What compelled you to become an interior decorator? 
An early fascination through magazines and TV programmes in the 1960’s where I was captivated by interiors and furniture, plus following a period studying architecture I realised I could combine architecture and decoration as a future career.

Who or what is your biggest design inspiration?
Travel.

What does the Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler look mean to you?
Effortlessness.

What element of past Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler design would you like to see revived for the modern day?
Designing with a sense of place. It is so important to recognise that the location of a project has to drive the design.

What are some of your favourite pieces from the auction, and which Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler design would you pair them with?
This fabric is called Fleurette, the design is ambiguous, it could be Regency, or Art Deco or even African in its mud cloth colourway chosen here.

I like the fact that it makes you ponder its origin, and its ambiguity ties this eclectic group of things together. Like paint on a well prepared canvas. I like the juxtaposition of the pieces against each other and I can invent a narrative around their connections, they are a corner of a room where the owner picked things up on their travels, the Kashmiri table, the Cornish serpentine ware, the Gothic mirror and chairs from a trip to Paris, souvenirs and memories connected by the love of collecting.

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Thursday 20 February, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

VIEWING:

• Viewing in Newbury: Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
  • Friday 14 February: 10am-4pm
  • Sunday 16 February: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 17 February: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 18 February: 9am-4pm
  • Wednesday 19 February: 10am-4pm
  • Thursday 20 February: 9am-4pm
• Dreweatts Remote Viewing Service | Available from Friday 14 February