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News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 21, 2019
THE HOMESPUN BEAUTY AND HISTORY OF ANTIQUE FRENCH LINENS CHARMED THIS VERMONT HOMEOWNER, WHO USED THEM TO CRAFT HER HOME’S UNIQUE DECOR—AND HER HER LIVELIHOOD.
WHEN WENDY LEWIS HAD HER SON, ETHAN, AND 18 months later her daughter, Innogen, she was overcome with such a profound feeling of love that she vowed to surround them with beauty and history. But the photographer and amateur genealogist didn’t know precisely how she would express her love tangibly until she pulled a piece of 18th-century printed cotton from a pile of textiles at an antiques store in the French countryside. “It was as if the heavens opened up with an answer,” Wendy says. “It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen other than my children. I thought, This is it. What do I have to do to be involved in this?” Today, as the owner of Textile Trunk, Wendy works from her home in Charlotte, Vermont, and imports thousands of vintage French textiles every year then sells them online or at the Brimfield (Massachusetts) Antique Show. Ethan is 17 and Innogen is 15, and they eat breakfast on chairs covered in antique grain sacks marked with the logos of poppy and millet farmers. They wipe their hands on 18th-century napkins. “It’s normal for them,” Wendy says. “They take for granted that they are surrounded by some of the most beautiful art in the world. And I love that I can give them that.” She found the historic structure that would showcase her livelihood and her passion in a Federal-style house that dates to 1790. The house’s tall windows and high ceilings felt like the French interiors she was familiar with while living in Europe for 12 years, although it hardly looked like a showcase of anything except 1980s wallpaper. “The bathroom had blue metallic ducks on the walls, and every room was so dark,” she says. “But I knew I could bring it back to neutral.” Once Wendy stripped the wallpaper and painted the walls chalky white, ecru, and gray—shades picked from the backgrounds of her favorite textiles—the light poured in. She also painstakingly brightened some of the floors during a week when the kids went to camp. “I got my kneepads out, took a bucket of water and added linen-colored paint to it, swished it around, and then went for it,” she says.
It took about two years for Wendy to get the house to be what she wanted because she’s deliberate and methodical—and very hands-on. She scraped the orange paint off the glass of a salvaged door she found in Philadelphia then installed it in her dining room. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling of her bathroom for five years until she found the exact antique milkglass fixture she envisioned. “If it’s not right, it’s not going in my house,” she says. “I would rather have nothing than something that I think doesn’t belong.” The thrill of the hunt is also a strong motivator. “It’s easy to order something new from a catalog, but knowing I’ve found something imbued with history that may be one in a million gives me a tremendous amount of joy,” she says. The house is essentially a canvas for her rotating, expanding collection. “I wanted my textiles to be the show,” she says. “Whatever I want—blue this month or linen next month— they drop onto this stage.” An old ladder propped against the bathroom wall is an obvious easel, but she also changes up the linens that drape her sofa, bed, and dining table. Although she sometimes sews pillow covers from pieces, most textiles are kept in their original condition and hung or draped in a temporary fashion. Her curtains are antique linen bed sheets that she simply clips to the rods. Wendy curates her private collection, pieces of which fill the weathered cupboards tucked around the house. “They are the pieces that fascinate me,” she says. “Maybe I want to know more about their origin. Or maybe they’re ones I want to use on the changing stage of my house.” Most of the antique linens she imports are offered to customers. Whether it’s through online interactions or in person at antiques shows, Wendy delights in seeing the look of wonder that once crossed her face in France decades ago. “All of the stories of my customers now become part of the history of these textiles,” she says.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 17, 2019
When Jenny Lilley and her fiancé Mark swapped town living for life in the country, they fell in love with a whole new interiors look.
