User:This is Paul/Guy Oliver (designer)

Guy Thomas Oliver is a British interior designer and company director based in London and New York. Together with his company, Oliver Laws, he has worked on the restoration, refurbishment and redecoration of some of the United Kingdom's most historic and important landmarks. These include London's Connaught Hotel, Claridge's and the State Rooms of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister.

Early life and career
Born in Nottinghamshire, Oliver was raised in Scotland after his family relocated there. He was educated at Stirling High School, then joined the Royal Navy as an Officer Cadet at the age of 17. After attending Britannia Royal Naval College he was posted to HMS Tamar in Hong Kong, and later took part in an exchange scheme with the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Oliver studied Architectural and Design History at the University of Edinburgh where he received a Masters Degree, then earned a practical architectural diploma from The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture, graduating with distinction. He trained at Sybil Colefax and John Fowler Ltd, and also worked alongside Michael Inchbald.

After working on a number of solo projects, he joined David Laws Designs Ltd as a Co-Director and Partner in 1994. He assumed ownership of the company in 2000 and the name changed to Oliver Laws Ltd. Oliver has worked on a broad range of national and international projects, including Claridge’s Hotel in London (where he is the resident expert), Bryanston Court (the former home of Wallis Simpson), and the Princeton Club of New York. His work (and that of his company) has been featured in several publications, including Architectural Digest, Country Life,House and Garden, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and the Evening Standard. He has written articles for Country Life, while House and Garden have included him in their "100 Leading Interior Designers" since 2002.

As well as his design work, Oliver has lectured on design at Sotheby's, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, as well as the Inchbald School of Design and the KLC School of Design. He was featured as the interior designer in '"The Genuine Article"', a television series presented by Gordon Elliott on the Fine Living Network

Personal life
His father, Ian Oliver, is a former police officer, and Chief Constable of Grampian Police. He is the brother of Craig Oliver, the Director of Communications for the British Government.

He is a member of BIID (the British Institute of Interior Design), the National Trust, the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings, the Furniture History Society, the Georgian Group and the 20th Century Society. Additionally, he is a director of the UK Pattern Archive, a charity, which he helped establish with the purpose of preserving document textiles and wallpapers electronically, for educational purposes.

He us a supporter if the Prince of Wales’s charitable projects. He helped to establish a school of traditional arts in Afghanistan, and supports a similar cultural initiative in Zimbabwe, the Aid to Zimbabwe Trust. He is an active committee member of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, and previously served on the Youth Committee of the NACF (National Arts Collection Fund), as well as being a volunteer for the homeless charity Shelter.