Cecil Beaton (1904 – 1980) was a British Photographer, interior designer and stage designer.
The house he occupied until 1945 at Ashcombe, Wiltshire, near friend Edith Olivier was decorated with limited funds using exaggerated baroque furniture. The walls of the ‘Circus Bedroom’ were painted by visiting artist friends, including Rex Whistler and Oliver Messel, in a kind of Surrealistic overstatement.
He published The Book of Beauty (1930) and memoirs in a Scrapbook (1937); during the 1930s, he worked for Conde Naste, publishers of Vogue and Vanity Fair.
During World War 2, he was a war photographer for the British Ministry of Information, working in Africa and India.
In his later years, Beaton rented for a short time each year a suite at the St Regis Hotel, New York, which he decorated, and Vogue published the results. He designed the sets and costumes for Gigi (19159) and My Fair lady (1965), winning academy awards. Active as a set designer, he was assisted from the late 1940s by Martin Battersby and others.
Recognition
Appointed a Commander of the British Empire in 1957, Received the Légion d’Honneur in 1960.
Sample of works
More Interior Designers
Syrie Maugham: A Visionary in White
Syrie Maugham, born Gwendoline Maude Syrie Barnardo, revolutionized interior design with her unique white aesthetic and furniture techniques, leaving a…
Keep reading
Adam Green: A Vintage Palette
The Adam brothers’ neoclassical creation, Adam Green, remains timeless, bridging antique elegance with contemporary design, enhancing wood tones, and offering…
Keep reading
Hans Dreier: Master of Set Design and Visual Storytelling
Hans Dreier, a pioneering Hollywood designer, fused architecture and cinema, influencing films like “Sunset Boulevard” and “This Gun for Hire”…
Keep reading
Elsie de Wolfe the First Interior Designer
Elsie de Wolfe, an American interior designer, revolutionized interior design in the Victorian era, emphasizing elegance, simplicity, and functionality. Her…
Keep reading
Dominique: Pioneers of French Art Deco Interior Design
In 1928, Paris witnessed the birth of Dominique, a pioneering Art Deco interior design firm, renowned for its innovative use…
Keep reading
María Gabriela Brito: Blending Art, Design, and Entrepreneurship
Maria Gabriela Brito, a former attorney, has become a prominent figure in art and design, curating, advising, and writing. Her…
Keep reading
Cliff Fong: Blending Fashion and Interior Design
Cliff Fong, an eclectic design mogul, blends historical art perspectives, fashion insights, and interior design elements to create aesthetic and…
Keep reading
The Journey of Alexis Mabille: Haute Couture to Interior Design
Renowned fashion designer Alexis Mabille extends his creative vision to interior design, emphasizing personalized spaces and French craftsmanship, blurring the…
Keep reading
Exploring the Influence of Pierre Chareau: Architect Designer
Pierre Chareau was a crucial figure in the French avant-garde movement, best known for his Maison de Verre design. He…
Keep reading
Julie Wimmer: A Portrait of Multifaceted Design Excellence
Julie Wimmer is a renowned, multilingual interior designer with over 15 years of experience. Her repertoire, informed by her global…
Keep reading
Andrée Putnam (1925 – 2013), French Interior Designer
Andrée Putman was a French interior designer, furniture designer, and entrepreneur. She was born in Paris. Putman was probably best…
Keep reading
Eva Jiricna: Architectural Innovations and Collaborations
Eva Jiricna, a prominent architect, started her career in Prague and later established her practice, collaborating with notable figures and…
Keep reading
Henry Van de Velde: A Pioneering Architect and Designer
Henry van de Velde was a Belgian architect, industrial designer, painter and art critic. He worked in Belgium, Germany and…
Keep reading
