Betty Joel

English designer Betty Joel (1894-1985) founded Betty Joel Ltd shortly after WWI. The workshop was based at Hayling Island near Portsmouth, Hants. Early Joel furniture was made in oak, teak and mahogany and executed by craftsmen in a style characteristic to arts and crafts combined with Neo-Georgian. In the 1930s, another shop was opened in Knightsbridge, London, and manufacturing moved to a factory in Kingston-upon-Thames. By this time Joel's designs were influenced by the Modern Movement: mostly expensive pieces made to commission in light-coloured woods and veneers; steel and glass were used for the framework of the furniture, with luxury materials such as ivory for the handles.