Footnotes

• Tibor Reich, born Budapest, Hungary in 1916 and died Warwick 1996, was a designer and manufacturer of printed and woven textiles. His business, Tibor Limited, flourished in Stratford-upon-Avon from the late 1940s until its closure in 1978. In the 1950s Reich widened his activities to include printed fabrics. Most of his work, however, was commissioned direct for specific interiors or ranges of furniture. In 1951, as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations, he produced furnishings, 'tapestry' wall-hangings and carpets - each named after a Shakespearean character - for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Also in Stratford, he helped to furnish the Shakespeare Centre for its opening in 1964 and designed souvenirs for the centre, some of which are still produced today. In the 1960s 'Tibor' fabrics were in demand in Britain and abroad; the firm opened a showroom in Sloane Street in London, which moved later to Berners Street. The fabrics were used in Lotus cars, in cruise liners, on Concorde and for the Royal Yacht Britannia and the library at Windsor Castle. The name was linked with the furniture manufacturers G-Plan, Ercol and Gordon Russell, and with Russell Furnishing. For Gordon Russell, Reich produced all-wool coverings that were superbly hard-wearing for domestic, office and contract ranges. They were used for items from classic dining chairs to 'low seating' in vibrant colours for halls of residence in the new universities. Reich was awarded the prestigious Textile Institute's design medal in 1973.

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Category: Furniture

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