Homes & Antiques

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes

Peter makes the large plaster leaves himself, a lengthy process akin to lacquering. Layers of plaster are painted over the leaf and eventually the original leaf is peeled away. The bed is a William IV design

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes Little ABOVE The ebony cabinet, with intricate ivory inlay Despite the lack of room, black book and silver escutcheons, was left to Peter by a friend and dates from around 1680 BELOW Some of Peter’s Bois Peter’s habit for collecting Jasper Conran at The Conran Shop, durci portrait plaques are displayed in his bedroom 55 Marylebone Road, London. shows no sign of waning 020 7723 2223; jasperconran.com ‘I love it here because it’s full of included casts of natural forms, foliage in new ideas and always so clean particular. ‘No garden is safe,’ he laughs. and minimal. Jasper always says “less is more”.’ But despite his recent forays into creation, and the lack of room in his apartment, LASSCO Three Pigeons, London Peter’s habit for collecting shows no sign of Road, Milton Common, Oxfordshire. waning. ‘I can’t quite stop. It’s a drug, a great 01844 277188; lassco.co.uk addiction,’ he says cheerily, admitting that ‘All my architectural just the other day he bought a six-feet plaster inspiration is here.’ statue at Portobello Market. Pentreath & Hall, 17 Rugby Street, The value is of no great consequence, says Bloomsbury, London. 020 7430 Peter, who thinks of antiques as just ‘second 2526; pentreath-hall.com hand stuff’: it’s the provenance that drives ‘I sell some of my plaster casts his habit. He loves to regale visitors with the here and the shop also has stories behind the artefacts: one of many death the most wonderful range masks is that of Marie Antoinette’s gardener; of things,’ says Peter. the impressive collection of Bois Durci medallions were ‘made from ox blood and sawdust’; and a splendid urn, commissioned in 1805 after the death of Nelson and lost in 1818, was saved from oblivion when he found it rotting in the grounds of a public school. ‘It’s all junk though, isn’t it?’ he says finally. ‘But it looks good together.’ While one might not agree that this extraordinary collection is junk, there is no denying that Peter has arranged his ‘second hand stuff’ to spectacular effect. Q H&A J U N E 2015 61

PETER’S HOME A VIEW ON A ROOM Antiques expert JUDITH MILLER talks us through Peter Hone’s classically inspired living room, with its intricate architectural details and 19th-century urns About Judith JUDITH M I L L E R is a leading antiques expert and co-founder of Miller’s Antiques Price Guide. She’s one of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow experts and has written more than 100 books covering antiques, collectables and interior design. Here, we ask her to choose her favourite room of the houses featured in the issue and explain what makes it so interesting. 1950s CHANDELIER Chandeliers have long been an expression of status and taste. This fine example looks as if it might be from the 18th century but closer inspection reveals a quirky asymmetrical aspect to the branches suggesting a more recent pastiche. It was designed in the 1950s by photographer and surrealist Angus McBean, and is perfectly at home in this equally quirky homage to Classicism. SOLOMONIC COLUMN The origins of Peter’s corkscrew-esque Solomonic column in front of the French windows are uncertain. Solomonic columns date back to the Byzantium empire of the middle ages and were popular in the Baroque interiors of the 17th century. 62 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes PLASTER CEILING TROMPE L’OEIL COLUMNS CARVED PLAQUE This highly ornate ceiling is very Closer inspection of these Corinthian columns reveals that they are in fact Above the pilaster-flanked wall much in the tradition of the ‘trompe l’oeil’ or ‘trick of the eye’. The two-dimensional imitation of a three- mirror, and just below the ceiling, plaster-relief ceilings found in the dimensional object in paint (or in this case wallpaper) has been employed is a large carved plaque bearing grander rooms of neo-classical since Classical antiquity – some of the earliest examples survive in the ruins of a ‘swag’, one of the most popular houses of the 17th, 18th and 19th Pompeii. Technically, trompe l’oeil executed in black, grey and white (as here), and recurring decorative motifs in centuries. Decorative motifs of the rather than colour, is known as ‘grisaille’. Classical decoration. This example day included rosettes or roundels, depicts ribbon-tied drapery. foliate strapwork and pendants or ‘Swags’ and ‘festoons’ were bosses. These particular designs originally inspired by the garlands were actually painstakingly hand- of real fruit, flowers, and foliage, moulded in some 4,500 sections which were hung around the by owner Peter Hone. friezes of ancient Roman temples. PAIR OF PILASTERS The pair of pilasters flanking the mirror stand at the heart of Classical architecture and ornament. Like columns in-the-round, they usually have a decorative surface (here carved urns and foliage) and are topped with a decorative capital (here in the scrolling foliate ‘Corinthian’ style). WING CHAIR The wing chair (here dressed in a white loose cover) first emerged in the mid-17th century. In addition to an arched and scrolled top rail, stand-out features include splayed wings (or ‘cheeks’) and arms. With the chair drawn up close to a crackling fire on a chilly night, it would also cocoon the sitter from drafts. Not of Classical origin, but most certainly a classic design. 19th-CENTURY URN Raised on a plinth carved with his flagship ‘Victory’, the urn commemorates the death of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Like the Coade-stone model in the adjacent corner, this is a splendid example. Nelson’s naval exploits, including victory at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 – hence the crocodile motifs – ensured Nelson memorabilia and Egyptian imagery featured in many Neo-classical interiors. H&A JUNE 2015 63

