Tributes
Sidney Freedman. Response to request for childhood description
Ervin H Vidor AM, Friend, Chairman of the TOGA Group
We met George and his then business partner, Neville Marsh in 1966 to provide an interior scheme to the first house we built and moved into in 1963.
During our first meeting in the house Neville was quiet and rather formal. George in his usual manner was cutting, gently sarcastic and clearly tried to assess our tastes and what we really wanted. He soon realised that at that time we had not developed a taste for fine things and just wanted to blow money to get something spectacular and they delivered exactly that.
The foyer was finished in a bright red felt wall cover, akin to a Parisian bordello and our large living/dining room was finished in a deep green silk wall covering.
The effect was striking to be kind and at that time reflecting our lack of taste.
At a party given by my daughter Michelle, the then young James Packer on departing politely asked me whether I liked the décor and when I asked him what he thought he was blunt. ‘Sir, I hope you don’t mind me telling you, this is the best example of what an expensive bordello would look like’.
We tackled George on this, and his typical sardonic laugh he said, ‘I agree. Now that you two are starting to develop some taste let’s do something more appropriate’.
And he did. Next time round it was quietly elegant and stunning together with the classical, ageless furnishings he selected, some of which we still have.
Our waterfront home we currently live in was entirely George’s immaculate work and even after 25 years, people who come to our home are amazed at its simplicity of colours and shapes and its almost brutal minimalism yet conveying comfort and warmth. Some years ago we asked George to design the whole of the interior of a waterfront Medina apartment hotel in Perth CBD.
After all these years it is still receiving constant comments of praise for its simplicity, elegance and functional comforts.
George was a genius in matching colours, shapes and forms.
We developed a close personal friendship with George and had many dinner dates initially at his huge terrace in Yurong Street, later in his apartment or in our home.
Like his interior art, he was a fussy and exacting chef and when something wasn’t to his liking by way of food, he didn’t mince words.
Charlotte and I miss George as a brilliant interior architect and as much if not more, a friend.
George Freedman: Some Recollections by Dr Davina Jackson (Goldsmiths College, London)
George Freedman used the term ‘voluptuary’ to describe people with bright personalities who enjoy luxurious living—especially fine dining, drinking, the arts and design. Because he was a virtuoso voluptuary himself, he flowed smoothly around the highest circles of Sydney society—and because his bold atmospheric strategies were appreciated by restaurateurs, he designed many of the city’s favourite hospitality venues of the 1980s and 1990s.
Within hours of his arrival in Sydney from New York in 1969, George was welcomed warmly by Marion Hall Best, the city’s then queen of society rooms, Rajahstani paint glazes and imported modern furniture. After she retired in 1974, he naturally succeeded her as Sydney’s most respected interior designer and colourist of the late 20th century. He was promoted frequently by the top home design magazine, Belle, and especially by its head stylist, Babette Hayes, and her flock of protegés.
His childhood with a paint colourist father, architectural education in New York and London, and talent as an ingenue painter exhibiting in Europe formed the platform upon which he built his outstanding professional career in Sydney. He was remarkably skilful at magnetising finishes and furnishing commissions from most of the top architects of his heyday. While most architects resisted aligning with ‘inferior desecrators’, they seemed to recognise that George’s sophisticated furnishing talents added highly photogenic singularity to their late-modernist and postmodernist structures. At this time, architects were not taught much about interior or lighting design—the techniques for generating emotional responses from occupants of interiors.
As well as working with the best architects of his own generation, George employed two younger generations of talented young architects and designers. Their fresh eyes and drafting training helped him to win professional recognition as an ‘interior architect’ worthy of commendation from the notoriously designer-dismissive Royal Australian Institute of Architects. His several lectures at Tusculum, the institute’s Sydney headquarters, were well-attended and his international scholarship was appreciated. For example, he introduced younger architects to the sophisticated spatial concepts, optical tricks, and antiquities wonders of Sir John Soane’s house-museum at Lincolns Inn Fields in London. Its curators kindly provided George with a sample for one of his favourite paint colours: a subtle shade of yellow mixed for Soane by the maritime painter J.M.W. Turner. Many Sydney architects and connoisseurs made pilgrimages to Soane’s house after hearing about it from George, or one of his staff.
George’s social success stemmed from his exceptionally handsome and casually elegant appearance (Latino meets the Ivy League). Although naturally reticent in conversation, he was appreciated for his sophisticated cultural knowledge and sardonic, sometimes saucy, remarks. He dined regularly with restaurateur client-friends and some of Sydney’s most opinionated influencers—including Paul Keating, Leo Schofield and John Alexander during the 1990s. His city homes were glamorous, yet he lived with a simple domestic routine of walking the dogs, cooking delicious meals and teacakes for visitors, and celebrating any excuse with a classic American-modern cocktail (negronis were a favourite).
