Teak Midcentury Sideboard By Gomme With Fornasetti Decoupage

A beautifully crafted teak sideboard by E Gomme from 1958. Creatively decoupaged with Fornasetti’s wallpaper of the famous Italian operatic soprano, actress, and monologist Natalina “Lina” Cavalieri (1874–1944). The sideboard has been carefully sanded back and oiled by hand. A wonderfully figured top section holding three drawers which seemingly float above a double cupboard below. The inventive sliding door design encloses adjustable shelves. The whole stands on attractive angled legs with handy adjustable levelling brass feet. Definitely the best decade for design and British craftsmanship. The sideboard is a classic design and very well made with the quality of construction being hard to find in this day and age unless you have deep pockets! The sideboard is great for display and storage but could also work well as media unit.

G-Plan The company was founded in 1898 by Ebeneezer Gomme. In 1953, Donald Gomme, the designer at E Gomme, decided to produce a range of modern furniture for the entire house which could be bought piece by piece according to budgets. Advertising was part of the plan from the beginning. The name was coined by Doris Gundry of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, and the furniture was advertised in magazines and in cinemas direct to the public. Designs were available for several years so people could collect them slowly. All furniture was marked with the distinctive brand mark. Another part of the direct marketing was the showrooms where the public could see the furniture. There were small centres in the country, and “The G Plan Gallery” in Vogue House, St George Street, Hanover Square in London. Donald Gomme left the company in 1958, perhaps the peak of the company’s success.