1978 Northern Telecom Diplomat Cafe Phone New in Box.

As Received August 30th 2025
From the private collection of BNR Industrial Designer Cliff Read .

Overview
Manufacturer: Northern Telecom (formerly Northern Electric)
Model: Diplomat
Year Introduced: 1978
Series: Imagination decorative home telephones

Design & Construction
Decorative desk-set café-style telephone with European-inspired design
Styled to complement kitchens, cafés, and modern 1970s interiors
Manufactured at Northern Telecom’s London, Ontario plant
Produced during Northern Telecom’s transition from mechanical ringers to electronic warblers

Dial Types
Commonly fitted with a rotary dial
Some versions produced with Digitone (push-button) dialing
Accessories & Presentation
Marketed as a stylish decorative desk telephone rather than a wall or portable unit
Sold as a complete decorative housing rather than modular components

Original Colours (1978)
Brown
Tan
Avocado / green tones (varied by market and distributor)

Distribution
Distributed in the United States through Northern Telecom’s Nashville headquarters
Also sold via third-party distributors, including TeleConcepts

Historical Context
Released during the early period when subscribers were first permitted to own decorative telephone housings
Represents Northern Telecom’s continued expansion into the consumer decorative telephone market
Part of the 1977–1978 Imagination series, which also included:
Doodle: https://www.oldtelephoneroom.ca/1977-doodle/
Alexander Graham Plane: https://www.oldtelephoneroom.ca/category/agp/