Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style
Charles Rennie Mackintosh created one of the most distinctive design languages of the early twentieth century. His work sits between Arts & Crafts and modernism, and it still looks fresh more than a hundred years later.
The architect from Glasgow
Mackintosh (1868–1928) was born in Glasgow and trained as an architect while studying in the evenings at the Glasgow School of Art. There he met Margaret Macdonald, her sister Frances and Herbert MacNair. Together they became known as "The Four", and their mix of architecture, metalwork, embroidery and painting became the heart of what is now called the Glasgow Style.
Key buildings
- Glasgow School of Art (1897–1909). His masterpiece, built in two phases. Its library was badly damaged by fire in 2014, and the building was gutted by a second fire in 2018.
- Hill House, Helensburgh (1902–04). A family home for the publisher Walter Blackie, designed down to the furniture and light fittings.
- The Willow Tearooms (1903). Designed for the Glasgow businesswoman Kate Cranston, with its famous high-backed chairs and the silvered "Salon de Luxe".
Mackintosh drew a rose as a few confident curves and squares. It is ornament reduced to its essence.
The Glasgow rose and other motifs
The most famous motif of the Glasgow Style is the stylised rose: a flower built from circles and spirals, often in pink or purple against white. Alongside it you will find tall, elongated lines, small grids of squares, and strong contrasts between light, airy rooms and dark, enclosing ones. Margaret Macdonald's gesso panels and textiles were central to these interiors, and Mackintosh himself said that she had genius while he only had talent.
Bringing the Glasgow Style home
The style rewards a light touch. Choose a ceiling rose with stylised, geometric petals, keep surrounding walls pale, and add one or two pieces of dark timber or lilac and rose colour. Vertical lines, such as tall panelling or narrow mirrors, complete the look. See our Botanical & Art Nouveau and ceiling rose collections.
Good to know
Common questions
What is the Glasgow Style?
The Glasgow Style was Scotland's version of Art Nouveau, developed in the 1890s and 1900s around the Glasgow School of Art. Led by 'The Four', Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Margaret and Frances Macdonald and Herbert MacNair, it combined elongated vertical lines, small square grids and the stylised Glasgow rose.
What are Charles Rennie Mackintosh's most famous buildings?
His best-known works are the Glasgow School of Art (1897 to 1909), badly damaged by fires in 2014 and 2018; the Hill House in Helensburgh, built for the publisher Walter Blackie; and the Willow Tearooms in Glasgow, opened in 1903 for Kate Cranston, famous for their high-backed chairs.
What is the Mackintosh rose?
The Mackintosh or Glasgow rose is a stylised flower built from circles, spirals and a few confident curves, often in pink or purple on a white ground. It appears in stained glass, stencilling, textiles and furniture throughout Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald's interiors and has become the emblem of the Glasgow Style.
Sources
References and further reading
Harvard style. Web pages were checked on the access date shown.
- Crawford, A. (1995) Charles Rennie Mackintosh. London: Thames and Hudson.
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society (n.d.) Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Available at: www.crmsociety.com/about-mackintosh/charles-rennie-mackin... (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society (n.d.) Margaret Macdonald. Available at: www.crmsociety.com/about-mackintosh/the-four/margaret-mac... (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- The Glasgow School of Art (n.d.) The Mackintosh Building. Available at: themackintoshbuilding.co.uk/ (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
- National Trust for Scotland (n.d.) The Hill House. Available at: www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/the-hill-house (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
How to cite this article
van Locke, J. (2026) ‘Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style’, The Flare Journal. Flare Studio UK. Available at: https://flarestudio.uk/blogs/journal/charles-rennie-mackintosh-glasgow-style (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
Shop the style
