Mary Gilliatt, International Design Advisor
Interior designer, journalist and author Mary Gilliatt began her career winning the celebrated, annual Talent Contest at British Vogue. The prize for this British native was a job with House and Garden. Her talent and good fortune effectively launched a career that today, has earned Mary Gilliatt recognition as the world’s leading design journalist. She subsequently became a feature writer and editor for the most prominent daily newspapers in London. For the Times of London, she covered home design and architecture as a columnist. When the Sunday Telegraph commenced publication, Mary became its first Home Editor and a senior features writer. Assignments took Mary to South America, through Europe – even to Russia to interview Premier Khrushchev. When the Sunday Telegraph asked Mary to design a model home, a project intended to boost circulation, Mary created a stir. It also established an audience for her designs. The publicity enabled Mary to establish a private decorating business, and afford her the flexibility to work and raise three children. In a country and an era when working moms were uncommon, Mary became one of the world’s most successful.
In 1965, Mary was commissioned to write her first book, English Style, published simultaneously in England, France, Italy and the U.S., to great acclaim. She has since written 39 books, which have been translated into eleven languages. The Decorating Book sold three million copies worldwide. Ten years before HGTV began airing, Mary was the natural choice to host the world’s first television series on home decorating. She hosted Home & Design, which appeared on ITV in Britain. She also scripted and hosted Decorating with Mary Gilliatt, which aired in the U.S. on PBS in the early 1990’s.
Talent, fame and timing have landed Mary on the leading edge of innovation in interior design. She launched an Internet presence in June 2006, conducting a 90-minute chat room on a room redesign project for the Washington Post. She is currently in the R&D phase for a university-level, online decorating course.
Mary has consulted with several British and American companies on design, including Marks and Spencer, Liberty of London, ICI Paints, and Debenham’s Stores Group in the UK, and Burlington in the U.S. She has originated designs for tableware for Churchills. She created several top-selling border and wallpaper collections and fabric lines for Seabrook, where she is credited for “inventing” faux finish wallpaper.
Nowhere has Mary’s impact meant more than at Decor&You®, a nationwide network of more than 100 professional interior decorators who operate in 30 U.S. states. Mary was part of the franchise’s founding team as national design director, and she continues to make valuable contributions to the organization’s training programs and global design perspectives.
Mary now lives mainly in Luberon, in the South of France, Her Luberon home has been featured by Woman’s Day in the U.S.; The Telegraph Magazine and Homes & Gardens in the UK; and NZ House & Garden and Maisons et Décor in France. Mary also maintains a residence in the heart of London, makes frequent trips to the U.S. and travels to Australia and the Middle East. Today, Mary is a tireless working grandmother of five.
Mary recently completed Bedrooms by Mary Gilliatt, scheduled for release in October 2007. She continues work on a personal memoir and writing for magazines on both sides of the Atlantic, including a monthly column for NZ House & Garden, and articles about New Zealanders living in Europe and the U.S.
INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTATION
Mary Gilliatt has operated a private interior decorating consultation, both in London and New York.
She has decorated the homes of American celebrities and European royals. Mary’s most notable
projects include:
- Dr. Steve Udim and Dr. Sharon Nathan (New York Apartment)
- Fred Schepisi – Film Director (New York Apartment)
- Foreign Minister of Iran (London Apartment)
- Gloria Steinhem (New York Apartment, with Filippa Ness)
- Iraqi Embassy in London
- Katie Couric (New York Apartment)
- Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson (New York Apartment, Country House and Wedding)
- Liberty of London’s Centenary Exhibition
- Lord and Lady Griffith (London Residence)
- Martha Stewart (Connecticut Show House Master Bedroom)
- Ocean Tankers in Yugoslavia and South Korea (Officers’ Quarters, with Filippa Ness)
- Queen of Saudi Arabia (Country House and Guest House)
- Roslyn Claremont Hotel – Long Island, NY (Public Rooms)
- St. James Square East India Club
- Sam Cohn and Jane Gelfman – Theatrical and Literary Agents (New York Apartment)
- Scott Rudin – Film and Theater Producer (New York Apartment)
Liberty of London Centennial Exhibition
Liberty of London Queen’s Silver Jubilee Exhibition
IT Costs Less Than You Think At Liberty’s
Maples Comfort Exhibition in association with B&B Italia
