Wright Auction

Photographer Bill Bell is well known for his colorful and stylish images for Vogue magazine and all the big fashion houses. But Bell also converted his garage into a factory making a line of plywood furniture featuring hand-stenciled and boldly painted patterns in the 1960s. The Bill Bell Designs line came after his wife’s request for new garden furniture and the tilt of his lounge chair was inspired by his work with models. Life magazine did a feature on Bill Bell’s line in 1966 noting that the furniture could be purchased at Bonniers, New York or Neimarn-Marcus, Dallas. And while his furniture was marketed for the outdoors, the article concluded: “When summer is over, the pieces can be used to cheer up stark modern interiors”.