Douglas Snelling

Douglas B. Snelling(1917–1985) was an English-born graphic artist, furniture designer and registered architect, practicing in Sydney, Australia from 1944-1975. He was nationally renowned for his modernist furniture named “The Snelling Line” produced by Functional Products Pty Ltd. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, Snelling became a qualified architect in 1951, practicing in ranged from entertainment and retail interiors to master plans for tourist resorts in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji, however, the majority his projects were residential, spread across the area of greater Sydney.^[1][2]

Personal Life

Born in the year 1916 in Kent, England Douglas Snelling an architect and furniture designer studied architecture graphic art and industrial design in the United States. After spending a part of his youth in New Zealand with his family he decided to travel to the States to experience a brief period at Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural school at Taliesian West, outside of Phoenix Arizona.^[3] His experience had heavily influenced his later works in Australia. Layered and overhanging cantilevered roofs, giant private courtyards, stone fireplaces and meshing structure and land together are just some of these examples. In New South Wales and Western AustraliaSnelling, along with Peter Muller became recognised for portraying the Wrightian approach in their work. Snelling was a frequent traveller and his first visit to the U.S was in Los Angeles in 1938.

He later worked for Douglas Hannold from 1947 to 1948, a Californian modernist architect at his Beverly Hills office and then went on to designing furniture for the US Navy Clubs in Australia during part of World War II.^[4] This lead him to creating unique chair designs which used even more peculiar methods of designs such as using parachute webbing.

Snelling was thought of as a colourful and dashing figure. Being a gifted architect he was known for designing some of Sydney’s largest post-war modern houses. The planning, form and landscaping of these houses resembled a lot to the contemporary domestic architecture of Richard Neutra and Gordon Drake, both popular architects based in Los Angeles. As well as that, the houses also resembled to those involved in the Arts&Architecture case study House Program. ^[5]

1951 was the year when Douglas Snelling registered with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (NSW). 25 years later Snelling moved to Hawaii.^[6]

Furniture Design

After the War he designed a range of modernist furniture, manufactured by Functional Products Pty Ltd, a company, which was formed in 1947 by Douglas Snelling, Terry Palmerston, Douglas Davidson and Robert Shaw. Snelling designed the Functional Products factory that was built in St Peters, Sydney, in 1947. The furniture was marketed as the Snelling Line and the Snelling Module. Snelling, Davidson and Shaw left Functional Products in the mid-1950s when it became a public company.^[7]

Douglas Snelling was well known for his furniture design. His distinctive chairs were influenced by the lack of materials after World War II and his time spent designing furniture for the U.S. Navy Clubs in Australia.^[8] The chair frames were made from Australian hardwood with webbing backs and seats. Snelling claimed these were more comfortable then stuffed upholstery.^[9] The webbing was specially made by a manufacturer who had previously produced only webbing for parachutes and soldiers uniforms. After seeing them, a furniture manufacturer of a large Sydney store gave Snelling an order of 2000 pounds worth. This led Snelling to join forces with manufacturers in 1947, opening a factory to create the chairs in quantity and eventually the Snelling Line.^[10]

Notable Architectural Projects

Palmerston House In 1951 the Palmerston family needed a new house and Snelling was theobvious choice for architect after working closely with Terry Palmerston at Functional Products.

“	This house is constructed of simple materials – wood, rock and glass on waterproofed concrete slabs, providing economy and flexibility on a small suburban lot with no view … Wide eaves overhang to the North and East effectively control sun penetration, whilst roof extension to the South West provides shelter at the entrance and covered carport …bedrooms area lit by South light through clerestory windows and rooms have ample cross ventilation. Storage units back to back separate the bedrooms and make excellent noise insulators … Built-in storage cabinets in natural wood continue from kitchen out to dining areas, linking these two units, yet screening kitchen operations. All woodwork in kitchen is natural wood, and cooking takes place 3ft. 6ins. off floor.	”
—Australian House and Garden, Small House for a Mid-Suburban Lot

^[7]

Mueller House & Sir Theo Kelly House A group of houses located at 24a & 24b Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill, Sydney, NSW. Designed in modernist styling, its form consists of rectangular room, cantilevered flat roofs, full height glazed walls, overlapping wall planes and stonework.^[11]

Constructed on an acre site with gentle north-facing slope, The Sir Theo Kelly House, at its time of construction, was the largest new residence built in Sydney since World War II - it is now barely visible to the public. It is a horizontal design of three stepped interlocking wings, the ground floor consists of open living, formal dining and lounge room, as well as a small master bedroom fronting its own terrace. Floating above the lounge exists a study and sundeck wrapping a central fireplace.^[11]

Architectural Projects

Sydney & NSW^[2]

• Bellevue Hill, 4 Sheldon Place (For Mr D Cohen) August 1968
• Castle Cove53 Headland Road (Mr & Mrs Hesky) April 1969
• Glebe, 431 Glebe Point Rd (Max Factor & Co) November 1967
• Narooma, Lot 13 Lakeview Drive (Mr & Mrs Walker Smith) February 1970
• Vauclause, 22 Vauclause Rd (Sir Theo Kelly House) December 1965
• Vauclause, 22 The Crescent (Mr & Mrs Pelly) June 1970
• Vauclause, 15 Boambillee Avenue (Mr & Mrs Herman) July 1970
• Vauclause, 23 Conway Avenue (Mr & Mrs P Smith) December 1971