He also enjoyed occasional turns of self-irony and doses of retro kitsch. For example, in the early 1990s, he cooked a three-course lunch with 40-year-old recipes from the 1954 Alice B. Toklas Cookbook (many using canned vegetables). Spoofing his reputation as one of Sydney’s most fashionable gourmands, George prepped this spread at Danesbank, his farmhouse near Milton, for publication as a Belle lifestyle article. It was a typically marvellous shoot … ending not with Toklas’s famous hashish fudge but with flaming amaretti wrappers evaporating in the twilight as we shared spiked coffees and happy vibes in the planters’ chairs on his verandah.
Peter O’Brien, Husband
Sydney design in the 60s was burgeoning, slowly. George was given a proposal brief to “internationalise” Sydney, Australia for a significant commercial firm. He completed the brief for firm. He also fell in love, stayed then continued to evolve the design culture, sophisticated Sydney and beyond. Then he inspired many designers to add to the legacy. Now Sydney, Australia has a much firmer grip on design, particularly modern design, and many people during this progression adored him.
Descriptors
The following descriptors are in no particular order and summarises the final twelve years of appreciative experiences I had with George. The focus is on detail and attempts to avoid emotion.
In terms of appearance, other than what has already be written, he had a large collection of striped coloured socks that often drew attention. He was very approachable and friendly. People would relax and engage easily with him. Many that knew him might remember his thick round rimmed black glasses. It gave him character and referenced some greats. He later got surgery and no longer required reading glasses. He was handsome so adding a colourful clothing ensemble made him get a lot of positive attention. He was also known for wearing bow ties at formal events that is a family tradition. He also had a recognisable contagious laugh.
George would say “life keeps getting better” and meant it. He would encourage students to have attitudes to work really hard learning and mastering their design craft. There were no loopholes, you had to work hard and know your materials. George had an optimistic attitude and a humour that was not mean toward others it was clean.
George had routine behaviours though would also try new things. He swam from McKenzies beach to Bronte, snow skied, paraglided, and completed a five day horse trek through Banff National park. He did all of this in his seventies. He also made some recipes that he had been doing since his twenties. In addition, he nurtured two continuing Scottish Terriers simultaneously for nearly forty years. George was self aware and self composed. His could also be considered eccentric… but in a good way.
George did not need much sleep and could easily operate on four hours per night. His demeanour was calm and seemed to operate at a meta-cognitive level. I assume through years of working with buildings contractors you need to be patient and understand all parties. He explained that being charming is a better experience for all
George had a deep vocabulary and could use words that ponder and ignite in terms of descriptions. His accent may have changed a little in the forty seven years in Sydney though I heard a New Yorker accent. He had been involved in book groups in the past where people read aloud to small intimate groups. He had eloquence and a pace when he spoke. He could properly express or unfold a topic.
When George was relaxed he often could become a little dreamy. He could be encapsulated by something and nearly disoriented with his surrounds. He could use his imagination to describe ideals, fantasies, painting and vivid descriptions. It was engrossing. Also on a whim he could conjure a fun story or detailed imaginative ideas. He had conviction with his own thinking but was also able to adapt then create.
George had an acute sensory perception. He had been colloquially described as Australia’s best Colourist. His capacity to either immediate reject or see a possibility was well versed. He saw combinations and dared peoples sensitivities. This was perhaps what Australia needed in the seventies, eighties, and beyond in terms of opening them up to design options. Biege paint was not something George would approve of, it was considered pedestrian and boring. An easy to access example of George dynamic colour schemes is the Queen Victoria Building. You may find the vivid colour scheme can be challenging at first but then the experience collaborates with confidence.
At times he would meditate. Apparently in the 1960’s he practised Transcendental meditation in London with his then partner, Ronald Vance. As a result of this practise he seemed he was able to tune out and tune in to whatever was the new rhythm of events.
George enjoyed sensory experiences. He relished them. He routinely went to the opera and symphonies, he described swimming in deep water as being like gelatin, Mr Lincoln was his favourite rose to smell, he melted with delight when he digested ice cream. He was well aware what pleased his senses. In terms of perception he also had an education of how to see and operate in a Bauhaus appreciation.
George could speak some French, Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch and English. He was very aware and conscious of his environment. He could orient himself and look at designs and see potential faults and where to exaggerate, quickly. He had an impressive memory and was able to recall important information as well as pronounce complicated details appropriately.
In terms of ones capacity to determine if something was of good design or not, George could discriminate quickly. Known for attempting to reassure something inferior; he may have made comments like“it has to be good of its kind”. He could determine a good book after reading a few pages, know the quality of the film when testing out the first few scenes. While George had been considered hyper-critical by some, his sound judgement as well as charisma was pinnacle to a long, successful, exciting career and colourful life.
