Laura Ashley

Laura Ashley by Wood, Martin. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780711228979.

Against the background of Laura Ashleys life - from her birth in South Wales in 1925 to her sudden death in 1985 - Martin Wood tells the story of the iconic brand she and her husband, Bernard, created. Beginning with the textiles they designed and printed at home in their three-room flat in the 1950s, Wood looks at how, when they began designing and selling dresses, blouses and other clothes, and launched a range of household textiles and furnishings, `Laura Ashley style became a phenomenon. The story is richly illustrated with more than 200 photographs and drawings, many never previously published, from the companys archives and the Ashley familys private records. From reviews of Nancy Lancaster Excellent . . . the best title on taste and design published this year Financial Times Of all the books on houses and gardens . . . this one takes the cake Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, Spectator A rare treat, fluently written and superbly illustrated Daily Telegraph