Roy Lippincott

American-born architect Roy Alstan Lippincott brought an unusually progressive design outlook to New Zealand in the 1920s and 1930s, creating buildings and furniture that treated architecture, interiors and everyday use as part of one complete idea.

Born in Pennsylvania in 1885, Lippincott graduated in architecture from Cornell University in 1909 and became part of the progressive Chicago architectural circle. He later worked with Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, moving to Australia in 1914. In 1921, Lippincott and Edward Billson won the competition to design Auckland University College’s new Arts Building, now the University of Auckland ClockTower, prompting Lippincott to settle in Auckland.

His furniture was conceived with the same care as his buildings. For the University, Lippincott designed an extensive collection of chairs, desks, stools and cabinets in native rimu, deliberately choosing the timber for its expressive grain. In a 1924 letter outlining the scheme, he described rimu as having a grain “at times almost theatrical in its effect.” The furniture was practical and forward-looking, with flush surfaces, restrained ornament and details shaped around durability and everyday use.

Lippincott later designed furniture for other major New Zealand projects, including Massey Agricultural College. Earlier examples created for the Auckland University Arts Building reveal a distinctive language that bridges Arts and Crafts ideals with the emerging clarity of modern design.

After returning to the United States in 1939, Lippincott continued his architectural career in California. Today, his New Zealand furniture is rare, highly collectable and represented in major institutional collections, offering a fascinating early chapter in the development of modern furniture design in this country.