The British designer who revolutionised retail and decor, Sir Terence Conran, has died.

Best known as the founder of Habitat, he brought modern style and simplicity to UK homes in the 1960s and later helped found the Design Museum.

 

His empire would go on to span restaurants, architecture and household retail brands, but it was for his accessible and fashionable furniture, interiors and homeware that he remains best-known.

 

After started his career in the late 1940s, he soon became a household name as one of the key designers of the swinging '60s by pioneering flat-pack furniture and helping to lower the prices of his cutting-edge designs.

 

Heavily influenced by continental European styles, he set up his own furniture studio after studying textile design and joined an architectural firm in 1950 before working on the Festival of Britain in 1951.

 

His ambitious and wide-ranging approach to design and business became clear as he set up furniture workshop, a French-inspired restaurant and a coffee shop which eventually led him to form the Conran Design Group.

 

The company also designed interiors and retail spaces, including a shop for pioneering '60s fashion designer Quant. He opened the first Habitat store on the Fulham Road in 1964, selling taste-making and trend-setting furniture, art, home and cookery products to a burgeoning young clientele who wanted to break from drab post-war austerity.

 

It rapidly expanded across the UK, and he went on to take over Mothercare and British Home Stores, as well as running other ventures, such as his extensive and influential restaurant business - including Bibendum and Quaglino's - and The Conran Shop.

He also wrote numerous books about design and food.

 

A family statement said: "He was a visionary who enjoyed an extraordinary life and career that revolutionised the way we live in Britain."

 

His sons Jasper and Sebastian both became designers, while his other three children - Tom, Sophie and Ned - by his third wife, food writer Caroline, have forged successful careers in the creative sector, notably in food writing and as restaurateurs.

 

The statement also said: "He was adored by his family and friends and we will miss him dearly."

 

He was 88.