In the spring of 1964, staff dressed in uniforms by the late Mary Quant prepared to open a tall oak shop door onto the Fulham Road, Chelsea – a moment that would redefine the British interior design landscape and change the way people shopped for contemporary homeware forever. The store, of course, was the very first Habitat, the brainchild of British designer Terence Conran and home to a dizzying selection of modern, stylish home furnishings from in-house and European manufacturers.
Inspired by the principles of the Bauhaus, Conran believed good design should not be rarefied or pricey, but rather practical, timeless and accessible to everyone. He famously once said that the Bauhaus ‘laid the foundations for democratic design and making products widely available for all’. The success of the first shop enabled the entrepreneur to open a second on Tottenham Court Road, and by the end of the 1960s, there were five branches across the country.
In 2024, Habitat celebrated its 60th anniversary and today customers can find Habitat’s high-quality, affordable home products defined by Conran's vision at Sainsbury’s, Habitat and Argos. This year, the store has released a collection that revisits iconic pieces from six decades of design history (from the 1960s to the 2000s). From a nostalgic 1990s mushroom lamp to mid-century woven rugs, every piece has been chosen for its contemporary appeal, a mark of Habitat’s commitment to timelessness.
‘Revisiting Habitat’s archives to reinterpret designs for our new collections has been a unique opportunity and one we continue to build on,’ says Andrew Tanner, head of design at Habitat. ‘We explore our extensive archives for inspiration that embodies our distinctive design DNA and has the potential to resonate with today’s lifestyle and contemporary living.’
Each piece in the new collection starts with the original vintage design and then the team ‘experiments with new techniques, textures and updated colour palettes.’ The ‘Flore’ lamp for example, maintains its distinctive mushroom shape but its silhouette has been softened to appeal to modern buyers. It’s a piece that would look just as at home in a maximalist bedroom as it would in a utilitarian living room.
Elsewhere, the classic ‘Myra’ sofa has been enhanced with new details such as a mitred arm and backrest while the 1990s ‘Leif’ kitchen island retains its solid wood frame and simple, streamlined form but has clever updates including new handle shapes and open shelving for additional storage needs. Overall, the thread that unites the entire collection is the same simple yet functional design principle that propelled Habitat to international fame over 60 years ago. Prices start from £20, habitat.co.uk; argos.co.uk; sainsburys.co.uk.
