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.

Provenance

W.J.Basset-Lowke; Dr Thomas Howarth; his sale, Christie's, 17/2/94, lot 96.