The Visionary Heritage of Cope & Cabrera

A Century of Spatial Mastery

Steeped in a century-old heritage, Cope & Cabrera becomes the latest incarnation of an elite British design house—creating visionary interior architecture, that represents the absolute pinnacle of bespoke British design. Founded nearly one hundred years ago by Gary Cope’s grandfather, the design house has spent generations quietly shaping the private worlds of an elite, hyper-selective global clientele. Today, with Gary at the helm, the firm represents a continuous three-generation bridge of artistic innovation, master craftsmanship and unparalleled spatial elegance.

While the house has orchestrated exquisite spaces for numerous notable figures over the decades, its most profound and enduring creative symbiosis began in the golden age of mid-century cinema.

The Hepburn Commission: A Private Design World Revealed

The culmination of a historic chapter for the design house arrived in 1953—the monumental year Audrey Hepburn became an overnight international sensation, capturing the hearts of millions and earning an Academy Award for her performance in Roman Holiday. It was in this very same year that Gary’s grandfather completed the landmark commission to transform Ms. Hepburn’s private residence in Mayfair, London—establishing an intimate aesthetic world for the rising star. This close professional collaboration and deep personal kinship flourished for nearly two decades, extending through the 1960s to include her palatial, sun-drenched villa in Marbella, Spain. To this day, he remains celebrated as Audrey Hepburn’s only British interior designer.

The Birth of a Monumental Archive

It was out of this decades-long professional trust and shared aesthetic philosophy that an extraordinary collection was quietly amassed. Passing down through the family lineage, this unique assemblage has evolved into what is universally recognised today as one of the most significant private Audrey Hepburn collections in existence.

Amongst this deeply personal archive are original, hand-drawn mid-century interior designs, rare historical photographs and an array of remarkable, never-before-seen artefacts. Hidden within the collection is the actual lipstick used by Ms. Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s—a flawless, physical touchstone of a cultural phenomenon that helped define a style icon and shape an entire era of global fashion.

A Decade-Long Labour of Love: The Art of Conservation

For the best part of half a century, this priceless cultural archive remained completely out of the public eye, resting securely within a private storage facility. Preserving mid-century materials of such immense historical weight, however, presented a monumental challenge. The artifacts required extensive, highly sensitive restoration alongside a rigorous, multi-year process of preventive conservation.

What began as a projected 24-month archival effort quickly evolved into a meticulous, decade-long journey of absolute precision. As Gary reflects: “I really didn’t know quite what I was taking on. What began as a straightforward project expanded into nearly ten years of painstaking preservation work where the standard had to be flawless. It has truly been a labour of love. And whilst the end is still not in sight, we feel the time is right for some of these deeply personal, treasured pieces to tell their own magnificent story”.

The 2027 Debut: The Private Hepburn Collection Unveiled

To mark a century of design house heritage and the successful culmination of this epic preservation journey, Cope & Cabrera is proud to announce a historic milestone. Preparing for its highly anticipated global debut in 2027, the design house will present a series of immersive, high-end experiential exhibitions.

Featuring an array of exquisite, never-before-seen items—including the original 1951 design schemes of Ms. Hepburn’s Mayfair home—this exhibition offers an elite cultural event. For the first time since the cameras stopped rolling, the vault is opening, allowing the world an exclusive, unprecedented glimpse into the private aesthetic world of a true Hollywood legend.