News

Principal Comments on Symposium on the Work of Oliver Messel at the V&A

Saturday’s (4 February 2012) symposium at the Victoria and Albert Museum was devoted to Oliver Messel and the amazing circle of Bright Young Things who dominated fashion and gossip in the 1930s and even more successfully in the 1930s. Close friends included Cecil Beaton, Evelyn Waugh, Stephen Tennant and the Sitwells. There was talent in plenty, and the money to fund wild and glamourous parties at great houses like Wilsford, Renishaw, Faringdon, which belonged to the eccentric Lord Berners, and Madresfield, famous for its identity as the role model for Brideshead.

Oliver held his own easily in this pool of genius. His creative talents included painting, stage and costume design, and ultimately interior decoration and his work still serves as inspiration to the present generation. Indeed the young man I sat next to was fifteen, a budding stage designer. There is no doubt that Oliver’s work in the theatre not only excelled but covered so many aspects of the productions staged, particularly in the post war years before he left for another architectural career in Barbados and Mustique.

Nephew Thomas Messel drew all this together with a masterly appreciation of his uncle’s work and I look forward to 19 March when the Inchbald will be privileged to welcome him to the Cavalry and Guards club where he will give the Inchbald Guest Evening Lecture, together with brilliant garden designer Anthony Paul. Inchbald alumni are welcome but be sure to reserve your seat with Kate at No.7 Eaton Gate.

Jacqueline Duncan, February 2012

Principal Reviews London College of Fashion MA Catwalk Show

On 2 February 2012, Jacqueline Duncan, Principal of the Inchbald School of Design, was privileged to be invited to the London College of Fashion MA Catwalk Show at the V&A Museum.

‘On arrival I once again admired Torrigiano’s brilliant terracotta bust of Henry VII, one of my favourite works of art, and we followed through into the Raphael Room where the show was to be held. The London College students are lucky to have access to such an impressive venue.

‘The collection was introduced by a group of elegant women’s jackets and trousers in scarlet or a scarlet/beige combination that had a flavour of 1930s’ Hollywood. The men’s collection followed, but I failed to connect with either the theme or the interpretation. Men’s current fashions do not have any sense of progression and certainly these students appeared to be attempting something outrageously new as a form of despairing revolution.

‘The choice and selection of materials throughout the show was terrific as was the cut and detailing of the clothes, both qualities that appeal to the interior designer; I liked the women’s collection as it unfolded and where I criticised I could still find inspiration. Indeed I rather regretted that I did not opt for a career as a fashion buyer! The men’s clothes left me cold with their lack of progressive inspiration and a total indifference to the attractions of gender; nevertheless they represented a strong creative statement and the knitted sweaters and jackets were a brilliant demonstration of design ingenuity and skilled manufacture.

‘Apart from the initial scarlet and some sharp sapphire blue for the boys, there was a disappointing lack of colour which perhaps reflected the current passion for neutrals in the interior design world; clothes and interiors have always had a strong relationship. Speaking as an interior designer, there was a great deal to be learnt from these students about the selection and handling of materials, skills which have slipped in parts of the design world as we have been overtaken by technological priorities.

‘Overall it was a most stimulating evening; I congratulate the students on their accomplishments and have no doubt that so much talent will find success in the challenging world for which they have trained.’

Jacqueline Duncan

Launch of New Inchbald Online Short Courses

In Spring 2012, Inchbald Online will launch the first of our new online short courses in interior decoration and garden design – Designing your garden.

Dynamic and inspirational, our new 12-week online courses give you the confidence to be the creative designer of your own living space or garden. With our courses you will develop your design ideas, receiving guidance and advice throughout from your assigned personal tutor, who is a practising professional.

Designing your Garden introduces you to the aesthetic and functional aspects encompassed by your garden, and helps you to analyse your personal requirements. You will learn how to apply the principles of design to your own space and explore the concept of colour, form and texture in paving, structures, water features and a range of plants suited to your specific environment.

Designing your Living Space specialises in the skills and techniques of interior decoration and will show you how to analyse your living space, balance practical requirements with imaginative ideas, and create a home that reflects your own personality. You will consider function and aesthetics, from the ergonomics and proportions of the space to texture and colour, lighting, furniture and fabric choices.

You will enjoy similar benefits to students on the Masters Degree Course with access to the exciting Inchbald Online forums and chat rooms for the exchange of ideas and information. It will take about 4 hours a week to work through our lively teaching sessions that are lavishly illustrated and incorporate practical projects to develop your knowledge and confidence.

If you are interested in either of these courses, please contact Liza Rees at liza.rees@inchbald.co.uk to receive more information about enrolling for these courses.

Win a Garden Design Scholarship with Inchbald in 2012

In conjunction with Gardens Illustrated, Inchbald School of Design is offering an aspiring garden designer a free place on our online garden design course, Online Diploma in Principles and Practice of Garden Design. This is a one-year, part-time garden design course studied at home through Inchbald Online and our virtual classroom, giving you the flexibility to fit your study around other commitments.

The garden design course starts in April 2012 and is worth £5,567.37 (+VAT). Our year-long online courses demand considerable commitment and time input, so please bear this in mind when entering.

How to enter

To enter for the prize, provide an A3-sized plan for a rooftop garden accompanied by 1,000 words about your design ideas for the garden. For more details, download the design brief.

Alternatively call 020 7630 9011 or email Georgina Askew on georgina@inchbald.co.uk to be sent the brief. Please include your full name, address and daytime telephone number on all correspondence.

Send completed entries to: Gardens Illustrated Scholarship, Inchbald School of Design, 32 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PB.

Closing date for submission of your entry is 5 pm on 10 February 2012.

For details of the terms and conditions for the promotion, please see Gardens Illustrated competition page.

