushion: k5096/10 bakerloo magnet.
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Piccadilly
armchair left: k5099/05 piccadilly neon orange. armchair right: k5099/07 piccadilly kingfisher.
Piccadilly The 1973 Tube stock which serves the Piccadilly line underwent a huge refurbishment in 1997. This intricate, geometric design was introduced as part of this refurbishment to co-ordinate with the new carriage interiors.
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Piccadilly
cube footstools from left: k5096/07 bakerloo kingfisher, k5098/08 marylebone lime, k5099/06 piccadilly eden, k5099/04 piccadilly ruby, k5098/05 marylebone neon orange, k5097/03 district blackberry.
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armchair front: k5099/07 piccadilly kingfisher. armchair back: k5099/05 piccadilly neon orange.
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Bakerloo
cushions from left: k5098/05 marylebone neon orange, k5099/02 piccadilly havana, k5096/05 bakerloo neon orange, k5096/10 bakerloo magnet. seat cushion: k5098/07 marylebone kingfisher.
Bakerloo Designed in the 1960s, this geometric moquette design consists of staggered rectangular shapes. It was used extensively to refurbish trains from the late 1930s serving the Bakerloo, Northern, Piccadilly, East London and Central Underground lines. It worked particularly well with interiors featuring polished wood panelling and cerulean blue paintwork.
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with thanks to‌
www.atomicinteriors.co.uk www.benchmarkfurniture.com www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk
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credits Archive images Š Transport for London reproduced by kind permission of the London Transport Museum. Ž Transport for London Registered User No 12/4956