Michael Inchbald: A Legacy of Design, 22 January, Christie’s, King Street, London
Michael Inchbald at home, Stanley House
This sale is of the contents of the London home of the exemplarary interior designer Michael Inchbald who was so very talented in combining modern design with that of neo-classical.
His drawing room which was created between 1957 and 1959 has survived into the 21st century relatively unchanged. Indeed I remember seeing it in magazines over the years and it is a mark of Inchbald’s talents as a designer that I recall it so well. He was innovative in that he was not afraid to use modern materials such as lino or bleached cork for floors and walls.
Inchbald did a lot of work in the commercial sector for companies and hotels, including the Savoy’s River Room and the Ballroom at the Berkeley Hotel. Noted for his design for the first-class saloon on the QE2, he also created interiors for the Carpathia, Franconia and the Windsor Castle. He also refurbished the head office of the Crown Estate Commissioners in Carlton House Terrace in 1972.
His private clients included Dukes and Earls, the banker Henry Tiarks and the film director John Schlesinger.
The lots in this sale are an exciting mixture of silver, paintings, furniture, sculpture and antiquities. There is arms and armour, a mixture of oriental and western ceramics, books and drawings too. Some of the clocks in the sale came from his uncle Courtenay Ilbert’s renowned horological collection – The Ilbert Collection. Regarded as the finest clock collection ever it is now in the British Museum.
All of this, as the accompanying images show, was arranged to create a timeless and elegant home which really is a visual representation of Inchbald’s philosophy which he summed up as follows;
“I believe the more you design for the future, the more you should know about the past. You’ve got to have a feeling for the great heritage of civilisation.
Surrounding yourself with beautiful things gives you a standard.”
I couldn’t agree more!
Pre-Sale Exhibition Viewing Times:
Thursday 16 January 9.00 am – 4.30 pm
Friday 17 January 9.00 am – 4.30 pm
Saturday 18 January 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Sunday 19 January 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
Monday 20 January 9.00 am – 4.30 pm
Tuesday 21 January 9.00 am – 8.00 pm
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Tim Forrest's E & A 