With its collection of antiques and classic palette, you would expect this Georgian cottage to be the home of a seasoned period property decorator, but that could not be further from the truth. ‘Although I grew up in the countryside,’ says Jenny Lilley, who is a lawyer, ‘my fiancé Mark and I lived in a modern flat in central Winchester before we came here in 2015. We filled that place with contemporary furniture that suited our tastes back then, but since moving here, and embracing a different kind of life, we’ve replaced our modern pieces with furniture from local auctions and antiques fairs like Kempton.’ Jenny did take advice from a period property expert, however. ‘I remember reading an interview with Cabbages & Roses founder Christina Strutt,’ explains Jenny. ‘She advised staying traditional in your colour choices when you have an old home, so I did a lot of research into the shades you would expect to see in a Georgian property – muted tones like dusky greys and various shades of off-whites. I love the way these colours change with the light, so I knew I wanted to use them throughout the house and even on our fences outside!’ But before Jenny and Mark began to decorate, the building needed some attention to ensure it suited their needs. Upstairs an airing cupboard was sacrificed for a more spacious bathroom, and a landing cupboard was combined with what is now a nursery for the couple’s six-month-old son Teddy. Mark also installed a new bathroom, complete with a roll-top bath, and removed old carpets to reveal original floorboards. Sash windows were also fitted throughout the cottage. But is wasn’t all plain sailing as the couple did hit a problem when they discovered a hole in the roof. ‘That wasn’t the best day,’ recalls Jenny, ‘but we had some fantastic tradesmen friends who pitched in to fix it. We don’t know what we would have done without them.’ When the structural work was finished, Jenny could start doing what she enjoys most of all – choosing the furnishings. ‘It now saddens me that I’m running out of places to put any more furniture, as I like the thrill of finding one-off pieces,’ she says. ‘I would really love to start a vintage furniture and homeware business in the future, but for now I enjoy posting things on my Instagram account – @wallflower_cottage.’ The couple love their new life and have fallen hard for the cottage, as well as the surrounding countryside. ‘There’s a real sense of peace and calm here, and not a day goes by that we don’t think how truly lucky we are to live here,’ says Jenny. ‘All the work seems like a distant memory and we’re just really enjoying living in the house and being a family, especially this Christmas – our first one with Teddy.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 17, 2019
When Jenny Lilley and her fiancé Mark swapped town living for life in the country, they fell in love with a whole new interiors look.
With its collection of antiques and classic palette, you would expect this Georgian cottage to be the home of a seasoned period property decorator, but that could not be further from the truth. ‘Although I grew up in the countryside,’ says Jenny Lilley, who is a lawyer, ‘my fiancé Mark and I lived in a modern flat in central Winchester before we came here in 2015. We filled that place with contemporary furniture that suited our tastes back then, but since moving here, and embracing a different kind of life, we’ve replaced our modern pieces with furniture from local auctions and antiques fairs like Kempton.’ Jenny did take advice from a period property expert, however. ‘I remember reading an interview with Cabbages & Roses founder Christina Strutt,’ explains Jenny. ‘She advised staying traditional in your colour choices when you have an old home, so I did a lot of research into the shades you would expect to see in a Georgian property – muted tones like dusky greys and various shades of off-whites. I love the way these colours change with the light, so I knew I wanted to use them throughout the house and even on our fences outside!’ But before Jenny and Mark began to decorate, the building needed some attention to ensure it suited their needs. Upstairs an airing cupboard was sacrificed for a more spacious bathroom, and a landing cupboard was combined with what is now a nursery for the couple’s six-month-old son Teddy. Mark also installed a new bathroom, complete with a roll-top bath, and removed old carpets to reveal original floorboards. Sash windows were also fitted throughout the cottage. But is wasn’t all plain sailing as the couple did hit a problem when they discovered a hole in the roof. ‘That wasn’t the best day,’ recalls Jenny, ‘but we had some fantastic tradesmen friends who pitched in to fix it. We don’t know what we would have done without them.’ When the structural work was finished, Jenny could start doing what she enjoys most of all – choosing the furnishings. ‘It now saddens me that I’m running out of places to put any more furniture, as I like the thrill of finding one-off pieces,’ she says. ‘I would really love to start a vintage furniture and homeware business in the future, but for now I enjoy posting things on my Instagram account – @wallflower_cottage.’ The couple love their new life and have fallen hard for the cottage, as well as the surrounding countryside. ‘There’s a real sense of peace and calm here, and not a day goes by that we don’t think how truly lucky we are to live here,’ says Jenny. ‘All the work seems like a distant memory and we’re just really enjoying living in the house and being a family, especially this Christmas – our first one with Teddy.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 15, 2019
Geri O’Toole and Cathal Glynn pooled their skills to turn a derelict cottage into a bright family home.
