The furniture, like everything else on board, had to be fit for purpose and well designed. Designs were selected from existing ranges by both Heals and Conran and signature designs by Ernest Race and Timothy Rendle (among others) were used to dramatic effect. Rendles's bucket-like tub chair and settees moulded in grp, with bright removable covers, made the Meridian Room, whilst Race's Tripos chair and footstool were a prominent feature of the First Class enclosed decks and Games deck. The design of the Tripos was the result of extensive research to find materials that would best stand up to sea spray, sun and climatic changes. The resulting main frames were fused from steel tubing and the upholstery was Aeropreen polyether foam, which was both flame retardent and resistant to varying climatic conditions.
The Neptune deck chair designed by Race in 1953 and Harry Bertoia's 1950 classic "Bertoia" chair were also to be found on CANBERRA. (Click on any image to view a slideshow)
