Conran's classics

Sir Terence Conran transformed the homes of thousands following the launch of Habitat in 1964. With its bright and cheerful shops laden with everyday furniture, textiles and accessories, people were free to style their own homes and not rely on the heavy Victorian furniture or post-war utility items handed down from their parents.

He is hailed by his supporters as the inventor of lifestyle, or as he prefers to call it ‘style of life’ and places function and design above brands and labels. Conran’s latest venture is into the world of optics which he feels has become a victim of over-domination by designer labels.