When he first arrived at Trent, Rob Tuckerman '73 was immediately at home with the buildings and furniture designed by Ron Thom and his team of young architects. Today, Rob is helping to keep Ron Thom's legacy alive by manufacturing furniture inspired by the original designs for Trent.

 

"The 1960s were a time of incredible creative energy in the arts," says Rob. "It was the golden age of design and Canada was a design leader. Canada's west coast modernists, like Ron Thom, Arthur Erickson and Fred Hollingsworth, were creating some of the most interesting architecture in the world. Ron Thom's architecture and design is what drew me to Trent's campus."

In 2010, Rob started Blue Gum Design, along with Kieran Andrews, who is a co-owner of Wild Rock Outfitters in Peterborough. The business makes furniture based on Trent's original designs that abounded at Trent in the 60s and 70s. "We are recreating lost pieces of Canadian history," says Rob. "We're building furniture that stands the test of time, that celebrates and preserves some of Canada's design heritage, and that tells the story of Trent's unique design history." In creating his designs, Rob studies some of the few surviving vintage pieces of Trent furniture that he has managed to find, as well as original design drafts for the university decor.

"The breadth and depth of the original furniture collection was amazing," says Rob. "For example, there were 19 original couch, chair and bench designs and 24 different table designs in just the very first furniture order for the downtown colleges in May, 1964. Hundreds of new unique designs followed as the university continued to grow over the next few years. Thom and his team designed Trent's rooms with a purpose, and the furniture was designed to help each room fill its purpose. Everything was spec'd, right down to the ashtrays."

 

While the furniture has been inspired by Trent original designs and the ideals of the time, Rob has updated the products with modern materials and construction techniques. The pieces are built to last for years, produced from high-quality and environmentally "We sat on it, we slept on it, we ate on it...".

"Currently the pieces are handmade," says Rob, "but we are working towards small batch production with local and
regional manufacturers. I like to think that we are producing the furniture in a way that Ron Thom would have intended." Beyond Trent's architecture and ideals, Rob credits his experience at Trent with helping to inform his approach to business.

"At Trent, you are encouraged to be independent-to design your own projects, do your own research-skills that you need to succeed as an entrepreneur," says Rob. "Trent's interdisciplinary model teaches you to communicate and work with people from different backgrounds. In business, you have to be able to talk to people, to bring designers, suppliers, and local manufacturers together." For Rob Tuckerman, manufacturing Trent-inspired furniture is more than just a business. In recreating the original designs, he is like a historian seeking to bring history alive by telling a
story from the perspective of the object. "This furniture is part of our history-we sat on it, slept on it, ate on it," says Rob. "Our furniture makes people remember the spirit of the place, and the time. Tom Symons had a unique vision
for Trent University, and he found the right person, in Ron Thom, to bring it to life. We need to remind ourselves of that vision before it disappears altogether."

 

The Champlain Chair Anniversary Limited Edition Blue Gum Design, together with Alumni Affairs, is making available two limited edition furniture designs-the Champlain and Rubidge chairs- to raise money for the 50th Anniversary Design Heritage Fund at Trent University, which will help preserve, renew and celebrate Trent's original furniture
and interiors. 102 of each chair will be crafted in recognition of the number of students registered in Trent's first class in 1964. Each of these limited-edition artisan chairs will be numbered and embossed with the Trent University crest. Easy to care for, these comfortable, practical and luxurious chairs will last for generations.

The chairs are priced at $800 each and this includes a tax receipt for $200, which will be issued by Trent University to the purchaser (this represents the donation portion beyond the "fair market value" of the chairs). The funds raised through this initiative will go towards the 50th Anniversary Design Heritage Fund.

For full details, photos, and to place your order visit www.trentfurniture.ca.