The Robin Moore Ede Commission

Freddie bought Garden Lodge in 1980 and soon turned his attention to the refurbishment of the property, working closely with the Mayfair-based architectural and interior designer Robin Moore Ede, in what would become a decade long passion project. Against the backdrop of bold colours and outré forms of 1980s post-modernism, the bespoke furniture commissioned by Freddie formed a key proponent of the redesign. A body of extant correspondence, sketches and schematic drawings cast light on the process, with individual rooms, garden spaces and some of the bespoke pieces of furniture documented in great detail. From picking colour schemes and fabrics to conjuring furniture designs and selecting decorative motifs, Freddie had a hand in everything.

In order to realise their designs, Moore Ede enlisted the skills and talents of the leading craftspeople and furniture-makers of the day, firms with longstanding and important traditions in British furniture production. The dining room suite was no exception being supplied by Pegram Bianco, a well-established firm who had produced fittings and furniture for notable architects like Edwin Lutyens and for public commissions like the London Stock Exchange’s council chamber in 1972. The accompanying dining chairs were made by The Thomas Glenister Company from High Wycombe, the historic heart of English Windsor chair manufacture (see following lot).