LINLEY London Dry Bars
Consider it the ultimate royal seal of approval: When the young LINLEY founder, David Linley (b. 1961), made a decorative box as a teenager — a project he’d crafted at Bedales School that impressed his teacher — it was proudly passed around as a cigar box at parties by the Queen Mother. Of course, the royal treatment makes a bit more sense when you consider that the Queen was simply grandmother to Linley, formally David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, second earl of Snowdon, son of Princess Margaret and photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones.
Born in London, Linley was creative from an early age — a characteristic eagerly encouraged at home with his parents and at Kensington Palace with the extended family. After completing his studies in carpentry and design at Parnham House in 1982, Linley set up his first studio. Within three years he had moved to King’s Road in Chelsea and, with his friend painter and designer Matthew Rice, officially cofounded LINLEY, a source for luxury furniture and accessories and bespoke carpentry and millwork.
The brand was a quick success. When Linley presented its first line at Christie’s in 1985 — a collection of furniture and more called “Venetian,” which was inspired by the Italian city’s grandiose Gothic architecture — the entire lot sold out on the day of its presentation. Besides Linley the brand being a commercial success, Linley the founder was somewhat of a marvel: At the time, the designer was the first of the royal family to undertake any sort of vocational work, let alone establish their own brand.
LINLEY has become known over the years for its fine craftsmanship, detailed marquetry and inlay and use of rare and exquisite woods. Its case pieces, seating, other furnishings and decorative objects owe consistently to traditional methods and conventions as often as they do clean modernity. The designer has long looked to Chippendale furniture as well as other styles that gained prominence during the 18th century as much as he has toward the future.
Now, in addition to its furniture, accessories and custom millwork, LINLEY operates an interior design business, outfitting homes (and a few cars and yachts) in the brand’s singularly chic style. And while its output is marked by style, craftsmanship still comes first: “I’m a maker, not a designer,” the earl once proclaimed.
Find a collection of LINLEY furniture on 1stDibs.
2010s British LINLEY London Dry Bars
Copper
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern LINLEY London Dry Bars
Glass, Formica, Wood, Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Art Deco LINLEY London Dry Bars
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage LINLEY London Dry Bars
Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Art Deco LINLEY London Dry Bars
Metal
1940s American Hollywood Regency Vintage LINLEY London Dry Bars
Mirror, Wood
1970s Italian Modern Vintage LINLEY London Dry Bars
Glass, Lacquer
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage LINLEY London Dry Bars
Glass, Walnut
Early 20th Century British Art Deco LINLEY London Dry Bars
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Mid-Century Modern LINLEY London Dry Bars
Metal
1960s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage LINLEY London Dry Bars
Goatskin
20th Century French LINLEY London Dry Bars
1950s Italian Vintage LINLEY London Dry Bars
Wood
