Life & Art at the Flower Loft, Trereife

 _{Looking through the kitchen window of the Flower Loft, out across the gardens and the parterre at Trereife that Lyn designed.}  

The Cornish artist Jeremy Le Grice (1936 - 2012) and his wife, the renowned interior designer Lyn, moved into the Flower Loft at Trereife in 1995.

Trereife is a beautiful 18th century country estate near Penzance, and has been in the Le Grice family for over 200 years. The Flower Loft, a large, cavernous space originally used for packing daffodils and anemones grown on the estate, was skilfully reimagined by Lyn as a welcoming and stylish home. Effortlessly instagramable, it has repeatedly featured in interior design publications.

Lyn Le Grice was a formidable talent in the world of interior design. She created extraordinary homes for rock stars and aristocracy, was influential in shaping the interior fashions of the late 20th century, wrote eight books, ran her own shop, ‘The Stencil House’ in Penzance, all whilst raising her family.

She was the driving force behind the stencilling fashion of the 1980s and her stencils were sold around the world. Having started out in fashion at Hornsey College of Art, she has also turned her talents to stage and costume design, and in later life worked on several large opera productions.

Jeremy studied at the Slade School of Art (1959-61). Peter Lanyon was a great mentor to Jeremy and he was lucky enough to attend Lanyon’s art classes in St Ives. Le Grice was devoted to West Cornwall, the essence of its moody landscape, wild coastline and maritime history was in the blood of all his paintings. His large works are magnificent and dramatic, eulogies to old ship’s hulls and Penwith hillsides; his small oils are treasures, tiny love letters to his surroundings. He was an important figure in the post-war and later 20th century St Ives art scene, a founder member of the Penwith Galleries and an outspoken trustee of Newlyn Art Gallery. He exhibited in significant galleries throughout his lifetime, and Lyn placed his paintings in many of her most important design projects, impressive counterpoints to her remarkable interiors.

   _{Jeremy Le Grice, St Just, 1960. Oil on board}

At the Flower Loft, Jeremy’s bold and mysterious paintings adorn most walls, the perfect foil to Lyn’s inspired use of colour and space. His works hang harmoniously alongside the many beautiful objects and artefacts collected by both, the effect is an environment that is both breathtaking and yet serene.

 _{Lot 18. Jeremy Le Grice, 'Trembath Wood' 2002, hangs inside the Flower Loft interior}

Jeremy sadly died in 2012 and infirmity now forces Lyn to leave the beautiful home they created. We are honoured to be handling the sale of the contents, which includes fifty of Jeremy’s paintings, plus many other works by important artists, from the Le Grice’s friends and colleagues. This will be a very special sale indeed and a once in a lifetime opportunity to view and acquire works from these two extraordinary individuals.

Click here to view a preview of the Flower Loft Sale, and set a reminder