Design in Canada: Fifty Years From Teakettles to Task Chairs

A richly illustrated and fascinating portrait from two aficionados of Canadian design, and the first major book to identify and document more than fifty years of contemporary product design in Canada.

From the radical Project G stereo that every well-appointed, Pop-inspired “bachelor pad” had to have, to the wedge-shaped Contempra phone that quickly convinced homeowners to replace their boring black telephones, Canadian design has entered our homes and shaped our lives. Most of us have sat on one of the ubiquitous moulded plywood chairs that furnish every church basement and Legion, or bought a chromed dome kettle, or marvelled at how a garbage can was elevated to the status of a champagne bucket. For the first time, we can look at these products through the eyes of the designers who created them, and celebrate their achievements.

Design in Canada showcases designs that were destined for mass production, and covers everything from popular plastic dishes to refined high-style furniture. The book also features textiles, small appliances and lighting fixtures that have rarely been seen, or, in areas like consumer electronics and ceramics, that have not been as thoroughly documented.

The book also explores the movements and influences that have shaped design in Canada through time: from personal artistic challenges to the global juggernaut of modernism and beyond. Whether exploring post-war materials like plastic or aluminum, or finding ways to capture and tame new technology, Canadian designers have worked with imagination, style and an eye to the global market.

Magnificently illustrated, with extensive appendices providing a “who’s who” in the world of Canadian design, Design in Canada will be welcomed by everyone who shares an interest in design. Whether you are decorating your home, or are a professional or student involved in industrial, interior or architectural design, you will appreciate this comprehensive reference to more than a half-century of Canada’s rich design heritage.

Rachel Gotlieb is the curator of Toronto’s Design Exchange, the prime venue for showcasing design in Canada. Since joining the DX in 1990, she has overseen its collection of post-war Canadian design (the first in the country), and was curator of its well-received exhibition “Pop in Orbit: Design from the Space Age.” She has an M.A. in Design History from London’s Royal College of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum, has taught at the Ontario College of Art and served on the Toronto Public Art Commission.

Cora Golden is an award-winning writer and editor and has worked extensively to promote Canadian art and design. She is a member of the DX’s Permanent Collections Committee and has contributed to its growing number of signature vintage objects. She writes frequently about interior design, including for Echoes, an international magazine about 20th-century design, and is currently developing a television series set in the world of popular culture. She and her husband are avid collectors of Canadian furniture and design.