History of Parker Knoll and Ercol Furniture

Parker Knoll and Ercol are two examples of quality British furniture brands whose collections are designed and crafted in England.

Parker Knoll

Frederick Parker started his chair making business in 1869 in a simple workshop in London. He prided himself on designing and developing the finest furniture. When Frederick Parker and Sons Ltd started working with Willi Knoll, they embraced a radical new concept of sprung furniture. Parker Knoll was launched at the British Industries Fair in 1931 and was the first company to use the new spring system, setting new standards for comfort in domestic upholstery.

During the 1960s, Parker Knoll reclining chairs became their signature item, and a new factory was opened in Chipping Norton. Since the 1980s the Parker Knoll brand has seen many changes in ownership. In 2005 Sofa Brands International acquired Parker Knoll, alongside other brands including G Plan.

Parker Knoll is now firmly rooted in Riddings, rural Derbyshire, where a dedicated team of craftsmen and women produce upholstered furniture that suits today’s lifestyles and provides exquisite comfort and timeless design.


Parker Knoll furniture at Lukehurst

We are happy to offer Lukehurst customers a wide range of Parker Knoll sofas and chairs that are made from the highest quality timber and fabrics. Take a look at our Parker Knoll range here.

Ercol

The Ercol brand was founded by Lucian Ercolani, who had immigrated to Britain with his parents from Italy. Having worked with Frederick Parker furniture makers and the Gommes - who became G Plan in the 1950s - Ercolani set up his own furniture factory in 1920, Furniture Industries.

In 1944, Ercolani was one of the first manufacturers to use mass production methods to quickly make chairs at low cost. During the 1950s Ercol created a number of iconic designs including the Loveseat, the Butterfly Chair and the Stacking Chair, which is one of the most instantly recognisable Ercol chairs from that era.

In 1985, Ercol brought in its first computer numerically controlled machine, or CNC. This revolutionised furniture making because it enabled high precision, volume manufacturing without compromising on fine detailing.

Design has always been at the heart of Ercol; Wallpaper* magazine approached Ercol in 2009 to work with the Italian designer Martino Gamper to make an arch out of 120 Ercol Stacking Chairs, which was put on display at the London Design Festival held at the V&A Museum.

Ercol furniture at Lukehurst


Today Ercol continues to manufacture high quality furniture in the UK and Lukehurst is proud to offer customers a wide choice including living room, dining room and bedroom furniture. View the range on our website today.

13th November 2015

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