Design is in Geri O’Toole’s DNA. Her father set up a furniture retailer in Limerick named Browsers, which Geri runs today, and her late mother was an interior designer for the business. Geri’s childhood was steeped in swatches, mood boards, antiques and fortuitous saleroom finds. ‘I used to work in the shop during the holidays. I just loved being there,’ says Geri, who now also runs her own interior design business, Geri Designs, from the shop. She found her match in her husband Cathal Glynn, a joiner whose skills proved useful when the couple bought a ramshackle, single-storey cottage in Castletroy five years ago. ‘Mountshannon House was built in the 18th century and burned down in the Twenties. Our house was built on the estate after the fire,’ explains Geri. ‘The property was derelict when we first saw it. But we like a challenge, so we bought it.’ The couple – who have a four-year-old son, Finley – have transformed the house, knocking through to create an open-plan kitchen-diner/living area on the ground floor. They extended up to the roof space to create an additional floor with two bedrooms and a bathroom. ‘We didn’t need planning permission because we stuck with the original footprint,’ says Geri. Instead of adding a third bedroom upstairs, Geri reconfigured the floor plan to include a vaulted ceiling, adding unexpected drama to the living area downstairs. She designed the new staircase using urban materials that contrast with the wide oak beam, salvaged from a hotel in Cork owned by Geri’s father, and exposed brick walls, which lend a rustic warmth to the area. ‘I wanted to balance the clean lines and modernity with natural materials – I don’t like too much perfection,’ says Geri. Cathal made sash windows using the original weights, and the existing brick fireplace downstairs was restored. ‘We tried to preserve as much of the old building as possible. I love these original features; they give the house soul,’ says Geri. An understated palette underpins the calm, light feel of the home. Monochrome tranquillity abounds upstairs, where a roll-top bath sits against walls papered in a motif of swirling clouds. ‘I love the way the wallpaper makes me feel as though I’m floating up on high.’ The pale backdrop is warmly sprinkled with antiques and heirlooms gathered by Geri and Cathal over the years. Silvered mirrors illuminate the sitting area, soft Persian rugs adorn the floors, and modern artworks by Irish artists, such as Markey Robinson, enhance the rooms. ‘The way we decorate has changed so much. People used to stick to one look, but nowadays we’re more open to mixing and matching,’ says Geri. Nearby, a set of dilapidated outbuildings are in need of attention. Geri and Cathal have various ideas: the barns might become a holiday rental, or a workshop. Whatever their decision, one thing is clear: a transformation is in store.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 14, 2019
Magnus Pettersen and Ella Jones gave a tired Victorian property a contemporary twist with a clever use of vibrant colours and natural materials.
