In 1964, Peter collaborated with ICI to create a showcase for their game-changing wallpaper product, Vymura. The result was a vibrant backdrop of texture and colour for the collections throughout his home in Kew, where he lived with his wife Cate, four children (Anna, Jonathan, Sophie and Lucy) and two cats (Pussy and Minou).
Given his expert eye, as much observer as social commentator, it is not surprising that Peter was fascinated by commemorative pieces. His largest collections included crested china (seaside souvenirs from the early 1900s, particularly related to the First World War) and early picture postcards (whose designers took familiar figures, landscapes or objects and, using collage, manipulated perspective to create a world filled with hidden meaning). New collections were added, amongst them: pressed-glass plates, paper weights, and hair art (a popular parlour craft among middle-class women of the Victorian era). Though eclectic in nature, these groupings provided a finely curated counterpoint to hectic family life at number 37.
Collecting remained central to Peter’s life. When he moved to Paris in 1975 and remarried, to Françoise Jollant, they discovered a shared passion for unusual objects and art. The collections grew over the years, and became a source of conversation and delight for their frequent dinner guests.
