History

“The growth of FNV and our capabilities very much mirrors Australia’s development,” said director Gary Wilkan.
Wherever generations of your family have sat, we’ve probably had their bottoms on our seats. In the 1950’s we made kitchen settings because that was what people needed. In the 1960s we designed furniture for coffee shops and nightclubs at Kings Cross, in the 1970s we fitted out the first McDonald’s restaurant and developed the idea of fixed seating. We also worked on the concept for Pizza Hut, Sizzler and Black Stump Restaurants. When women started to go out for a drink, the breweries started to buy up old pubs and renovate them to make them more attractive to their new customer base. We were there, helping to transform old stinky pubs into more welcoming environments. As the standard of living rose, people went out more and more. In the 1980s we helped clubs transition to places that offered lounge and dining areas and entertainment auditoriums – bistros and gaming rooms were novel and popular.

At this point FNV also invested heavily in new rotational moulding technology that allowed us to develop unique solutions for mass seating. In the 1990’s we helped cafes and restaurants establish their own unique styles and in the noughties we moved into supply of seating solutions for educational institutions, hospitals and shopping centres.

We are currently working on new designs for retirement villages and nursing homes that will make sitting down and getting up easier for the elderly and infirm.