When Magnus Pettersen and Ella Jones upsized from a small modern townhouse to a larger London property, they were looking for a project. The couple, who met 10 years ago, had completed three renovations before buying this three-bedroom Victorian terrace. ‘Its converted loft, extended kitchen and big garden were huge draws for us,’ explains Ella. They also loved the location on a tree-lined road. ‘It’s very peaceful and close to lots of green space,’ she adds. Used for shared occupancy for years, the house was severely neglected, with strippedout period features and a confused groundfloor layout. ‘There was a bathroom in the middle of the sitting room,’ Ella recalls. Magnus is an award-winning product designer and Ella is a fashion designer working for global brands, so they brought a strong creative vision to reimagine the property. They lived on-site throughout the year-long renovation, acting as interior designers and project managers. Magnus and Ella worked alongside their builders, who were also able to complete all of the carpentry to a high standard. Knocking down the internal walls at ground level turned small rooms into bright, open-plan living spaces. The couple were keen to lay concrete flooring, so they dropped the floor level at the front of the house to meet the kitchen, where there had been a step down. They also moved the kitchen units and added double doors out to the garden and a skylight window above. To fit the supporting beam for the window, they had to move the staircase. ‘The old stairs were rickety and falling to bits,’ explains Ella. So the couple designed a new staircase for the builders to make. ‘They also made the kitchen unit doors that we planned to look more like furniture than a fitted kitchen,’ explains Ella. Keen travellers Magnus and Ella have filled their home with treasures from their trips and many of their interior ideas come from abroad. Throughout, beautiful Moroccan rugs add warmth and texture. The rugs are all from Ella’s extensive collection, which she sells in her east London shop, A New Tribe. A visit to Japan in 2017 influenced their design of the wood and reeded glass partitions that partially divide the kitchen and sitting room, while also framing the area by the front door where the hallway originally stood. ‘The reeded glass panels are a nod to mid-century open-plan homes and create a subtle division with a lighter effect than solid walls,’ says Ella. Inspired by the Swiss-French architect, Le Corbusier, the couple planned their colour palette using his Colour System, where every hue can be combined. The vivid blue wall in the kitchen-diner helps to zone the space and contrasts with the earthy neutrals, greys and blacks used elsewhere. On the first floor, they turned a bedroom into a bathroom, removing the ceiling to fit a pitched roof and adding a large window. The bathroom walls were finished with the tadelakt-style lime-based plaster typical of Moroccan bathrooms, and the pair designed a reeded glass shower screen to echo the ground-floor partitions. ‘Completely transforming a property is so satisfying,’ Ella says. ‘But it was such hard work. Next year we’re planning a holiday instead.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 13, 2019
Victoria Gedge’s goal was to preserve her home’s history while making it practical for modern living.
The one thing Victoria Gedge noticed when she viewed her future home for the first time was its smell. ‘I said: “We must buy it, because it smells like a National Trust property”,’ she says. ‘My husband Dale replied: “Damp is what you can smell,” but I was sold.’ They were looking to upsize after their wedding in 2013, as their current home could no longer provide enough storage to suit their needs. The couple were keen to remain in the same area of Norwich, but were on the hunt for a house with three bedrooms and a hallway entrance. ‘The type of property we had in mind isn’t hard to come across in Norwich, however there weren’t many within our price bracket,’ says Victoria. ‘Each one we viewed required a compromise of either size or location, until – unbelievably – we found our dream home right around the corner for an affordable price. It seemed too good to be true.’ Victoria and Dale made an offer the very same day, but it had already been sold. Disappointed and disheartened, they put their search on hold and even considered a loft conversion in their current home instead, but the universe had other plans for them. ‘By chance, we were walking along a tiny one-way street near the city centre one day and saw a “For Sale” sign poking out of the bush in a front garden,’ Victoria recalls. ‘We went straight on Rightmove to see the price, but it was way over our budget. We viewed it anyway, and I fell completely in love with it.’ Dale needed a little more convincing, though the promise of a games room in the cellar sealed the deal, and after some negotiating they managed to secure the house. But the excitement – or, more accurately, drama – was far from over. Victoria and Dale moved in just before Christmas to no double glazing and just a smattering of radiators. ‘I remember being completely freezing while wrapping gifts, and using candles to try and heat the living room,’ says Victoria. The house required seemingly endless work, and being Grade II listed only made matters more complicated. Consent was required for many a project to begin, while some renovations were off the cards altogether. The chimney, which Victoria had planned to restore in order to install a log burner, was a gust of wind away from collapsing onto the roof, and a leaking tap in the upstairs bathroom saw the entire room and ground floor hallway flooded. By far the biggest challenge was renovating the cellar. To solve its damp issues, the couple decided to get the room tanked, but despite being given the go-ahead in advance, a conservation officer – who turned up at the house unannounced after the procedure – informed them that they needed to apply for listed building consent, which would see work put on hold for six weeks. ‘During that time we had some extreme rain and the tanking failed,’ says Victoria. ‘The new floors had wet patches and the plaster was soaking, but the company completely washed their hands of it. I think my tears could have flooded the rest of the house.’ With basement woes eventually resolved and an extension underway that meant rejigging their brand newkitchen, Victoria took on the master bedroom. ‘As I was deciding on what to do with the floor and furniture, Dale was flying out to Sierra Leone as an NHS medic to assist with the Ebola crisis,’ she recalls. ‘I decided that I could at least have the bedroom completed for when he returned.’ Friends and family popped by to pick up a paintbrush and pour cups of tea, and the room quickly came together. Restoring their charming home has been a labour of love, and while the house isn’t quite finished, it has a whole new identity that is classic in style and sympathetic to its history. Plus, both Victoria and Dale adore it. ‘A house which throws as many curveballs as this one could test any relationship, but we’ve laughed and cried our way through the renovations together, and have come out the other side still as happy as we were when we purchased it,’ says Victoria.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 11, 2019
Elisabeth and Aldo Ciarrocchi’s inviting family home makes the most of its industial heritage.
Elisabeth and Aldo Ciarrocchi’s daughter Isabella, now 11, was a toddler when they began house hunting, and Elisabeth was pregnant with their younger daughter Piera, now eight. ‘We were living in small flat not far away, and all we knew was that we needed something larger for our family,’ says Elisabeth. ‘We both liked the idea of warehouse-style living and as soon as we walked in here, we fell in love with it.’ When the Ciarrocchis got the keys to the property, it was desperately in need of some TLC. ‘The ground floor was covered in laminate and there was a basketball hoop hanging from one of the posts,’ Elisabeth reveals. ‘The kitchen was cluttered with wall cabinets and it had a low bulkhead ceiling to accommodate the sunken bath in the bathroom above.’ After moving in nine years ago, and replacing the flooring throughout with reclaimed wooden floorboards sourced from Crosby Hall in London’s Cheyne Walk, the couple delayed renovations until 2016. ‘It was important for us to live in the space first, so that we could discover the best way it would work for us,’ says Elisabeth, who together with Aldo, runs reclamation business Encore Reclamation. In this time, they tried to find an architect who would assimilate their ideas. ‘We met with five architects,’ says Elisabeth. ‘They were all great, but one in particular seemed to really listen and understood that we wanted to keep things simple, plus he is local, which was handy when it came to picking up samples. When we were ready to start work, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted, so the internal design became a real collaborative effort.’ The layout of the large double-height living space didn’t change, but has been made more flexible. In conjunction with Space Group Architects, Elisabeth designed the kitchen peninsular unit so that it could be moved around to work as an island when she fancied a change of scene, and when the space needed to be opened up for entertaining. The dining table was put on wheels for the same reason. On the first floor, the walls were pushed back to widen the mezzanine, and the vast bathroom was divided into two to create an en suite to the children’s bedroom. The internal windows within each room that open on to the mezzanine were also repositioned and widened to draw in more light. The budget was tight, but Elisabeth’s desire to retain the building’s factory feel helped keep costs down. ‘I like the unfinished look,’ she says. ‘Whenever the builders wanted to put the finishing touches on something, I told them not to. I didn’t want anything to look sleek and polished.’ She also applied these design principles to the kitchen units. ‘As the builders were running behind schedule, they fitted the kitchen door fronts temporarily, for Christmas,’ she explains. ‘The plan was to take them off and paint them later. But once they were fitted in their pure MDF moistureresistant state, and finished with shellac we liked how they looked. The kitchen fitter thought I was crazy, but he’s grown to like the style, too, and is fitting similar kitchens elsewhere!’ When it came to furnishing the property, most of the vintage pieces were sourced from eBay, and Elisabeth and Aldo also picked up bits and pieces from car-boot sales and through their reclamation work. Now that the renovation is finished, the couple are delighted that their vision for the apartment has become a reality. ‘We really wouldn’t have done anything differently,’ says Elisabeth. ‘It’s perfect for us as a family.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 08, 2019
When they first viewed the property that was to become their much-loved Hamptons holiday home, Ian Ferguson and Ryan Brandau weren’t overly impressed. ‘It wasn’t love at first sight, but our broker was convinced that the house was right for us and she could envisage something beyond what we were seeing,’ recalls Ian. The couple had been in a long-distance relationship between New York and California for several years before settling on an apartment in Manhattan, and wanted to complement their city lifestyle with a retreat in the Hamptons to be shared with Ian’s parents. ‘We love tennis and one of our criteria was for a court and a pool,’ adds Ryan. Clad in shingle and featuring multiple gables as is the New England style, the house was repainted to refine its architectural qualities. ‘It was originally pale, which exaggerated some of its weird shapes – as if it were all roof and no walls. By painting it a darker colour, closer to the roof, we toned it down and made it look a bit more thoughtful,’ says Ian. The house had been built in the early Noughties, but lacked the architectural detailing the couple craved. A year after they bought it, an overhaul of the basement triggered the extended project. Sarah Zames, of the interior design firm General Assembly, was recommended and became the linchpin of the redesign. ‘One of the priorities was to create more architectural interest internally,’ says Sarah. ‘We wanted to add texture and colour, giving each room an individual character.’ The property was stripped back and given a new floor plan with fewer walls, instilling in the house a more sociable, loose character. ‘We tried to expand and connect the spaces as much as possible,’ she says. ‘Previously, the kitchen was small with the dining area next door relatively constricted and a sprawling main room that hadn’t been put to good use,’ says Ian. Sight lines became important so that anyone cooking would be able to see out onto the porch and tennis court beyond. Upstairs, the landing ‘catwalk’ was widened, while bedrooms were made bigger and en-suite bathrooms added. In terms of decor, the couple aimed for a relaxed look that would appeal across the generational divide. ‘We wanted the interior to have a sense of fun and although we felt it should be beautifully designed we didn’t want it to feel stuffy or intimidating,’ says Ian. Across the ground floor indoor/outdoor rugs have been used while much of the upholstery is from Holly Hunt’s outdoor range, making it impervious to the scratches of Tux, Ian and Ryan’s dog. An emphasis on craftsmanship and natural materials has also reduced the formality of the highly designed spaces, as Sarah explains, ‘The marble of the dining table is a feature, while all the built-in furniture is made of smoked oak, with the floors of a lighter bleached oak.’ White walls delineate the crisp planes of the slanted ceiling in the main living area with a host of Farrow & Ball colours giving bedrooms individual character. The paint is not the only British touch, with new London projects by General Assembly bringing a transatlantic influence. ‘We discovered several furniture designers at London Design Festival and the wallpaper in the cloakroom is from House of Hackney,’ says Sarah. Many months after its completion, Ian and Ryan continue to be enthralled with their retreat. ‘We love the fact that even if there are 20 guests staying, we’ve used the idiosyncrasies of the architecture to create a private nook for everyone,’ says Ian. ‘It’s great seeing the house unfold and be used as we planned.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 06, 2019
WEATHERBOARD WALLS AND WHITEWASHED INTERIORS HAVE BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO A FIFTIES HOUSE, TRANSFORMING IT INTO A RELAXED COUNTRY HOME WITH AN EAST COAST FEEL.
