John Dibblee Crace

Although his work is no longer visible at Two Temple Place, John Diblee Crace (1838 – 18 November 1919) was commissioned to produce the furnishings of William Waldorf Astor’s office. These can be seen in archive photographs. Crace also worked at 18 Carlton House Terrace, furnishing a library that the Pearsons had created there in 1895.. The furniture pieces do occasionally come up for auction and there are drawings in the V&A Drawings collection.

The Craces were a five-generation family firm of Decorators, notably working frequently with Pugin, patenting some of his designs and often being left to freely interpret his designs as a trusted partner.  When 174 decorating firms formed The Incorporated Institute of British Decorators on 21st of January 1899. John Dibblee Crace was its first President and for the rest of his life an unrivalled academic writer on British interior decoration.