Last month we heard that high end Auckland furniture designer Michael Draper had passed away. With his memorial coming up, we wanted to share a bit more about our history with his furniture. He has made a significant contribution to New Zealand design history with a highly unique approach to furniture design and making – we are pleased to share some of our favourite pieces from our archive.
Michael Draper was a fixture of Ponsonby on Crummer Road with a workshop which was visible from the street. He developed a following from architects like Andrew Patterson and Pete Bosley, who he'd collaborated with on custom furniture designs and his work was selected for prominent projects at Te Papa, the Auckland Maritime Museum and Villa Maria.
Since the 1970s Michael Draper's direction in design referenced the utilitiarian objects of the 1950s, picking up on designers like Charles and Ray Eames and Dieter Rams. He created functional objects with a priority on functionality and a light touch on embellishment. There could be a colour added or a unique detail given to a design element but overall his pieces were very understated objects. His preferred materials were steel and humble substrates like plywood, laminate or MDF, used in an honest way, not trying to hide what they were.
There were recognisable DNA features across his body of work like the material proportions he selected – slim profile steel for storage and a particular thickness of steel for tables. He might vary the timber used or the paint finish or add tapered sculpting for a more impressive piece but it continues the design language he established as his own. It's these kind of aspects which we love about Michael Draper's work and help to affirm his legacy for the future collectors.