Cassandra Carter Presents John Fowler

"He was the prince of decorators, a scholar with a wonderful memory for whole rooms and the smallest details, and the biggest appreciator of beautiful things I have ever known."
--Duchess of Devonshire


John Fowler was born in the English countryside in 1906. He did not come from a wealthy or artistic family so many wonder how he became the man he was. He did not begin a career in design until after he went through many office jobs. After quitting his last job in London he moved out to the country to help his cousin on her farm. On a visit home he overheard his aunt telling his mother about an opening for a painter at Thornton Smith in London. He applied for the job and was hired. He began with Thornton Smith painting Chinese wallpaper that was made to look authentic and sold at a very high price. He continued his work there for some time until 1929 when business was slow due to the economic recession. It was at this time that John lost his job at Thornton Smith and began to work on his own.
His innate ability stood out in the 1930's as he developed a style known as the English country house. He worked for several years on his own until 1938 when he was asked to join decorator Sibyl Colefax. It was after the second world war the John really began to dominate English interior decoration. It was said of John that he "had an original eye, creating smart, unusual rooms that mixed countrified Georgian furniture, French painted pieces and the odd florid Victorian chair covered in voguish satin. From the start he was a genius at draperies."
During his career he worked on many prominent homes and also did the interiors for more than 20 National Trust properties such as Sudbury Hall, as well as private homes like Chequers and Buckingham Palace. Fowler knew historically accurate decoration but often altered the colors or added non-historic details. He would always begin a project by walking through it, noting the style and characteristics of the room, what it would be used for, and getting a feel for the character of the house as a whole. He would also observe the natural lighting and how it worked in a particular room, using this information to govern his color palette and types of fabrics he would choose.
After many years of successful design Fowler died a the age of 71 in 1977 and will always be remembered as the Prince of Decorators.