Imogen Taylor was born in 1926. In 1949 she joined Colefax & Fowler, where she was for many years John Fowler's trusted assistant. She went on to become one of the most prominent interior decorators of the latter part of the twentieth century, working in Britain and the Middle East and extensively in the United States. She retired in 1999, after fifty years at Colefax & Fowler, and now divides her time between her homes in Kent and in Burgundy.
""Forget taupe - her colourful, Mitford-esque romp through the great houses of Britain and North America gives great insight into her eye for detail and passion for craftsmanship, and tells the tale of friendships built over a lifetime of decorating. Her wit, charm and amusing observations flow through the book."" * House and Garden * ""As sharp as an upholsterer's tack, Miss Taylor worked at Colefax for 50 years and offers a rare account of a lost world...As well as unflagging apercus, [she] gives a warm account of the craftspeople she worked with, many of whose intricate trades are now lost. Here is a woman with a great appetite for life."" -- Philippa Stockley * Country Life * "" . . . the reader gets a crash course in the technicalities of fabric walling, oil gilding and designing passementerie for Buckingham Palace. Titbits about clients make On the Fringe a lively read, an autobiography well up to this newish publisher's high standards."" * World of Interiors * ""This charming illustrated memoir shows a designer's inventiveness, but is also a social history with delightful apercus about working with royalty, people of discernment and their beautiful things."" * The Lady *