St Barnabas Church, Pimlico, and Colefax & Fowler

The visit begins with a guided tour of the richly decorated interior of the church of St Barnabas (Thomas Cundy, 1847–50). We then move to the new premises nearby of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler Ltd. The company came to 89–91 Pimlico Road at the beginning of 2017 from 39 Brook Street in Mayfair, its headquarters since 1944 (visited by the DAS in 2013). Founded in the 1930s this is the longest-established interior decorating firm in Great Britain, with a worldwide client list. The premises house the company’s showrooms, as well as the offices of six interior designers. Roger Jones, a director of the firm, will talk about items of the current antiques stock and explain how the designers’ decorating style has evolved over the years in response to the changing expectations and tastes of clients.