If John Fowler was - in the words of the late Duchess of Devonshire - the Prince of Decorators, and Nancy Lancaster undoubted doyenne of English country house style, Imogen Taylor was their crown princess. She joined Colefax and Fowler in 1949 and was for many years John Fowler's trusted assistant. John - and Nancy - had total faith in Imogen's 'perfect taste', and when John retired in 1971 he passed on to her all his clients - who ranged from HM The Queen, through duchesses and film stars, to ladies of the night. From this ...
Read More
If John Fowler was - in the words of the late Duchess of Devonshire - the Prince of Decorators, and Nancy Lancaster undoubted doyenne of English country house style, Imogen Taylor was their crown princess. She joined Colefax and Fowler in 1949 and was for many years John Fowler's trusted assistant. John - and Nancy - had total faith in Imogen's 'perfect taste', and when John retired in 1971 he passed on to her all his clients - who ranged from HM The Queen, through duchesses and film stars, to ladies of the night. From this time until she retired in 1999 she was, along with Tom Parr, the firm's principal decorator. Over the years she extended the clientele she had inherited from John and developed her own subtle, comfortable and charming version of English country house style. In this unique combination of social history and style bible, Imogen Taylor brings a sharp eye and ready wit not only to decorating style but also to the social history of the latter part of the twentieth century. Here you will learn about how fabric walling was done, how the famous 'twelve different whites' were applied, how to oil gild, how the passementerie was made for Buckingham Palace and Windsor, about Bessarabian carpets and trompe l'oeil painting and Nancy Lancaster's broderie anglaise lamp shades, 'like a child's skirt or a ball dress'. You will also find the Duchess of Windsor dismissing the Duke ('David, you're not needed - go and buy some brushes or something'), Dolly Rothschild's iron bed ('like a school or hospital bedstead'), Harry Hyams' reluctance to sign cheques ('It's like spilling my own blood!'), John Fowler in a tantrum yelling at the Duchess of Cornwall (she was a girl assistant at the time, not a client), Imogen being summoned to Howletts because 'a young Siberian tiger, who had been in bed with Aspinall and his wife, had ripped down the silk hangings on the inside of their canopy bed.'
Read Less
Add this copy of On the Fringe a Life in Decorating 50 Years at Colefax to cart. $51.43, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Pimpernel Press Ltd.
Add this copy of On the Fringe: A Life in Decorating to cart. $57.84, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2016 by Pimpernel Press Ltd.
Add this copy of On the Fringe: a Life in Decorating to cart. $66.83, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2016 by Pimpernel Pr.
Add this copy of On the Fringe: a Life in Decorating to cart. $117.95, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2016 by Pimpernel Press Ltd.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. A unique combination of social history and style bible Num Pages: 224 pages, 150 colour and black and white illustrations. BIC Classification: AMR; BM. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 241 x 297 x 27. Weight in Grams: 1472. 2016. 1st. Hardcover.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of On the Fringe a Life in Decorating to cart. $2,470.00, new condition, Sold by BWS Bks rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ferndale, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Pimpernel Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. 1910258776. *** FREE UPGRADE to Courier/Priority Shipping Upon Request ***-*** IN STOCK AND IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT-Flawless copy, brand new, pristine, never opened – with a bonus offer--