Which Beatle designed furniture?
An unlikely side gig
Not Paul — a keen painter and decorator. Nor John, who preferred lying on couches to designing them. George didn’t spend his me-time thinking about interior decor. When he was not doing big picture meaning of life stuff he was more a mess-about-with-motorbikes kind of guy.
That just leaves the young man brought up in a borderline slum without an interior toilet. Richard Starkey did not experience reasonable accommodation until his early 20s — the dives he stayed Hamburg and on the road were not an upgrade on the back-to-back terrace that was 10 Admiral Terrace, Dingle.
The success of The Beatles changed everything, of course. From not having the proverbial pot, Ringo now had the cash to buy any house he desired. For his first property, he followed the template set by George and John, buying a suburban mansion the Surrey stockbroker belt.
Acid tongues noted that Sunny Heights was a prime example of the much derided ‘mock Tudor’ — a sure marker of the nouveau riche.
So far, so Graceland but it was here that Ringo showed the first signs of his distinctive approach to interior design. Naturally gregarious and enthused by goal of creating a hospitable environment to entertain their many pals, the Starkeys carried out extensive renovations during the three years they lived in Weybridge.
Going directly against what they perceived to be the suburban ethos, they aspired to stand out in rather fit into the neighbourhood — to put their stamp on the property, as estate agents like to say. Ringo even teamed up with a builder Barry Patience to co-own the Brickey Building Company.
Their additions were not typical of the hipster interior design set. One was converting some of the space into a bar called The Flying Cow, complete with dartboard and optics. But by they were running short of potential darts partners, as friends moved back to London.
The departure of Cynthia Lennon was a particular blow for Maureen. And whichever way you sliced it, Weybridge was not Laurel Canyton and The Beatles were not stockbrokers. Both John and Ringo were heading for the exit from Surry suburbia. The former would be heading for north America, the latter — initially, at least — for north London.
Hampstead Chic
In 1968 Apple Corp was founded. The Beatles were advised by their accountants to use this as a vehicle for investments to offset a marginal a tax rate of 90%. This lead to some wacky projects (buying a Greek island being on eye-popping endeavour) but there were practical outcomes.
Designer Robin Cruikshank was doing work for Apple in 1969 at a time when the Starkeys were making their house move. Ringo was impressed by Cruikshank’s steel and glass work and invited him to designing some pieces for his new Hampstead/Highgate home.
The two men got on so well that they formed a company ROH — with Starr/Starkey owning 51% to Cruickshank’s 49%. Admittedly, Ringo’s investment was in relative terms small change dropped down his soon to be discarded old school sofa but it was another indication of the depth of his new interest
Ringo’s design contribution is unclear — he had no formal training but seems to have provided conceptual ideas — one being inspired by a visit to his local car showroom. Why not set the grille of a Rolls Royce into a stainless steel table? Make it so, guys
The former was also a laconic front man for the company, making a famous TV appearance on the BBC’s flagship children’s show, Blue Peter.
Quite how many kids wanted to spend their pocket money on a steel and glass shelf-unit is unclear. Parental eyebrows might have been raised by the easy access to cocktails, however elegant.
ROH specialised in designing eclectic luxury pieces many of them using stainless steel until 1986. It survived long after the majority shareholder took his steel tubes off to America, though presumably his participation was less active in those long-off days before email and Zoom conferences
The company was reasonably successful, though not every customer was entirely satisfied. Hell-raising Harry Nillson ordered two etched glass mirrors for the bathroom of his party-time London pad. He was pleased with the tasteful oak tree on one but the hangman’s noose? That was pushing his luck with the Big Guy.
Ringo continued to design pieces after ROR including a Ring O Rug for Axminster Ege in 1988. And of all the Beatle side-hustles it was one of the most successful — not ruinous like the Apple Shop nor entirely non-functioning like Magic Alec’s not so magical new studio.
Ringo, as ever, did his own quirky thing, always keeping us entertained in the process. And if you’re in the market for Metal & Timber Side Table a modest ($2,950.00) will still make it yours.