Danesbank
It’s been written that this was his retreat before and it’s accurate. He was at peace with pealing wallpaper in the sitting room. It wasn’t ugly at all, it was ornate and seeing it age had charisma. Danesbank allowed him time to recharge and he did some amazing drawings while in this peaceful mode. Having guests was a treat and an intimate way to explore new conversations in a peaceful environment. Danesbank and George had a long term relationship, one that I got to experience for a few years. The property was sold in 2007 to a banker. It can now be leased on weekends. We regrettably stayed one night afterwards however. The garden had died and invasive weeds were looming. The property lost it’s Freedman glow but will hopefully be loved in years to come.
Family history
His Father was a colourist in New York at a leading paint manufacturing company. His mother was an accountant with solid attention to detail. His brother worked in clothing materials of varying textures. George was proud of his older brother, Sidney, for providing all of their six children with a university education. After this he got his wife, Nancy, a fur coat. George jovially explained the fur coat was an easier and happier ending to this commitment.
His father had once simultaneously ridden three horses what is formally known as a ‘Troika’ (Russian harness driving combination, seen in Persona photos). George advised his Father was a quiet man. George told a story of being a child and once feeling guilt. He had been making a dress in their basement on a sewing machine. His father discovered him and did not chastise him for doing something feminine. He did say if you’re going to make a dress then you will need to do it beautifully and helped him complete the piece. Demonstrating to George an acceptance and support as well as an appreciation for an artistic endeavour.
Food
Ice cream, chicken liver pate, cherry pie, celeriac, peach cardinal, fried tomato’s with cream and saffron… is a lean beginning of Georges cooking repertoire. He predominately cooked French (Alice B Toklas, Julia Child), Italian (Marcella Hazan), Jewish (Claudia Roden) and classic American (eg. Juniors Deli 49th St New York, Martha Stewart, Craig Claiborne).
Preferred Cocktails
- Friday night, Martini (be aware that a classic martini is always gin and vermouth, not vodka) - he did not like alterations of this classic drink
- Saturday lunch, Negroni - best garnished with a slice of blood orange. Large glass, ice to the brim. It was permissible to dilute the spirits with fresh blood orange juice... but not too much for G
- Manhattan - for the cooler seasons
- White Angel - when in Fiji
- Martini most enjoyed - Gotham Bar and Grill, New York
Kevin Jarrett, Founder of Space Furniture, Artes Studios / Arredorama, Space
What a man, what a person, what a designer!! So many great memories of what we had together.
George designed my first house on Camp Cove Beach - sophisticated, casual, beautiful colours from George’s imagination and style. The Knoll Studio space in my Glebe showroom where the brief was to create something really different and that clients would never forget - from the carpet to the walls to ceiling and colour, again his Magic was realised with sloping walls that looked like a ‘just a kaleidoscope that’s all‘ he said!
We did so so so many projects together. His modern style will never be forgotten. Deeply rooted from his Knoll training days in New York, he bought the word ‘Special Interiors and Colour‘ to Sydney when started with MFA studios. We had never seen this before!
The earlier years, I could say we pioneered modern design together in Sydney with his special language of design that just did not exist here then, and producing always classical unforgettable interiors. Mies, Le Corbusier, Eames, Thonet, Breuer, Macintosh, Sapper, Florence Knoll, Saarinen were his true mentors and masters. Products were very difficult to get in the early late 70’s and early 80’s, but somehow we did it and it all worked beautifully.
I used to call him ‘the private university of design‘, as he taught and mentored so many young talented designers that went through his studio and all of them became amazing respected designers of today, always with a sense of George’s style, classic and timeless.
We used to travel to Italy together a fair bit, especially to the Salone del Mobile in Milan and we always seem to get separated as George would go off looking at the exhibition through an eye of minute detail, more than me - and I was a furniture man. That evening with a glass of wine or two or …. he would download what his expression of what he enjoyed that day, talking about proportion, lines, design, integration, colours and style that only he could talk about, in his amazing way with that American accent that always was wonderful to listen to.
In 1990 we both went to have classes on giving up our 2-3 pack a day of Gauloises Gitanes habit. Did it work? I don't know, but we always had fun at dinner, after the classes with a cigarette of course!
He was a great friend who was always the man of detail. He will never be forgotten as one of Australia's true design pioneers and icon of design!!
God bless you George forever ….