With its weatherboard cladding, peak-roofed dormer windows and Atlantic grey exterior paint, this house would look at home in a New England town on America’s East Coast. In fact, it’s tucked down a narrow track in a hamlet in the heart of the Chiltern Hills, close to Marlow and with views across open countryside. It’s home to Sue and Tony Blakeley, who spotted it three years ago when property renovation expert Sue was looking for a new project. ‘We’ve lived in the Buckinghamshire countryside since our boys – who are both adults now – were tiny,’ says Sue. ‘Our previous five renovations became family homes that we lived in over three decades. When we saw this house, with its paddock, the location and views were a big attraction.’ Inside, the decor was very dated, with dark brown carpets, lino floors and exposed brick walls. Still, Sue could see the house’s potential. It was a huge project that she had to fit in around her work commitments. ‘We lived through all the changes, escaping to our bolthole in France whenever it became too manic!’ Over the next three years, Sue reconfigured the layout and project managed the build. Plans involved knocking through three reception rooms to create a spacious 100sq m kitchen-diner, which is filled with light from four double doors at opposite sides of the space, crafted by a local joinery company. Sue and Tony also created a snug at the far end, in place of the double garage that previously adjoined the kitchen. ‘The butcher’s block came from our lovely local butcher Nick, who was refurbishing his shop in West Wycombe at the time,’ says Sue. ‘I had the island custom-made out of quartz stone, so it’s the same width as the butchers block, and I’m a big fan of Neptune’s pantry cupboards. ‘There was a lot of wasted space in the loft, so we took the roof off and put in dormer windows on both sides to maximise the beautiful countryside views where there previously weren’t any,’ adds Sue. ‘This helped create the New England style, together with an insulated and weatherboard cladding exterior. Parts have also been rendered and painted grey, and we used reclaimed tiles and bricks to create a more aged appearance.’ In the living room, a wood burner, wall of books and walls painted in a dramatic punch of colour, with soft pink throws and scatter cushions, create a warm atmosphere. Upstairs, Sue chose a soothing, neutral backdrop for the bedrooms, adding pops of colour with accessories and furnishings. ‘I’ve always loved the colour grey, it’s a calm tone to live with and I’m known for using a lot of it in my projects,’ says Sue. ‘I’m inspired by classic English design and French influences and I feel passionate about breathing new life into beautiful old buildings or neglected properties.’ The garden was largely a blank slate when they arrived, with a few raised timber beds and an overgrown field at the rear. Sue has designed a traditional parterre garden at the front, with clipped box hedging, box balls and olive trees. ‘The front is a lovely spot to sit and enjoy a coffee or a G&T as it catches the last of the evening sun,’ she says. The raised lawn area near the orchard and paddock at the rear is surrounded by mature trees and open countryside. Here, Sue has designed an alfresco dining area, with a Big Green Egg barbecue, lanterns and furniture from her own garden collection. Sue and Tony also enjoy spending downtime at their holiday home in the Dordogne, where Sue is fond of attending local brocantes to hunt out French-style pieces for her projects and her home. But, despite her busy work schedule, Sue always finds time to enjoy her own home and garden with friends and family. ‘What I’ve really loved about this project is that I’ve been able to install so many sets of glazed doors to bring the outside in.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 05, 2019
AFTER WORKING AND RAISING A FAMILY OVERSEAS, CAT AND SIM PRESTON FELT THE CALL OF THEIR RURAL ROOTS AND FOUND THE PERFECT ENGLISH FAMILY HOME IN THE COTSWOLDS.
