Deric (Frederick) Deane (d.1960)
Although Deane is best recalled as a decorator, he was a registered architect in NSW. The RAIA records note that he worked as an interior designer from the 1920s when his practice was located at 107 Pitt Street.
In the 1930s, he opened a shop in Rowe Street, a location later favoured by Marion Hall Best and other artists and designers, then moved to 155 King Street, Sydney. He was joined at this location by Don Hall and they practiced as Deane & Hall. In 1954, the practice moved to 173 New South Head Road, Edgecliff, then to Knox Street, Double Bay in the late 1960s. The Edgecliff suburb was favoured by a number of designers including Mary White, Décor Associates (Tom Harding and David Lorimer), Merle Du Boulay and others.
Deane also maintained workshops in various locations where he had furniture and fittings made to his designs (see the SIDA-commissioned interview with Malcolm Forbes). Like Reg Riddell in Toorak, he had a wide range of domestic clients drawn from the social pages including the Fairfax family (newspapers), the Albert family (sheet music) and others. His commercial works include the Australian Club, the Union Club and the Macquarie Club.
On Deane’s death, a Board of Directors including his wife, Mrs Deane, assumed his practice. The SIDA-commissioned interview with designer Malcolm Forbes discusses the Deane practice from 1957 when Forbes became an employee at their Edgecliff premises.
Deane also employed other soon-to-be prominent designers such as Merle du Boulay and Tom Gillies (Gillies also discusses the Deane practice in his interview). The NSW Australian Institute of Architects holds biographical files on Deane.
- Writers:
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- Date written:
- 2018
- Last updated:
- 2018
