Homes and Gardens

“My belief is simply that if reasonable and intelligent people are offered something that is well-made, well-designed, of a decent quality and at a price they can afford, then they will buy it.” Terence Conran

Ever since Terence Conran set up his first furniture design studio in a Notting Hill basement in 1952, he has been guided by nothing but the needs, hopes and aspirations of his customers. From establishing The Conran Design Group in the 1950s, Habitat in the 1960s, The Conran Shop in the 1970s and the Design Museum in the late 1980s, Terence Conran has done more than any other British retailer to broaden the horizons of successive generations of consumers. From flat-pack furniture to chicken bricks and duvets, he has opened our eyes to new possibilities including a host of materials, colours and styles. But judges felt that by far this most important contribution has been his crusade to make good modern design accessible to more than just the well-heeled. There is no doubt after half a century of Terence Conran's influence, the average British home is a better place to be.