Linley Highlights from a Holland Park house | Interiors | 5 June 2019
In our June Interiors sale we have 155 lots all recently removed from a house in London’s Holland Park. Most of the items included in this section date from the last years of the 1990s to the early years of the 2000s. Around this time the vendor engaged interior designer Kelly Hoppen to curate and style the principal rooms.
The finished interiors were featured in David Linley’s book Design & Detail in the Home (Little, Brown and Company), and in Kelly Hoppen and Helen Chisletts’ book In Touch: Texture in Design (Conran Octopus). Saleroom copies of both these books will be available to view alongside the lots in this sale.
In order to maintain the curated aspect of this collection we have opted to present this section in the catalogue in a room-by-room format and so allowing the decorative lots to be offered alongside larger items, thus giving context to the collection as a whole.
Amongst the many treasures on offer are items from various leading designer brands including Tiffany, Lalique, and a large number of works of art and furniture pieces from the workshops of David Linley.
David Armstrong-Jones, now the 2nd Lord Snowdon, is a furniture designer, and took the name of his brand 'Linley' from his courtesy title Viscount Linley, which he was known as until 2017.
The company operates a flagship showroom on Pimlico Road in Chelsea. The firm produces high quality and highly sort after items, often utilising unusual and exotic timbers alongside more native species.
Many of the substantial and impressive furniture pieces were bespoke for the house, having been specifically ordered from the firm by the vendor. One such piece is lot 15 shown here in the dining room of the house.
This versatile table comes in two halves and can either be used as one 3.5 meter long dining table or with small extensions which allow use as two separate tables. This table is also offered for sale with its studio drawing as well as a copy of the receipt.
A smaller but still exquisite piece is lot 95, a 72cm square American walnut and specimen inset wall mirror its frame inlaid with panels of different burrwoods, including yew, ash, and maple, it is also stamped THE DAVID LINLEY CO. to one edge.
This section of the sale features not just larger pieces of furniture but also several works of art lots by the firm – such as lots 86-91 which are all items one could use in a study or office. Lots 87 and 88 for instance are two such nice group lots comprising of such desk type items all in American walnut and featuring a stylish yet simple single sycamore inlaid band.
Lot 14 is both a classy and practical solution to an age-old problem – in this case keeping one’s various house keys tidy. The solution is an architectural sycamore and inlaid key cabinet with the hinged door modelled as twin panelled doors. It stands 32cm high and 27cm wide.
AUCTION DATE & LOCATION:
Wednesday 5 June | 10.30am
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
VIEWING:
Sunday 2 June: 10am-2pm
Monday 3 June: 9am-5.30pm
Tuesday 4 June: 9am-4.30pm
Day of sale: from 8.30am
Sign up for auction alerts and our monthly newsletter to receive expert analysis and insights from our specialists and keep up-to-date on forthcoming auctions, valuation days and previews.