Sonia Delaunay (1885 – 1979) An Explorer of Colour
Sonia Delaunay-Terk, a pioneering artist, revolutionized color in art, fashion, and design. Her innovative use of vibrant hues continues to…
Keep reading
Perttu Mentula (b.1936) Finnish Architect & Interior Designers
Finnish architect and designer Perttu Mentula (b.1936) was influential across interior, exhibition, product, graphic, and furniture design. His career included…
Keep reading
Frechet Brothers French Decorators and Furniture Designers
Andre and Paul Frechet, French decorators and furniture designers born in Chalons-sur-Marne, were influential in Parisian design and taught at…
Keep reading
Robert Yorke Goodden (1909-2002) British Architect Designer
Robert Goodden, a prominent British architect and designer, greatly influenced modern British silver design. He also contributed to post-war design…
Keep reading
Cedric Gibbons (1893-1960) American film set designer
Cedric Gibbons (1893-1960) was an American film set designer who replaced painted backdrops with three-dimensional sets. He managed a staff…
Keep reading
Jean Perzel (1892 – 1986) Austrian Lighting Designer
He began painting on glass at a young age and worked as a stained glass artist in Munich. He worked…
Keep reading
Tony Selmersheim (1871 – 1971) French Architect and Decorator
Initially, he collaborated with architect Charles Plumet. Tony and Pierre Selmersheim worked together on furniture, furnishings, lighting, and the interior…
Keep reading
Max Ingrand (1908 – 1969) French Artist and Decorator
Max Ingrand (1908–1969), a renowned French artist and decorator, gained fame for his work in stained glass and studio glass,…
Keep reading
Pierre Patout (1879 – 1965) French Architect and Designer
Following the war, he collaborated with his friend Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a decorator. They worked together on designs for the International…
Keep reading
Nigel Coates (b.1949) English architect and designer
Nigel Coates, a UK architect, co-founded Branson Coates and founded NATO. His work melds architecture with street culture, impacting urban…
Keep reading
Armand-Albert Rateau – Art Deco High Style Designer
Armand-Albert Rateau (1882–1938) was a French furniture designer and interior decorator. His name and work became well known for his…
Keep reading
Claude Flight (1881 – 1955) British Artist and Decorator
Claude Flight, a British artist, revolutionized linocut printmaking, making art accessible to all. His influence on modern art and design…
Keep reading
George Sheringham (1884 – 1937) British Interior Designer
He was born in London and had a brother, Hugh, an Angling Editor of The Field. He attended the King’s…
Keep reading
Exploring the Life and Legacy of Shiro Kuramata (1934 – 1991)
Shiro Kuramata is a Japanese interior and furniture designer who has executed many interiors for Issey Miyake shops. His best-known…
Keep reading
Lilly Reich (1885 – 1947) – German Interior Designer
Lilly Reich (1885 – 1947), German designer, collaborated with Mies van der Rohe, joined Bauhaus, and exhibited internationally, leaving an…
Keep reading
René Gabriel (1890 – 1950) French Interior Designer
René Gabriel (1890 – 1950) was a French interior designer and entrepreneur known for his versatile craftsmanship and influential design…
Keep reading
Luciano Baldessari (1896 – 1982) Italian Designer
Luciano Baldessari was an Italian designer and architect who collaborated with Futurist artist Fortunato Depero and published the 1929 Luminator…
Keep reading
Friedl Dicker – Austrian Jewish Designer: A Creative Journey
Friedl Dicker (1899 – 1944) was an Austrian architect and furniture, interior, and textile designer. She was active with Franz…
Keep reading
A Glimpse of David Palterer an Israeli Designer
David Palterer is an Israeli designer born in Haifa. He is professionally active in Florence.