John Engelen, Australian Architectural and Design Community. De De Ce Furniture
George Freedman was one of Sydney’s most admired interior designers. Working fluidly within the corporate, commercial retail and residential architectural context, George Freedman occupies a a unique position within architecture and interior design in Sydney. He is a lover of vivid, varied and inventive colours. However whilst he is often stereotyped as a gifted colourist, with skill in the formulation of distinctive palettes, he also demonstrates a selective ability to manipulate essential form. Freedman’s early work in Sydney was mainly commissioned by corporate customers, but he quickly established a reputation and wide connections. He has the ability and courage to reinvent himself with each new project. With this rare talent a multitude of spaces have found their realisation. George has developed an inimitable approach to interior design over the past 45 years years, recognisable for its relentless attention to detail, inventive use of materials and commitment to creating spatial interventions rather than merely applying surface decoration. He has now orchestrated numerous commissions across varied design typologies, each maintaining a paramount standard.
Few Australian interior designers and architects have realised such a legacy, and fortunately his conjuring of space continues to materialise in enchanting, idiomatic clarity. George Freedman’s work on the State Bank project id classified in Australian design folklore as one of the seminal moments in corporate design in this country. It is a masterpiece in complexity and ingenuity of corporate interior design. The State Bank interiors are still regarded as Sydney’s most extravagant interior fit-out – and the industry was very disappointed when they are replaced by subsequent tenants. In 1988 Tony Bilson opened an a la carte restaurant in the newly renovated Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay West. Aimed at a more affluent and touristic market than Bilson’s previous projects, the new restaurant was designed by George Freedman. What used to be Australia’s immigration/customs checkpoint (comparable to New York’s Ellis Island) was, in the 1950s, converted into a “gateway-to-Sydney” port for passenger liners. The delightful panorama of Bilson’s Restaurant, materials compliment the spatial hierarchy developed from the cylindrical foyer through a sensuous passage which leads to the crescendo of the split level dining area, with its brightly audacious cabinetry mirrored in the ceiling, presenting stunning views of Circular Quay. George is recognisable for his relentless attention to detail, inventive use of materials and commitment to creating spatial interventions rather than merely applying surface decoration. The interplay of element and material is worked to enhance the qualities of the spaces beyond merely satisfying the brief: and joinery is crafted with elegant exactitude within specific guidelines of proportion and tactility. “We felt amazement that an apartment in this category could be so indifferent – it was bland and vulgar at the same time.” Beige carpets and cream walls throughout, flimsy-looking internal doors, a white marble staircase with chrome balustrade and timber handrail, a nasty jagged arrangement of walls and doors on the back wall of the living room with doors directly opening to the powder room, electrical cupboards and other service areas. “There was no sense of calm, the room was not at rest,” says Freedman. “The clients brief was to, make it warm,” says Freedman. “We made it welcoming and colourful and immediately accessible.” And so what was initially planned as a library just inside the front door is now a sitting room with a pair of burnt orange Luna sofa beds covered in pink satin and blue and purple corduroy cushions; two wardrobes contained in a wall unit; spotted Akari floor lamp in one comer and a wall completely covered in colourful decorative masks from around the world. It also gives an idea of .the tone of the rest of the two-storey apartment – it’s practical, colourful and flexible, it mixes classics with new and not necessarily known pieces, it’s not precious.“You’ve got to have fun,” says Freedman. “Serious design can be painful.”
Amy Ripley, Journalist, Sydney Morning Herald
Always discreet, he maintained an enviable private client list that included prominent members of Sydney's business and entertainment communities. "He's very clever with the colour palette … In the drawing room everything was green – carpet, curtains, furniture, everything - you stepped into this room and it was like moving into a dream. That's his talent, he's able to create feeling," said Ian Oatley, son of Bob Oatley, speaking about Freedman's design of the family's country home. Freedman kept his clients at the centre of the design process, always aiming to exceed their expectations. "Every interior is dictated by who the client is, and what their needs in the brief are. Every interior is unique,"Freedman was a Fellow of the Academy of Design Australia and the Design Institute of Australia. He enjoyed mentoring the young designers who worked with him, many of whom are now some of Australia's leading architects including William MacMahon, Sam Marshall, Robert Puflett and Andrew Stanic. "It has given me great pleasure, because there has been lots of lovely interaction. It's like watching flowers grow – seeing people develop into full bloom," he told Monument magazine in 1995. In later years, Freedman and his husband, Peter O'Brien, a psychologist, and their two Scottish terrier dogs lived in an elegant Sydney apartment. Beautifully decorated, it was filled with original furniture by Le Corbusier , Eames, Mies van der Rohe and Florence Knoll and art by Peter Kingston, Dick Watkins and Freedman himself hung on the walls. "I wanted to make a comfortable home for Peter and the dogs," he says. "A home of absolute simplicity, pared down to the design basics. I think I've achieved that,"