It was a case of going back to their roots when Cat and Sim Preston bought a beautiful converted mill in the Cotswolds. Originally from Wiltshire, the couple lived in London and then overseas in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Chicago and Hong Kong, as they brought up their three children, Jake, Josh and Hana. But when Jake was about to start his GCSEs, he decided he wanted to go to school in the UK. ‘It gave us the impetus finally to move back home to England,’ says Cat. She began looking for properties online and soon spotted an idyllic converted grain mill. ‘This house jumped out at me,’ she says. ‘I fell in love with it at first sight. Added to that, Sim is a geographer at heart and we were looking for something with water – this was perfect as there’s a mill stream in the garden.’ Sim came back to the UK with Jake when he started school and they took the opportunity to view the house. ‘They filmed it on their phones so I could see it,’ says Cat. ‘We took the plunge and put in an offer. Then I visited and, fortunately, it was just as gorgeous as I had thought.’ The 400-year-old house had been a grain mill until 1959, then stood empty for 10 years until it was bought by an architect and converted into a French country-style family home. ‘The house still had many of its original features,’ says Cat. ‘The previous owners had retained them when doing the conversion, so the bedroom had beams with pulleys. It had been restored with great attention to detail, which we loved.’ The family now had a base and over the next two years they renovated the house. ‘We were living in Hong Kong still,’ says Cat, ‘but we came back most holidays. Friends recommended builder Dan Eaves of CJ Holme who did a fantastic job project managing the work.’ The renovations included installing a new heating system, putting in three new bathrooms and building a conservatory at the back of the house. In addition, a barn and outbuildings were converted into guest accommodation. ‘The result is an upside-down guest house, with two bedrooms downstairs and an open-plan living room and kitchen upstairs that take in the view across the meadow. We wanted the barn conversion to feel like part of the main house and be in keeping with it,’ says Cat. So stonemason Jim Clayton built new walls that matched the originals, while Dan Eaves sourced reclaimed oak for the framing. The family home was then redecorated throughout. ‘I wanted to get as much light in as possible, and I kept the palette neutral to complement the Cotswold stone,’ says Cat. ‘I like to keep the look simple but add colour with abstract paintings. My mother-in-law Sue Preston is an artist and my friend Kirsten Coltart is an interior designer, so they helped with the aesthetics.’ ‘It’s been fantastic to create a family home in the UK after living in Asia for so long,’ says Cat. ‘We’re country people at heart so it’s great to get back to our rural roots.
News
by Erdem Gorgun on Aug 07, 2019
EVOLUTION
Though still recognizable initially look, the long-lasting Eames chair is dynamical to suit each home and elegance.
When the house decorator couple initial began planning chairs for bandleader Miller piece of furniture within the late Nineteen Forties, they targeted their styles on comfort, fashion and affordability. However, the married couple’s most famed innovation focused around luxury for then modern homes, resulting in its inevitable placement in museums all over the world. As a piece created when WWII, the Eames chair reflects a time of “waste not, need not” whereas still adding aptitude and elegance to any area.
Charles house decorator and his spouse, Ray, needed to produce a chair that had “the heat, receptive look of a well-used initial baseman’s mitt.
”To win this, the combine used fine animal skin for the seat cushions, support and ottoman. These cushions, rather than being fastened or nailed down, square measure connected to the sinusoidal wood by a zipper that adheres to a stiff plastic backing. The Eames chair has 3 sinusoidal laminate shells that structure the headrest, support and seat base. once production initial began in 1956, a veneer of Brazilian rosewood lined the 5 ironed layers of laminate to administer the chair the air of luxury; currently, thanks to accessibility, the veneer is primarily finished with cherry, walnut or Palisander rosewood.
“This handsome chair is in real time recognizable by anyone with an eye fixed for modern piece of furniture,” says Dana Romeis of chateau style. The house decorator chair has stood the take a look at of time with its unchanged look and most comfort, acting as a centerpiece for homes and offices for the past sixty years. You might even acknowledge the house decorator chair from its unnumberable appearances in movies and tv shows. however recently, the Eames chair has been hunting some changes to form it work a lot of well during a trendy home.
“Historically, its charm is in its classic masculine kind, finishes and feet-up comfort,” Romeis comments. “The recent addition of a pale ash frame with ivory animal skin instead of walnut and black animal skin makes it instantly a lot of female. This softer feel will slide right into a lighter, airy room.” With such a big amount of choices accessible these days, style connoisseurs and relaxation-lovers alike will notice the right Eames chair for his or her house.