Designs on a life

Leslie Walford's apartment.

Leslie Walford AM, who died this year, is usually considered the most influential interior decorator in Australia, certainly in Sydney, where some say he single-handedly redecorated the eastern suburbs in the 1960s and '70s.

He was a man of style and distinction, so the opportunity to buy some of his personal possessions has created a state of polite hysteria down Double Bay way. The sale of his estate, conducted by Mossgreen Auctions, will take place on November 18 at the Tim Olsen Gallery in Jersey Road, Woollahra.

Mossgreen chairman Paul Sumner, a specialist in celebrity-factor auctions, had originally planned to hold the sale inside Walford's penthouse apartment, which will also be sold after the contents have been removed.

A pair of Louis XV chairs.

He decided against it for logistical reasons (lack of space, for one) but selected clients will be able to tour the apartment before the sale.

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''It's like walking into a fantasy world,'' Sumner says, ''indescribable in a way, a complete escape from the real world. Everything is constructed like some kind of theatre set. People just don't do that any more.''

Sumner will try to re-create the atmosphere inside the gallery but recommends that prospective bidders look at the photos on the Leslie Walford catalogue on the Mossgreen website to see how the pieces looked in situ.

Eye for detail ... Leslie Walford.

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Designs on a life