Cressida Bell, born in 1959, is a successful designer and illustrator specializing in textiles and interiors. She studied fashion and textile design at St. Martins School of Art and the Royal College of Art. In her studio in London she designs accessories for men and women as well as decorative cakes, and objects and textiles for the home.
Bell characterizes her style as "meticulous and highly decorative." She draws on a variety of influences including Indian and African sources, and has long been inspired by her Bloomsbury forebears. She is a direct descendant of major members of the Bloomsbury group: her grandmother was the artist Vanessa Bell and her grandfather the critic Clive Bell; her great-aunt the author Virginia Woolf; her father the critic, author and artist Quentin Bell. Her visits to Charleston, her grandmother’s home, exposed Cressida Bell to paintings, wall murals, stained glass and textiles all designed by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, forming lasting impact on her work.
Cressida Bell authored a book, Cressida Bell: The Decorative Painter, published in 1996, and she has taught various courses on design Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, books and television programs. She has designed interiors for private individuals as well as corporations, including Zoo Studios, a recording studio in London. She has also designed scarves for the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.