RIP - TIM BATES - PIEFF

I was informed the other day that Tim Bates, the main designer, owner of Pieff Furniture, died on 5th Jan 2012. Unfortunately as it seems I was unable to find an obituary for him. Which appears to be the way with many of our unsung design heroes in this country. I have done a previous post on Pieff here.

http://made-good.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-of-british-design-pieff.html

and its history can be found here...

http://www.pieff-furniture.com/about

Pieff was the must have name in high-end British furniture during the 1960’s and 70’s. It described itself at the time as "Luxury furniture of the late 20th Century, characterised by its original design, flowing lines and usual blending of striking materials. Now used loosely to describe any design which is ahead of its time”.
Pieff Furniture was a family run business that operated from the 1960’s until the 1980’s, in Lye, in the West Midlands. Together with his two sons, Tim Bates and his family designed and manufactured some of the most cutting edge, British made, modern pieces. Pieff designs had a touch of Hollywood regency and were made using the most glamorous materials. The trademark offering was furniture crafted from mirrored chrome, Brazilian Rosewood, high quality leather and Pirelli webbing. With a reputation for excellence and seen as fairly exclusive, Pieff Furniture was sold through Harrods, Heals and other high-end furniture stores.
Their collection at the time, was described in their brochure as “The Pieff collection reflects a certain lifestyle. A privileged one we admit. But then, Pieff is very exclusive furniture. A fact which is recognised not just in Britain, but through-out the world. Our designers are as individual as the people who own them. And our originality can be seen in each addition to our collection. Inspired ideas bring together exciting shapes, contrasting materials, textures and tones. The results are classically simple in concept, utterly modern in execution. The designer's imagination is matched only by the craftsman's consummate skill. And to complement both, we ensure that everything that goes into making Pieff furniture is of the finest quality. The touch is unmistakable. Which is why it may surprise you to learn that not everybody is impressed with the Pieff collection. But, of course, not everybody can afford to be."

Slightly out of vogue, for some reason I do not understand at the moment. Pieff furniture was and is a Best of British..
and Tim Bates your furniture will live on for a long time and am sure will be antiques of the future. Rest in Peace.