Guest Lecture Evening

19 March 2012

Thomas Messel and Anthony Paul – 19 March, 6–8pm at the Cavalry and Guards Club, 127 Piccadilly

Thomas Messel has just written a book about his uncle, Oliver Messel (Oliver Messel: In the Theatre of Design, published by Rizzoli in October 2011), one of the most famous interior decorators of the late 1930s and the post-war years. He will open the evening with a talk about Oliver Messel and his work.

Oliver was a painter and distinguished theatrical set designer who extended his talents into interior decoration – some of his most famous work was carried out in the penthouse of the Dorchester Hotel, the venue of choice for most of London’s most distinguished and talented visitors.

This presentation will emphasise Oliver’s particular talents, highlighting the combination of the painterly eye, the attention to detail and a capacity for dramatic elegance, all the hallmarks of the great 1930s’ decorators.

Anthony Paul came to garden design from a background in fashion and is famous for a strikingly imaginative approach to garden layout and planting. The result is cosmetically original but he also takes full advantage of technological development in his features and planning. He will talk about his own work, and discuss the manner in which he arrives at proposals for both himself and for clients, and in which his personal philosophy drives his talent.

Anthony’s gardens are famously ‘pretty’ as well as being spectacularly dramatic, and I feel that these two distinguished speakers will between them identify the flair and the skills that we are in danger of losing to the bland architectural developments of the last decade.

This is the perspective from which I propose to introduce the Short Online Courses in these two specialist subjects. It is now time we learnt to re-appraise and appreciate the integrity and achievements of true interior decoration, together with the associated values of sophisticated and distinctive garden design.

Jacqueline Duncan, January 2012

There are limited seats for this evening. Inchbald students and alumni will be given priority, but if you would like to attend please contact Léonie Northcote at leonie@inchbald.co.uk.

London Lecture Tour: History of Interior Design and Decoration

22–24 May 2012

This tour is an opportunity to visit some of London’s most iconic buildings and witness the development of Interior Design and Decoration from the 17th century to the 19th and 20th centuries.

Diana Lloyd, our Online historian, will accompany the group and lecture on each property.

Day 1
Our first visit, Ham House, reflects the taste of Elizabeth Dysart, Countess of Lauderdale, who entertained Charles II and his Queen in the 1670s. It is a wonderful example of the rich use of fabrics and paint techniques during the Baroque period. The influences of Holland and trade with the Far East are evident in the excellent furniture and porcelain collection.

Chiswick House, which we shall visit later that afternoon, reflects the intellectual and classical knowledge frequently gained on the Grand Tour and so influential in the early Georgian period.

Day 2
The second day will concentrate on the 19th century, starting with Leighton House, the home of the great Victorian artist, Lord Leighton, with its eclectic interiors in diverse styles. Later that morning we will visit Apsley House, a superb example of early Victorian taste.

The day will end with a visit to Sir John Soane’s Museum, where he lived and worked in the early 1800s. We will see the growing interest in the medieval style as well as the enormous collection of classical artifacts deployed to educate Soane’s students. The growing importance of gender in the Regency period is apparent in the elegant drawing room created for his wife.

Day 3
The third day will begin at Osterley Park House, one of the most beautiful examples of the work of the great neo-classical architect, Robert Adam. Inspiration is provided in the attention to detail in all the rooms, from ceilings and moulded window surrounds to the painted borders on the furniture. The day will end at the great Arts and Crafts house, Standen, where the Beale family lived from the late 19th century until the death of the last daughter, at which point the house was offered to the National Trust.

Leighton House

Places on the tour are limited to 15 and Inchbald students will have priority. The tour cost is £360. If you are interested please contact Liza Rees at liza.rees@inchbald.co.uk

Inchbald Directors start new blogs

Inchbald Directors, Alan Hughes, Director of the Interior Design Faculty and Vice Principal, and Andrew Duff, Director of Garden Design, have started new blogs – where they are publishing their thoughts and ideas around design.

You can follow Alan’s blog at alan.inchbald.co.uk.

You can follow Andrew’s blog at andrew.inchbald.co.uk.

Former Inchbald Student Luciano Giubbilei Launches New Book

The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei

This fascinating book explores the career of acclaimed garden designer Luciano Giubbilei, revealing the inspiration, attention to detail and artistic collaborations behind the creation of his spectacular contemporary gardens.

Luciano Giubbilei has been creating serenely beautiful gardens from London to Geneva and Morocco since 1997. He’s known for the elegance of his understated designs but his approach is constantly evolving, both in response to individual clients and as he finds new sources of inspiration. Giubbilei’s work draws on his Italian heritage, especially the Renaissance gardens of the Villa Gamberaia in Tuscany, and a distinctively classical combination of restraint and opulent materials.

The Gardens of Luciano Giubbelei examines twelve particularly significant gardens from Giubbilei’s portfolio. Each project – including a garden in London’s The Boltons that involved a collaboration with interior designer Kelly Hoppen, a roof terrace in Barcelona, and the Laurent-Perrier Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – is fully explored, from the preparation of mood boards to final planting and finishing. This superb book, which contains specially commissioned photographs by Steven Wooster and a foreword by Tom Stuart-Smith, takes a behind-the-scenes look at how each garden evolved, revealing that the achievement of apparently simple beauty and elegance requires meticulous research and the efforts of a team of skilled contractors and suppliers.

Giubbilei works closely with nurseries, craftsmen and artists such as Anish Kapoor and Stephen Cox to source sculptures, furniture and plants that are in total harmony with the mood and scale of each project. As he explains, the process of bringing together the diverse elements that make up each garden is usually unseen and so it’s particularly intriguing to have an insight into the working methods and sources of inspiration.