Design for Hall Curtain, 78 Derngate, Northampton

Mackintosh undertook the structural modification and interior decoration of Mr W J Bassett-Lowke's early 19th century red-brick terraced house at 78 Derngate, Northampton in 1916, a project regarded as seminal in the Modern movement in England. The interior design marked a bold contrast to work produced by Mackintosh around the turn of the century. Strong colours and geometric patterns replaced the white interiors and organic motifs characteristic of his early Glasgow work. The walls and ceiling of the lounge-hall were painted a dull black, and the woodwork and furniture were stained black and wax-polished. White, stencilled, vertical strips divided the dark walls and were topped with a wide, colourful, geometric frieze. The design for the hall curtain provides a rare record of the room's soft furnishings though photographs of the room suggest that pressures of time or budget may have prevented the proposed design's use.