Rennie Mackintosh is probably Scotland's most famous architect and designer. He worked mainly between 1890 and 1910 designing buildings, interior decoration and furniture. Today, artists and designers are still inspired by his work, and there is a global market in Mackintosh-style goods.

A Lifetime's Work
Mackintosh created a fairly small number of buildings, mainly in Glasgow, but he designed every last detail; lights, window frames, mirrors, clocks and even cutlery. He created stunning effects with delicate colour schemes and a clever use of light and space.

You may already know some of his buildings;

• Glasgow School of Art 1896-99, 1907-1909
  His best known building takes up a whole city-centre block. The symmetrical (the same on both sides) design is balanced around a simple, attractive entrance.

• The Lighthouse 1893-95
  Once the offices of the Glasgow Herald newspaper, the Lighthouse is now home to the Centre for Architecture, Design and the City.

• The Hill House, Helensburgh
  Find out more about this elegant family home further on.

  

• The Willow Tea Rooms, Sauchiehall Street
  Customers still take tea in the rooms and interiors which Mackintosh designed for Kate Cranston, the proprietor of a chain of tea rooms in Glasgow.

Light and Space
Mackintosh brought a fresh approach to architecture. In his designs for buildings and their interiors, he mixed Scottish baronial architecture (castles and tower houses) with Japanese shapes and the fluidity of Art Nouveau design. He also drew on Celtic art, geometry and nature. His use of light and space created dramatic effects.

Goodbye to Glasgow
Sadly, Mackintosh's work was not as popular in his own lifetime as it is now. He eventually gave up architecture and moved to France where he turned his artistic talents to watercolour painting.

The Hill House, Helensburgh - Built 1902-1904
The Hill House was designed and built from scratch for Walter Blackie, the Glasgow book publisher. Blackie admired Mackintosh's work, and wanted him to design everything for his new home.

Although it was a designer home, Mackintosh believed that a house was for living in.

On the building, he used grey slates and harled walls to give a Scottish feel. Inside, however, there is a clear Japanese influence mixed with the Art Nouveau style. He used many of his favourite motifs here and the furniture was made to his designs. Above all, his careful use of colour, texture and light created a home which was beautiful to look at, and practical to live in.

	Ladder of Success Mackintosh's most famous designs include the ladder-back chair, and the geometric rose motif. Today, his motifs are used on glasses, pottery, jewellery, textiles, cutlery, mousemats, fridge magnets and countless other products. Mackintosh-style furniture is found all over the world, and the Mackintosh industry is worth millions. Q: Are there any Mackintosh designs in your own home? Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh's wife Margaret was a very talented artist and interior designer. She created unique and beautiful artworks from gesso (plaster of Paris) and other textures. She worked with Mackintosh on many of his interior designs using stencils, metal, fabrics, oils and watercolours.

Glossary

Art Nouveau
A decorative form of art popular developed between 1890 and 1910, using mainly curved shapes, lines and elegant flourishes.

Harled
A mixture of lime, clay and pebbles creating a protective outer surface to stone or brick walls.