Fiji^[2]

• Nadi, Queens Rd (General Investments Corporation) March 1972

New Caledonia^[2]

• Nouméa, Bettina Arcade, corner Rue Du Docteur Guegan and Avenue De La Victoire (J Nawa & D Kutner)
• Nouméa, Mont Mou (Mr J Nawa) June 1968
• Nouméa, Lot 232 S Rue Michelet (Mr L Nawa) June 1969

New Hebrides^[2]

• Port Vila, Erakor Lagoon Vila (Mr & Mrs Pierre Bourgeois) May 1970

Awards

1997 saw the completion of Tzannes Associates conservation and addition to the Snelling House (Northbridge, 1947). The Firm upheld the original design with additions in new materials and technology. These Additions won the 1997 RAIA Robin Boyd Award.

Small changes such as a self-contained living area behind an original stone wall and enlargements to a terrace above^[12] were made during the conservation and addition process.

The materiality of the house consisted of local sandstone, timber, steel and glass. These materials were chosen to respond to the bush surroundings and slope of the site.^[13] The following four decades saw the house deteriorate as a result of neglect and alterations which did not respect the original stylings of the house.

Snelling originally built the House for his family, however he sold the house after it’s completion, after which it suffered neglect and unsympathetic alterations.^[14]

Douglas Snelling Sydney Opera House letter

Douglas Snelling wrote a strongly opinionated letter against the Sydney Opera House stating "The Sydney Opera house is largely only famous abroad for its fantastic cost in relation to our national product."^[15] It is presumed to have been written in late march, 1966, to the Sydney Morning Herald.^[16] The letter suggests that he disapproved of Jorn Utzon's design of the Sydney Opera House which in his opinion refuted a conventional reading of functionalism.

He goes on to point out the flaws of the project and its disregard for the “first principle in architectural design: ‘form follows function.’ ” .^[17] A term coined by Louis Sullivan. In the letter he continues to deliver his opinions with statements such as: "Many world famous Architects who have taken time to study the plans in detail see the building as sculpture with an Opera House stuffed inside it. As such, this puts the building in the class of theatrical trickery and nonsense."^[18] And: "The amount of seating has been drastically reduced; the traffic flow is poor; the car parking and access were hardly considered and the acoustic design remains to be resolved."^[19]

The letter was sourced from the archives of DresAbe and Olga Assef, clients and friends of Douglas Snelling's in 1964.^[20]

References

1. ^ Bogle, Michael (2002). Designing Australia : readings in the history of design. Annandale, N.S.W.: Pluto Press. pp. 157–160. ISBN 1864031735. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Collection Record Details of Douglas B. Snelling". State Library of New South Wales. http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=395089. Retrieved 6 April 2011. 
3. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia. Carlton, Victoria, Australia: Melbourne University Publishing Ltd. pp. 531. 
4. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia. Carlton, Victoria, Australia: Melbourne University Publishing LTD. pp. 531. 
5. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia. Carlton, Victoria, Australia: Melbourne University Publishing Ltd. pp. 531. 
6. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia. Carlton, Victoria, Australia: Melbourne University Publishing Ltd. pp. 531. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "North Shore Houses". State Library of New South Wales. http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/people_places/north/architects/docs/north_shore_houses.pdf. Retrieved 14 April 2011. 
8. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism and Australia:Documents on art, design and architecture. Melbourne: Ligare. pp. 531. 
9. ^ Readers Digest Services (1974). Australia’s Yesterday A look at Our Recent Past. The Griffin Press. pp. 94–95. 
10. ^ Readers Digest Services (1974). Australia’s Yesterday A look at Our Recent Past. The Griffin Press. pp. 94–95. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Jahn, Graham (1997). Sydney Architecture. Sydney, Australia: The Watermark Press. ISBN 0949284327. 
12. ^ "AA - Robin Boyd Award for Housing - November/December 1997 Architecture Australia". http://www.architecturemedia.com/aa/aaissue.php?article=8&issueid=199711&typeon=2. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
13. ^ "AA - Robin Boyd Award for Housing - November/December 1997". http://www.architecturemedia.com/aa/aaissue.php?article=8&issueid=199711&typeon=2. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
14. ^ "AA - Robin Boyd Award for Housing - November/December 1997". Architecture Australia. http://www.architecturemedia.com/aa/aaissue.php?article=8&issueid=199711&typeon=2. Retrieved 6 April 2011. 
15. ^ Stephen, Anna (2006). Modernism and Australia: documents on art, design and architecture 1917-1967. carlton, victoria, australia: the miegunyah press. pp. 964. 
16. ^ Stephen, Anna (2006). Modernism & Australia: documents on art, design and architecture 1917-1967. carlton, victoria, australia: the miegunyah press. pp. 954. 
17. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia: documents on art, design and architecture 1917-1967. carlton, victoria, australia: The miegunyah press. pp. 965. 
18. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia: documents on art, design and architecture 1917-1967. carlton, victoria, australia: the miegunyah press. pp. 964. 
19. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). Modernism & Australia: documents on art, design and architecture 1917-1967. carlton, victoria, australia: the miegunyah press. pp. 965. 
20. ^ Stephen, Ann (2006). . Modernism & Australia: documents on art, design and architecture 1917-1967. carlton, victoria, australia: the miegunyah press. pp. 954.