Trent Furniture was delighted to supply historically accurate chairs for the major BBC period drama, The Paradise, which recently completed an 8 part series.
The programme’s producers contacted Trent Furniture earlier this year with a request for specific bentwood chairs which would have been in use during the 19th century, when the drama is set.
The chairs were originally designed by German furniture designer Michael Thonet in 1859 and were a departure from the traditional solid style at the time, formed from curved wood moulded into shapes by hot steam. Known originally as the 14 or the bistro chair, it became a popular piece of furniture in Victorian times and beyond, with over 50 million chairs produced between 1859 and 1930. Trent Furniture have stayed faithful to the origional and their chairs had the authenticity that the production team were looking for.
“We were delighted to be asked to supply chairs for such a high quality drama programme,” comments Rob Price, Managing Director of Trent Furniture. “The researchers and producers were eager for the sets to be as authentic as possible. The loopback chairs that we supplied would have been in many homes and commercial buildings during the 1870s when the series is set. One of the most popular chairs of its time, the loopback is still one of our perennial best sellers today.”
Based on an Emile Zola novel, The Paradise tells the story of a young girl who finds work in England’s first department store. Relocated from its original literary setting in Paris, the action takes place in a large northern city and is one of an increasing number of BBC productions to be filmed in the north of England. Adapted by Bill Gallagher, writer of another primetime BBC programme ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’, the series goes out on Tuesday nights at 9pm with the first episode broadcast on 25th September.
The show was a ratings hit in it's 9pm slot attracting around 10 million viewers over the course of the series. It was the most watched show in that slot - beating Mid-Summer Murders on ITV1.
Trent Furniture's furniture has appeared on several TV shows including the X Factor, Eastenders and This Morning. “As suppliers to the hospitality industry, it’s always exciting for our products to be featured on the screen where they will potentially be seen by millions,” comments Rob. “The diverse range of programmes that we supply illustrates the wide variety of styles that we stock, from classic through to modern and contemporary.”
Based in the Leicester, Trent Furniture has been supplying furniture to the catering and hospitality industry since 1960 and also provides furniture for university bars and communal areas. The company takes an ethical approach to production, using wood from sustainable sources where possible and donating furniture to local charities.
To see which chairs were supplied to the 'The Paradise' click here.