AcomprehensiveandintimatestudyofthehighmodernistPatrickGwynne,hisarchitectureandinteriors.In1938,theyoungPatrickGwynneburstuponthearchitecturalscenewithTheHomewood,Surrey,theearlymodernmovementcountryhousenowopentothepublicbytheNationalTrust.Gwynnelivedinthehouseuntilhisdeathin2003,overtheyearsenrichingitwithcontemporaryfeaturesandfurnitureofhisowndesign,andcreatingthebeautifulwoodlandgarden.Gwynne’ssmallandverypersonalarchitecturalpracticefocussedmainlyonsophisticatedshops,restaurantsandinnovativeprivatehouses.Allhisclients,whichincludedfamousfilmstars,wereexcitedbythenewmodernismandinGwynnetheyfoundaprogressivearchitectwithstylishandinnovativedesignssolutionsthatmadefordistinctivebuildingsandinteriors.Inacareerspanningsixtyyears,Gwynne’sdesignsbrilliantlyreflectedthemajorarchitecturalstyles.Inthe1930s,TheHomewoodandhisinteriorsfor’bachelorfriends’madehimaleadingproponentofthenewmodernism;hismid-centurymodernworksofthepost-warperiodsparkledwithglamourandfascinatinggeometricplans,liketheoctagonally-shapedDellRestaurantinLondon’sHydePark;andtotheconcreteandglassofBrutalism,GwynnebestowedawelcomingeleganceaswithhisextensiontotheTheatreRoyal,York.NeilBinghamdrawsonhisextensiveinterviewsandcorrespondencewiththearchitectandclients.Thebookisrichlyillustratedwithhistoricphotographsbyfamousarchitecturalphotographersoftheperiod,newlycommissionedimagesaswellasdrawingsofGwynne’singeniousplans.
