Geoffrey Bennison Master Decorator by Gillian Newberry and Sir John Richardson

Details

Description

Geoffrey Bennison Master Decorator by Gillian Newberry and Sir John Richardson hardcover book.Extremely rare, limited edition, collectible out of print.The … Read more Geoffrey Bennison Master Decorator by Gillian Newberry and Sir John Richardson hardcover book.Extremely rare, limited edition, collectible out of print.The first monograph on the work of renowned twentieth-century British decorator and antiques dealer Geoffrey Bennison. Geoffrey Bennison (1921–1984) ranks among England’s most influential designers, defying conventional notions of style to conjure up magnificent settings for discerning clients who loved his theatrical and romantic sensibility. The master of the layered look, he used antique textiles with his own fabrics to achieve a complex mix of scale, pattern, and color in inventive shades such as his evocative Red Riding Hood Red and Prussian Blue. His talent for combining eclectic objects, his unerring eye, and his deep knowledge of antiques earned him a reputation for sophisticated originality equaled by very few. Even today, leading designers turn to Bennison for inspiration. This lavish volume opens with an illuminating text about Bennison’s fascinating history—from his early days at the Slade School of Art and his work as an antiques dealer in London during the swinging sixties to his later career as an interior designer. All of Bennison’s interiors are showcased, from magnificent country estates and retreats to elegantly appointed apartments and townhouses filled with priceless French and English furniture and curiosities, making this book a must-have for design lovers.
Master decorator extraordinaire Geoffrey Bennison is considered a legend in the art of interior decoration and design, with contemporary designers often turning to his oeuvre for inspiration. This book is a first of its kind chronicling Bennison’s life and times, from his early days as an antiques dealer in London through to his later years as an acclaimed interior designer. From lavish country estates and magnificent retreats to tastefully executed apartments and townhouses, Bennison’s interiors were a showcase of his design sensibilities that combined his knowledge of English and French furniture, his eclectic mix of curiosities, and a unique sense of scale, pattern, color, and fabric texture together with his discerning taste in antiques and a flair for the dramatic.
About The Author
Gillian Newberry worked at British Vogue, David Bailey’s photographic studio, and the Royal College of Art’s fashion school prior to assisting Bennison at his antiques shop and with the production of his fabrics. After Bennison’s death, Newberry and her husband founded Bennison Fabrics in 1985. Sir John Richardson is an eminent art historian and Picasso biographer.
* * Publish Date: March 17, 2015
* Format: Hardcover
* Category: House & Home - Decorating & Furnishings
* Publisher: Rizzoli
* Trim Size: 9 x 12
* Pages: 208Master decorator extraordinaire Geoffrey Bennison is considered a legend in the art of interior decoration and design, with contemporary designers often turning to his oeuvre for inspiration. This book is a first of its kind chronicling Bennison’s life and times, from his early days as an antiques dealer in London through to his later years as an acclaimed interior designer. From lavish country estates and magnificent retreats to tastefully executed apartments and townhouses, Bennison’s interiors were a showcase of his design sensibilities that combined his knowledge of English and French furniture, his eclectic mix of curiosities, and a unique sense of scale, pattern, color, and fabric texture together with his discerning taste in antiques and a flair for the dramatic.Rewiews:The book is packed with photographs of the homes, rich with pattern and texture, that Bennison crafted for European stars and socialities: a French Country house for Baron David de Rothschild, a London bachelor pad for actor Terrence Stamp, a Chelsea home turned into a floral fantasia for the Duchess of Beaufort.Geoffrey Bennison was and remains one of the most influential English designers you’ve never heard of. That is, unless you work in the esteemed design studio of Michael S. Smith, who launched his design career several decades ago with his own super-polished and deftly designed rooms that paid elegant homage to the tea-dyed, faded country gentry look that Bennison first perfected. . . . Geoffrey Bennison: Master Decorator, by Gillian Newberry, with a foreword by Sir John Richardson (Rizzoli) is the most beautiful tribute to genius Bennison. It’s luscious with images and ideas. It’s a feast of fabrics and softly faded tones, and highly understated designs See less