Movement and Foundations
A 1972 Arkana brochure from Home and Garden magazine, featuring Arkana’s first original Burke design: the Mushroom.
In 1963, the Burke family settled in Surrey, England, while Maurice began laying the groundwork for his next company. After some searching, he settled on a location in Falkirk, Scotland to take advantage of UK government incentives to bring industry to economically depressed areas. Dubbing this fresh start Arkana, he also completed the final design and engineering work on what would become the company’s first new product range, the Mushroom series, patenting it in the same year. Its space-age materials and return spring internals marked it as a direct successor to the original Stars, though its thicker base and integrated carry handles made them both aesthetically and ergonomically distinct.
By 1964, production was in full swing on the Mushroom, a new generation of Stars, and the first runs of the original Chelsea chairs. Based on a Danish designed campaign chair, the first run of Chelseas emphasized simplicity and portability, with slotted screws that could be assembled with a two pence piece. However, trouble with the Falkirk facility began to show. The old factory Arkana had taken over was ill suited for modern manufacturing, in particular the new injection molding system used for the Mushroom furniture. Thus while the new furniture sold well enough, compounding issues began to accumulate between 1965 and 1968, until Arkana’s future was in serious doubt.
Reinvention
Luckily for the troubled Arkana, its catalogue had attracted the interest of the Christie Tyler group, and in 1968 it was acquired and merged with Bath Cabinet Makers (BCM) and Avalon (another cabinetry manufacturer)to create Arkana Limited, relocating to the BCM plant in Bath, England. Maurice left the day to day of the company completely to the new owners, focusing entirely on design and license management his newly founded Abbeyville Design Partners, headed by designer and former ICI chemist Ron Kleeny. Inspired by the potential of molded plastic that had led to the Mushroom, Abbeyville would primarily work on R&D for more plastic based furniture, completing the designs and engineering work for what would become the Macrima M1 and M2 ranges. But it’s next great creation come from their newest addition.
In 1970, Maurice’s son Duncan Burke finished his BA of Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in New York, and returned to the UK and began work at Abbeyville. Alongside work on the future Macrima products, Duncan partnered with engineer Dave Dickinson to bring his Pratt thesis project to realization. The result; the Orbita sling chair, would immediately impress the Arkana management during a private showcase in 1971, with production beginning the next year in 1972. The dining set, paired with a clear topped pedestal table, was a strong standout from the rest of the catalogue as a statement piece for any occasion. Likewise, the lounger and ottoman set were not only a unique standout within the Arkana catalogue, but in comparison to everything else on the market as well. The Orbitas strong geometry, aesthetic simplicity, and ergonomics of the free-floating sling were instantly applauded by several UK and European publications, and at the 1972 Cologne Furniture Fair, one company would bring that attention to global status.
Vecta and International Success
An original promotion flyer featuring Duncan’s Zermatt Continuous seating at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, circa 1974.
Since it’s creation in 1969, Vecta Contract had already inherited Maurice’s back catalogue of designs from the original Burke Inc. days, and had been enjoying the fruits of their continued production across the American market. And at Cologne in 1972, it would add Duncan Burke to their extensive roster of designers. After acquiring his Orbita design for production in the United States, the Orbita was re-engineered by in-house engineer Gunter Eberle with a slightly steeper angle and reinforced, stiffened sling. Redubbed the Vecta Zermatt, Vecta also added several unique variants aimed at public and commerical uses. This sub collection, the Zermatt Continuous, won not only the 1973 Institute of Business Designers First Prize for Special Seating, but several major contracts, including for seating at the Dallas-Fort Worth, and Montreal-Mirabel Airports. The rest of the Zermatt collection sold equally well, its combination of style and simplicity equally valued at home and at the office.
Meanwhile, and despite a strong start to the decade, difficulties were again beginning to accumulate for Arkana back in the UK. With Maurice and Duncan as outside designers and contractors, it’s difficult to say exactly what the cause of these troubles was. But by 1973, despite strong interest and sales in many of the Burke’s designs, Arkana was beginning to decline.
Final Closure
The Arkana Limited factory in Bath, UK. Just prior to final demolition circa 1994. Source
While the Burkes were essentially no longer part of Arkana beyond licensing their designs, the end of Arkana still represented the de facto end of the era of European-made Burke furniture. Arkana would continue into the mid 70’s, but by 1976 the company was defunct, and production of the Orbita, Star, Mushroom, and other Burke designs ceased in Britian. For Maurices designs, many would continue to be produced in an identical fashion by Vecta in the US. The Orbita however, in its original format, would end with Arkana.
Despite this, the American made Zermatt continued as a successful part of the Vecta catalogue in its own right well into the 90’s, with final production ceasing only in 1992. Vecta itself would eventually be acquired by Steelcase in 1994, finally being absorbed completely into its parent company in the 2000’s. And while the Burke story continued for a few more chapters, it would never reach the heights of the Arkana/Vecta era again.
