Title: Colefax & Fowler: The Best in English Interior Decoration
Author: Chester Jones
Publisher: Bulfinch Press, 1989
Text by Chester Jones; 224 pages, 200 color illustrations
From John Beresford Fowler’s modest beginnings in the 1930s, to the international renown of the Colefax and Fowler decorating firm in the 1950s and 60s, this volume provides abundant visual and textual documentation explaining how the firm came to exemplify and popularize the English country aesthetic worldwide. Today, Colefax and Fowler is widely regarded as the epitome of this style, characterized by the careful balance of elegance and comfort, distinguished by superior materials and craftsmanship, and firm historical roots in the 18th century. Authored by Chester Jones, the managing director of Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, Ltd., provides an especially astute discussion of Fowler’s rise to prominence, his partnerships with Nancy Lancaster and Sibyl Colefax, and his eventual interest in the restoration of National Trust houses. From Buckingham Palace to Chelsea apartments and Blenheim country homes, the timelessness of the Colefax and Fowler aesthetic is presented to the reader not only in the spirit of inspiration, but also as a reference point for the successful incorporation of this endearing style into her own interior spaces.
