An oak side chair, part of the original furnishings of 'Pholiota', Heidelberg, designed by Walter Burley Griffin, circa 1918

The side chair presented here was acquired by the aunt of the present owner in the 1950s as part of the contents of the home, 'Pholiota', the personal home of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, in Heidelberg, Victoria. One of the most influential design collaborations in Australian twentieth century architectural history, the chair is significant not only as a part of the couple's personal collection, but also that it bears the hallmarks of one their best known commissions, the interiors of Newman College, University of Melbourne.

'Pholiota' was also a landmark design in the Griffin's body of work. Constructed in 1922 on a site at 23 Glenard Drive, Heidelberg, the house was built from an affordable and easily assembled material known as 'Knitlock' bricks, and it was used as a model for affordable and efficient home construction.

The chair was acquired by an aunt of the present owner, who had been a tenant at 'Pholiota' in the 1950s and had been given the opportunity to purchase some of the contents of the property. Ownership passed to the current owner by descent from his late mother in 1995.