Charlotte Fiell (b.1965) is one of the world's bestselling design authors. As a leading authority of the history, theory, and criticism of design, she has written and edited nearly 70 books on all aspects of design—from physical products and transportation to visual communications and the digital realm—which have been translated into over 20 languages.
Fiell initially studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, before studying history of art at the British Institute, Florence and then later at Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts, London, where she received a BA (Hons) in the History of Drawing and Printmaking with Material Science. She later trained with Sotheby’s Educational Studies, also in London. In 1988, she co-founded with her husband, Peter, a pioneering design gallery on King's Road in London, specialising in very high-end mid-century furniture, which was subsequently widely acknowledged to have introduced a new level of professionalism to the field.
Two years later the couple co-wrote and published their first book "Modern Furniture Classics since 1945", which became an international bestseller and was required reading for all AIA architect students in the USA. Unusually, Charlotte has throughout her career in publishing helped to art direct the layout design of the majority of the books published under her name, which explains their defining simple-yet-bold look. From 1993 to 2007, Fiell was the Editor-in-Charge for design books at the German publishing house, Taschen GmbH, and during that period she, along with her husband, edited/authored 32 titles, including: "1000 Chairs", "Design of the 20th Century", "Industrial Design A-Z", "Scandinavian Design", "Decorative Art" series (six volumes), and "Domus 1928-1999" (twelve-volume set).
In 2008, the couple established their own imprint, which later merged with the Carlton Publishing Group. Notable titles by Charlotte Fiell published either by Fiell Publishing or Goodman Fiell during this period include "Masterpieces of Italian Design," "Masterpieces of British Design", "Fashion – Ultimate Sourcebook" series (4 volumes), "Hairstyles: Ancient to Present", and the landmark "The Story of Design" — the latter of which Charlotte describes as their "magnum opus" and which was astonishingly written in just five months. During the 2010s, Charlotte also worked as a Special Projects Ambassador for the London-based art book publisher, Laurence King, which resulted in number of self-authored titles, including the highly acclaimed, "Women in Design – From Aino Aalto to Eva Zeisel" which she co-wrote with her daughter, Clementine, a London-based writer, editor, and researcher.
More recent titles by Charlotte (which she has co-authored with her husband Peter) include "Ultimate Collector Cars" and "Ultimate Collector Motorcycles"—both published by Taschen to widespread praise among the auto press. Since 2013, Charlotte has lived in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds, drawn by its associations with the British Arts and Crafts Movement, where she is a long-term trustee of Court Barn Museum. She has lectured widely all over the world, as well as having been a visiting lecturer of design history and theory at Central Saint Martins (UAL), London, Nottingham Trent University and China Academy of Arts, Hangzhou. Charlotte and her husband have also acted as design and publishing consultants to various well-known designers and design studios, design-led manufacturers, corporate groups, and national design organisations and institutions.
Charlotte Fiell's publications on architecture, design, and fashion have been hailed as milestones in the illustrated book industry and are considered standard works of reference among teaching institutions, design professionals, dealers, collectors, and auction houses worldwide.
