G Plan is one of Britain's most iconic furniture makers from the latter half of the twentieth century. It originated as a pioneering range of furniture produced by E Gomme Ltd of High Wycombe, with 'Gomme' being the 'G' in G Plan. Today, it remains synonymous with the mid-century style that continues to be popular.

Founded in High Wycombe in 1898 by Ebeneezer Gomme, E Gomme initially crafted hand-made chairs using the abundant timber from the local Chiltern beech woods. By 1909, they had established a factory on Leigh Street. During the First World War, E Gomme manufactured DC9 aircraft, and by 1922, the company had grown to 300 employees, opening a second factory in 1927 at Spring Gardens. During World War Two, E Gomme again contributed to the war effort by producing Mosquito aircraft.

The concept of G Plan emerged in response to the years of rationing that affected furniture production and availability. After the Second World War, there was a high demand for furniture due to bombed-out homes and a shortage of raw materials and timber. The British government's solution was the Utility scheme, which provided factories with a limited number of simple designs, predominantly produced in oak and sometimes mahogany-veneered plywood. This was a temporary fix, and when the scheme ended in December 1952, there was still a significant demand for modern furniture, fueled by the Festival of Britain in 1951, which showcased the best of modern design.

To meet this demand, Donald Gomme, a designer at E Gomme, decided to create a full range of contemporary furniture for the entire house that could be purchased piece-meal over several years, according to each household's budget. The name G Plan was coined by Doris Gundry of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, and all the furniture featured the now-iconic brand mark. G Plan was launched in 1953 with the Brandon Range, designed by Victor Bramwell Wilkins. This simply designed range featured splayed legs, wooden handles, and was produced in light and mid oak. Many of the ranges that followed were available for a long time, with the Brandon Range finally ending in 1969. Over the years, G Plan introduced various furniture ranges, including Chinese White (1956), Tola and Black (1958), Group 3 (1963), and Quadrille (1965).

From the beginning, Gomme knew they needed to appeal to a mass market for his idea to succeed, so they employed the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson early on. Instead of selling through stockists, G Plan advertised directly to the public in home and style magazines and cinemas, and set up showrooms throughout the country where the public could see, touch, and sit on the G Plan range. The 'G Plan Gallery' was established in Vogue House, St George Street, Hanover Square in London.

The success of the G Plan range led to E Gomme Ltd becoming one of the UK's largest furniture manufacturers, with profits increasing exponentially between 1953, when it was first brought to market, and 1958, when the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange. Donald Gomme left the company in 1958 at the peak of its success.

By the 1960s, G Plan faced serious competition from the Danish Modern design movement, with Scandinavian design becoming increasingly popular in the UK. In response, G Plan introduced the Danish Modern range in 1962, designed by Danish architect and furniture designer Ib Kofod-Larsen. This range was well-made and more upmarket than their others but made the rest of their furniture seem dated. Although G Plan lost its position as a market leader, it continued to produce innovative furniture with a well-known brand name.

As the popularity of modern, teak-finished furniture waned in the 1970s, G Plan released some short-lived ranges such as Libretto and Arcadia, which were a significant departure from Scandinavian design principles and were veneered in darker woods like mahogany or walnut.

In 1987, the Gomme family, still major shareholders in the company, decided to retire and sold the business to the directors, who, three years later, sold it to the Christie Tyler group of companies. From 1996, the Morris Furniture Group owned the license to make and market G Plan Cabinet furniture in Glasgow, but since 2015, G Plan cabinets are no longer in production. G Plan Upholstery Ltd, run separately from G Plan Cabinets, is now based in a factory near Melksham, Wiltshire, and continues to manufacture sofas and armchairs within the UK, including the G Plan Vintage range.

The Fresco Range (1966)



The G Plan Fresco range was launched in 1966, and was primarily designed by Victor Bramwell Wilkins. The initial design was inspired by the pop art motif of a circle, and the Danish Modern design movement, it was made in teak, with solid afromosia features, such as sculptured handles. Fresco became G Plan’s most successful range, continuing to evolve, with new additions added, throughout the 1970s, and still being sold in the early 1980s.

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