Collection of Habitat and Creative Living Mail Order Catalogues 1969-1980

[Habitat. Terence Conran]

A rare collection of vintage Habitat and Creative Living trade catalogues dating from 1969 to 1980. They were published during the furniture and lifestyle company's hey-day, under the creative lead of Terence Conran, and provide a unique and nostalgic record of the design choices of Britain's aspiring homeowners during the 1970s. Creative Living was a furniture mail order brand owned by Lupton Morton. The oldest catalogue in the collection is 'Creative Living's Spring 1969' issue. Habitat purchased Lupton Morton in 1969 and the next catalogue from 1969/70 is published under the 'Habitat Creative Living' banner. All subsequent catalogues are published solely by Habitat. The annual catalogues allowed shoppers to browse a huge array of furniture and home accessories (all illustrated in colour) and encouraged them to shop at the ever-expanding number of showrooms or via the mail order forms. An introductory letter from Terence Conran commences each issue and illuminates the development and expansion of the business over the decade.
 
The collection includes catalogues for Spring 1969, 1969/70, 1971 (Second edition), 1972,  1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1977/78, 1978/79 and 1979/80. The smaller supplements are Winter Supplement 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974, Spring & Summer Supplement 1979 (x2) and 1980, a long zig-zag fold promotional leaflet for 'bip line (the flexible quick assembly furniture system)', 1976, and a folding leaflet for the Innovator range of Swedish furniture, 1976. Original mail-order and credit forms are loosely inserted within the catalogues.



Terence Conran. Creative Living & Habitat. Wallingford. 1969-1979. 12 volumes, paperback, quarto; illustrated wrappers; plus several supplements, as well as original mailing forms loosely inserted the catalogues. Each volume approx. 120 pages. Illustrated throughout with photos of the products English. 295 x 210mm. 5.5kg. . Very good; light shelf wear to issues but generally in clean and crisp condition, without annotations; more wear to Spring 1969 issue with cover detached from top staple and pulling from lower and some creasing.