Sir Terence Conran (1931 – 2020), British Interior Designer

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Sir Terence Conran (1931 – 2020) was a British Interior Decorator, Designer and Entrepreneur. He was born in Esher Surrey and was professionally active in London.

Education

From cl950, he worked for Rayon Centre, London, and, 1951— 52, as an interior designer for Dennis Lennon; designed 1955 ‘The Orrery’ coffee-bar, London in the late 1950s, as a freelance designer. In 1956, John Stephenson founded the Conran Design Group. He was best known for his Habitat stores, the first of which was opened at 77 Fulham Road, London, in 1964, selling low-priced furniture and furnishings in a Modern style. 

Conran acquired Mothercare in 1982 and Heal’s furniture store in 1983. In 1986, British Home Stores was added to these holdings to form the Storehouse Group, which had 1,000 retail outlets. In 1990, Terence Conran retired from its activities. In 1992, he bought back The Conran Shop; opened several restaurants, including Neal Street Café and Bibendum. He published The House Book, a best-selling guide to home design. As an architect, he designed a hotel, Butlers Wharf, in the late 1980s. 

Between 1982—86, the Conran Foundation funded the Boilerhouse Project, which showed and promoted good design in a basement space in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; in 1989, supported the establishment of the Design Museum, Butler’s Wharf, London, first directed by Stephen Bayley. In the late 1980s, Conran acquired the Michelin building, London, from which he managed his activities.

Style

Sir Terence possessed the simple belief that good design improves the quality of peoples lives. His style was considered sleek, minimalist and sophisticated. Sir Terence enjoyed a remarkable life to the full and always maintained that his work never felt like a job – everything he did for business he would have done for pleasure.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

Statement from sir Terence Conran’s family. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://designmuseum.org/asset/download?id=44c91c6d-2b49-4f1d-b917-11e80a8264c5

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