Through the 1920s and into the 1930s John Fowler had developed his decorating skills at the London firm of Thornton Smith and then in the decoration studio of Peter Jones, where he learned techniques such as painting Chinoiserie wallpaper by hand. The library of Sibyl Colefax’s house at Lord North Street In 1939, the company name was changed to Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. When, in 1938, her services were so in demand that she needed to expand, she asked a rising young star of interior decorating, John Fowler, to join her in her business at Bruton Street in Mayfair. She was friendly with royalty, including the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, with entertainers such as Charlie Chaplin and Cole Porter, and with much of the British aristocracy. Sibyl’s talent for creating comfortable interiors that were stylish but never pretentious was the secret of her appeal to her influential clients. She was well-connected and also ahead of her time: her circle of friends and acquaintances provided her with clients and she became a very successful businesswoman.
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