Keep reading
Ward Bennett (1917 – 2003) American Designer – Defined an Era
Ward Bennett (1917–2003) was a New York designer, sculptor, textile, jewellery, industrial, and interior designer. At the height of his…
Keep reading
Benedikt Bolza – Italian Nobleman, Architect, Interior Designer
Trained as an architect in London, he and a team of 120 transform centuries-old stone ruins into exquisite dwellings at…
Keep reading
John Fowler (1906 – 1977) British Interior Decorator
John Fowler was a British interior decorator known for his elegant and sophisticated style and worked on many high-profile projects,…
Keep reading
Eugenia Errazuriz (1860 – 1951) – Woman of Taste
Eugenia Errazuriz, a Chilean society hostess, left a profound influence on art and design. Known for advocating simplicity and elegance,…
Keep reading
Peter Murdoch (b.1940) British furniture, industrial designer
British designer Peter Murdoch, known for his innovative furniture designs, gained prominence with his unique paperboard chair and Spotty Child’s…
Keep reading
André Mare (1885 – 1932) French Furniture Designer
Mare André was a french painter, decorator and furniture designer. He studied painting, at the Academie Julian, Paris.
Keep reading
Laura Ashley (1926 – 1988) British Fabric and Fashion Designer
Laura Ashley was one of the first British designers to experiment with the concept of lifestyle marketing. Her romantic vision…
Keep reading
Vico Magistretti (1920 – 2006) Italian Architect/Designer
In 1920 Vico Magistretti was born in Milan, Italy. First recognition of his work came in 1948, at the 8th…
Keep reading
Arttu Brummer (1891 – 1951) Finnish designer
Arttu Brummer was a Finnish interior and glassware designer. Brummer set up his own interior design office in 1913.
Keep reading
Giovanni Battista Gianotti: A Maestro of Liberty and Art Deco
Giovanni Battista Gianotti, a visionary designer blending Art Deco and Liberty styles, left a global legacy in decorative arts until…
Keep reading
Pierre Guariche (1926 – 1995) French Interior Designer
Pierre Guariche, a versatile figure in 20th-century French design, left a lasting legacy spanning furniture, lighting, and architecture, epitomized by…
Keep reading
Narrative Architecture (Architectural Design Primer) 1st Edition, Kindle Edition
Many architects have used the word “narrative” to describe their work since the early 1980s. The enduring appeal of narrative…
Keep reading
Toshiyuki Kita (b.1942) Japanese Furniture and Interior Designer
He set up his own design office in Osaka in 1964; in 1969, he began designing furniture for Italian and…
Keep reading
Jacques Hitier (1917 – 1999) French Furniture Designer
He specialised in developing industrial furniture for public contexts like schools and government buildings after WWII. He exhibited his whole…
Keep reading
Francis Jourdain (1876 – 1958) – Painter, Interior Designer, Ceramicist
Francis Jourdain, a prominent Art Nouveau pioneer and furniture designer, challenged French design norms by advocating for simplicity and industrial…
Keep reading
Jean Adnet (1900 – 1995) French designer
Jean Adnet (1900-1995), a French designer, worked in Paris. In 1928, she directed the window-display department at Galeries Lafayette. Brother…
Keep reading
Hilton McConnico (1943 – 2018) American Interior and Furniture Designer
Hilton McConnico ( 1943 – 2018) was American furniture and interior designer. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He worked…
Keep reading
Rinaldo Petrini ( b. 1931) Italian Teacher and Designer
1954, LDV Polytechnic, Alessandria, United Arab Emirates, diploma in architecture. 1968 – Master of Science, University of Tennessee. Doctor es…
Keep readingYou may also be interested in
Lust, heartbreak and suggestive sculpture: was this art’s greatest love triangle? – Encyclopedia of Design
The sensual American graffitist Cy Twombly, who lived in Italy from the late 1950s until his death in 2011, lushly inscribed his epic canvases with love poetry – Shelley and Keats, Cavafy and Catullus. The work was like an abstract expressionist Valentine’s card. Cecil Beaton was a British Photographer, interior designer and stage designer.
Sibyl Colefax (1875 – 1950) British collector and interior designer – Encyclopedia of Design
At Onslow Square and Argyll House, she opened salons. Lady Oxford, Lady Asquith, Lady Cunard, and Lady Ottoline Morrell were her rivals as hostess. She continued to entertain on a small scale at her house, Lord North Street, London, after her husband Arthur Colefax died in 1936.Read More →