Eileen Gray entered the design world with lacquer—literally. Born in 1878 in southeastern Ireland, Gray wandered into a lacquer repair shop in London, in 1905. By 1921, she had opened her own store in France. She became known for her lacquer work, and was popularly linked to the De Stijl movement as well.Her portrait [above] was taken by Bernice Abbott, in 1926, which was, itself, an accomplishment.  

Furniture: 

More information can be found on various sites, including this one.

Architecture: 

[top: Gray's own house, in southern France ; bottom: storage cupboards are built into ceiling recess] 

photos courtesy of www.tangle.com and bonluxat.com 

Tags: , bernice abbott, eileen gray, FURNITURE, lacquer 1 Comment »