Clive Stewart-Lockhart’s extensive new biography Betty Joel: Furniture Maker, Designer and Businesswoman in 1920's and '30's Britain relates the untold story of one of the era’s foremost businesswomen. Betty Joel's pioneering entrepreneurial spirit and keen eye for design led her to help define the look and spirit of the age, before suddenly turning her back on her career, never to re-visit it again.
Betty was one of interwar Britain’s most progressive and enigmatic designers. During a short career that spanned less than two decades, she worked at the forefront of the movement now known as Art Deco, acting as chief designer and figurehead for the eponymous brand she founded along with her husband David.
Designing furniture and rugs, as well as home appliances such as radios and stoves, she won critical acclaim and numerous accolades for her work, including prizes at the Royal Academy and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Starting out from their house on Hayling Island, they quickly expanded to a large purpose-built factory in Kingston upon Thames and it is estimated that over 80 craftsmen were employed through the short lifespan of the business.
Betty designed and manufactured furniture for many of the iconic interiors of the era such as the Daily Express building, The Savoy, Hay’s Wharf and Coutts Bank, alongside private commissions for the likes of Winston Churchill, Earl Mountbatten and John Betjeman. Working with architects, particularly Harry Goodhart-Rendel, her craftsmen created acres of panelling and hundreds of doors for notable schemes in London and elsewhere.
is an independent art advisor and Betty Joel’s great-nephew and knew her well in the closing years of her life.
Token Press, 484pp, 28cm x 22cm, illustrated hardcover, 2025
