Lucian Ercolani
Lucian R Ercolani, or the "Old Man" as he is affectionately know within ercol, founded the company in 1920. Born in Italy in 1888, Ercolani and his family moved to London in the 1890s. There he went to night school at the Shoreditch Technical Institute where he studied drawing, design and the theory and construction of furniture. In 1907 he made his first piece of furniture - a musical cabinet, inlaid with mother of pearl.
Between 1910 to 1920, Ercolani worked on the design teams for what would later become Parker Knoll and G-Plan, before founding ercol in 1920. He designed the company's products for many years. The Windsor range remains one of the most popular ranges over half a century after it was first launched in its original form. Ercolani's classic designs were re-introduced over the past several years and now comprise the ercol Originals furniture collection.