When we first saw a Lot of Beaver & Tapley teak furniture at an auction house we didn't know of the furniture makers; what we did know was the palpable reaction it felt of seeing it. Tingles.
It was / is beautiful - its refined detailing of just slightly curved corners, the tone of the teak veneer and refined construction. Each piece of the Lot is different, and, all (bar one piece) designed and constructed to be wall mounted, enabling the end user to pick and choose what works for their space.
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A joy of this business is the constant learning of designers and makers from all levels of the market, and having the excuse to dig deeper...
Beaver & Tapley is in fact a made up name - founded by Newman Richardson after the First World War, the name was created to sound older and more established; at first the company dealt with Government surplus, but by the 1930s it had evolved to start producing furniture.
By the mid fifties Roger joined his father Justin Richardson in the business; embarking on new strategies to move the business forward and away from their competitors they brought on top designers in the industry to work with them, vastly increased their advertising and sold goods based on quality and design not just price.
A collaboration with Penguin books sparked the beginning of a new idea - of space saving wall hanging units. A later trip to the Cologne Exhibition in 1960 where they saw a range of Swedish designed cabinet and shelving systems supported by wall fixed ladders further cemented their ideas of perfecting the wall hanging systems, but without the constricting ladders.
Each cabinet and unit came complete with a metal batten that would attach to the wall then be completely concealed once the unit was hung upon it. Originally each unit came with it's own Spirit Level built into the supporting unit. By 1975 Tapley 33 was introduced - which is the era where much of our current Beaver & Tapley stock hails.
Beaver & Tapley have since changed hands, but now under new ownership, are still producing this style of furniture - a true testament to the beauty of its design and continuing care, attention to detail and craftmanship.
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We love the different ways the units could be assembled, yes, they can be wall mounted, but also stacked, if that's what works for you (recommending to use some sort of wall fixing - safety first - always.)
All Beaver & Tapley units measure 84cm wide, but they can vary in height and depth.
This base unit is the one piece that isn't wall mounted, this stands 67cm high, with a depth of 55cm.
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Bureaus and writing desks promise infinite possibilities - from populating spreadsheets to having the perfect spot to start writing your novel.
These two options are pretty special.
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This bureau has a moveable inner shelf & drawer compartment that can be positioned either side or centrally, as you prefer...
And this bureau below has a small inner fixed shelf
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These floating drawers (to note; siblings, not twins in their design) would be fabulous as bedside tables.
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Shall we talk about a wall mounted cabinet for your vinyl, complete with moving support to move as you collection expands? Yes, we shall.
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Finally from Beaver & Tapley - we have these oh-so-stylish wall mounted floating shelves.
So cool.
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Teak Mid Century Furniture will always be close to our hearts for its enduring simplicity and appeal. Beautiful in its own right, but also it has the chameleon-like ability to adapt to so many interior setting and be a canvas to layer on other styles.
Head here to see what Mid Century Modern we have in stock currently.
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