Vernon Mark 1927-2015

Vernon Mark was one of the original members of the IDDA and maintained his membership throughout his career as a designer and then consultant with Charles Hammond Ltd, a major company in the post-war interior design world. 

Vernon was born as Werner Mark in the central German city of Magdeburg on 1st April 1927. The Germany of the 1930's under the  Nazi Party was not a place for Jews to stay in. His parents managed to get his brother Erich out in January 1935 and a couple of years later Vernon, aged 10, left the day after the infamous ‘kristallnacht’, as one of the children in the ‘kindertransport’. The same day, his father was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. He never saw his parents again.

Werner soon became Vernon and was looked after by a Mrs Collard, a Christian lady in Worthing throughout the war.  She insisted on his getting a Jewish education and her merits were recognised after the war as one of the ‘Just of Nations.’   Vernon’s experiences then contributed to his desire and insistence on becoming a British citizen, rather than remaining a Jewish refugee. He became completely British for the rest of his life.

In Worthing he showed some of the artistic talents inherited from his father and started as a 15 year old junior at Jordan and Cooks, one of Worthing’s main furniture and household stores before moving to London and becoming an assistant at Charles Hammond Ltd  in Sloane Street. There, he rose through the ranks as an interior designer and many years later transferred to the Wholesale business which represented several fabric companies and furniture makers. During that time he opened up a thriving export business for the company. Vernon was also responsible for colouring many of the classic chintzes and other fabrics in the Charles Hammond ranges .

From the early days of Decorex , Vernon represented Charles Hammond on the advisory board and became a director of Decorex International in 1983. He worked tirelessly in that role, visiting shows and manufacturers in the UK and abroad, encouraging the best suppliers to be part of the exhibition.

Apart from his work, Vernon loved travel and music and had a particular interest in getting young people to appreciate classical works, taking them, at his expense, to many concerts and supporting academic scholarships. He had a delightful sense of humour and he will be remembered for his often excruciating ad lib puns and jokes.

In the last couple of years he suffered from dementia.  These years were spent in the Sunrise Care Home at Sevenoaks where, in addition to the splendid staff, his niece Sandra and her family  looked after him until he died in July, aged 88.