Tulip coffee table Stars series by Arkana

Maurice Bourque was born on November 21, 1921, in Springside, Canada. From a Franco-Canadian family, he was the only surviving child of five. The family business went bankrupt during the Depression of the 1930s, and they moved to Montreal. When Canada joined the war against Germany in 1939, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and departed for Great Britain. After the war, in 1963, the Burke family settled in Surrey, England, while Maurice chose a location in Falkirk, Scotland and began his new jobs for the Arkana company. There he completed the design and engineering of the company's first product range, the 'Mushroom' series, patenting it that same year. Its cutting-edge materials and an internal return spring system made it a highly successful series. In addition, the thicker base and integrated carrying handles made it aesthetically and ergonomically unique. By 1964, the production of “Mushroom” was in full swing. But problems arose with the Falkirk facilities. The old Arkana factory was not suitable for modern manufacturing, particularly for the injection molding system of Mushroom furniture. In 1968 it was acquired and merged by the Christie Tyler group, which created Arkana Limited, moving to the BCM plant in Bath, England. Maurice left the management of the company in the hands of the new owners, focusing on the design and licensing management of his newly founded Abbeyville Design Partners, led by designer Ron Kleeny. Inspired by the potential of molded plastic that had given rise to 'Mushroom', Abbeyville focused mainly on plastic furniture.