Robert Lutyens at Home

You may not be familiar with Robert Lutyens, but chances are you've heard of his father, noted British architect Edwin Lutyens. Robert was also an architect as well as an interior designer and author.

I found these photos of Robert Lutyens' London home in a 1936 magazine. According to the article, the flat was notable for its modern backdrop against which period furniture stood, a background that Lutyens created by using blond wood and textured fabrics. The drawing room walls were sheathed in bleached, waxed deal which had a "silvery beige" patina. The curtains were white taffeta, while chairs were covered in rough-textured beige silk and pale blue satin. In the dining room, draped bleached linen crash covered walls. The furniture was a mix of Regency and Sheraton furniture.

It's the home's bedrooms, though, that are textbook examples of glamorous 1930s design. Mrs. Lutyens' bedroom had curtains of cream satin lined with coral shantung silk, a white mohair rug, and an upholstered sleigh bed that I assume was designed by Syrie Maugham. (In 1936, Robert Lutyens collaborated with Maugham on the design of Brook House, London where another of Maugham's fringed and upholstered beds was used.) And as would be fitting for a man, Lutyens' own bedroom was a luxurious vision of clean-lined modernism.




The image above as well as that at top depict two sides of Lutyens' London drawing room.




The dining room.




Robert Lutyens' bedroom.




Mrs. Lutyens' bedroom with that fabulous upholstered bed.



All photos from House & Garden, April 1936.