Interior Inspirations: Roger Banks-Pye, Colefax and Fowler

From Booklist
In a manner quite common to the British but rather peculiar to those living outside the U.K., the late interior designer Banks-Pye of the well-respected Colefax and Fowler firm speaks of his ideas and his artistry in the third person. After a bit, this oddity no longer matters, because readers will become mesmerized by both the content and the elegant visuals provided by photographer James Merrell. Instead of guiding design via layouts, arrangement, and separate rooms, he states his philosophies, then elucidates, illuminates, and expands. Many of his ideas are irreverent, like the use of once-common checked fabrics in stately living rooms. Others are borrowed from couturiers, such as the use of buttons to join fabrics in window coverings. And throughout, there are many equally dramatic statements, for instance, "A good chair should look as if it could spring at you or take you in its arms." Valuable and charming lessons in design education and in life: break the rules, borrow from the best offered by other businesses, and have fun--don't simply fill up space. Barbara Jacobs


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This inspirational and invaluable book structures the designer's thoughts, extracting the way he thinks about all the fundamental elements of designing interiors - from the basic structure and working with pattern and color to furnishings, display, and lighting. With the help of hundreds of color photographs that give glimpses into some of the world's most exclusive interiors, it delves behind many brilliant schemes to give a breakdown of Roger's unique and often irreverent approach to solving particular problems of space.


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