Colonial LIVING Using romantic 19th-century antiques, Emma Clarke has created a sense of faded grandeur in her Kent home FEATURE BEA FINL AY PHOTOGRAPHS PENELOPE WINCER

The living room opens on to the garden. Emma chose ‘Hardwick White’ by Farrow & Ball for the walls as it serves as a neutral backdrop for the rugs and paisley throws. The antique table is from Warehams in Whitstable while the picture of the Queen is by Emma’s friend, Sadie Hennessy H&A JUNE 2015 65

Emma’s favourite artwork hangs on the living room wall. The vase of lilies is by a friend, Philip Harrison, and she found the hunting dogs at Wincheap car boot sale in Canterbury. The pendant lamp came from Hector Finch and the chandelier is from Brenda Harrison Antiques

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes THIS IMAGE The mercury glass mirror was bought from McCully & Crane and is thought to be pre- Victorian LEFT A Sadie Hennessy print of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton hangs above the drinks cabinet Emma Clarke was a busy film complete with shagpile carpet and there Profile executive when she decided were plastic windows all over the back to leave west London five of the house,’ says Emma. ‘The front T H E OW N E R Emma Clarke years ago to embark on an garden was dreary lawn, while the is a film producer, who also runs a B&B adventure. First, she bought a Grade back was enclosed by leylandii and and is starting to take on interior design II-listed clapboard fisherman’s cottage felt dark and overgrown.’ projects. eye-of-the-beholder.com in Whitstable, which needed a total overhaul. Then, two years ago, her Hunting for antiques T H E PROPE RT Y Northwood mother died and she was in need of The overhaul of the house and garden Lodge is a Victorian coach house a huge distraction. ‘I wanted to buy took nine months. A wall in the kitchen in Greenhill, Kent. It has three a house that needed tons of work so was removed to open it up to the dining bedrooms, a kitchen-diner, a living that I could make it my own,’ she says. room, a central island was created room and a dining room, created and free-standing furniture replaced in what was a large studio. Emma was addicted to online the fitted units. Elsewhere, the hayloft property searches so almost walked was turned into the master bedroom. H&A JU NE 2015 67 past the details of Northwood Lodge ‘The front of the roof came off in when they appeared in an estate agent’s January,’ says Emma. ‘It’s amazing window. ‘The house looked friendly, like what you can cope with though when a child’s drawing, with a pointy roof you have a vision.’ and pretty casement windows. I was immediately obsessed with it.’ The main Her favourite diversion from the attraction was a large studio room that structural work was hunting for new used to house the carriages and still had antiques to furnish the generous-sized the hayloft door opening in the ceiling. rooms. ‘I’ve always decorated with There were also vast gardens where antiques as, to my eye, older things Emma could indulge in her passion are more attractive,’ she says. ‘As each for growing flowers. Crucially, it also piece is unique, they also help make your required a vast amount of work. ‘The home look individual. We are spoilt for bathroom had a 1980s avocado suite choice in this part of the world, there

Emma designed the island unit with Kas from Kas Design & Construction. The French distressed table and chairs were bought 20 years ago from Brenda Harrison Antiques and the large jug on the table is from the Faversham Antiques & Vintage Market. The crystal pendant lights are from Hector Finch 68 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes I have always decorated with antiques as, to my eye, older things are more attractive. They also help make your home look individual H&A JUNE 2015 69

Little It was bliss seeing a black book brilliant item and having Barrow’s Antiques, 113 West Street, Faversham, Kent. an excuse to buy it 07966 375572 ‘The shop is run by a are so many amazing antiques shops lovely man who has a real and fairs in all the surrounding towns.’ emporium of gorgeous Emma puts her love of antiques down to things, plus he can source growing up surrounded by family friends things for you as he who worked in film or advertising. ‘They regularly buys in France.’ had great taste. One friend collected 1920s Patek Philippe watches and huge Branching Out Antiques, original French cafe posters,’ she says. Waterlock House, Wingham, Kent. 01227 721792; When she moved here, she had lots of branchingoutwingham.co.uk pretty decorative items but was missing ‘This decorative antiques the larger pieces. ‘It was bliss seeing a shop is run by my friend brilliant item and having an excuse to Sophie, who has incredible buy it,’ she says. ‘At one point I had seven taste. I can’t go there pieces waiting for me in seven different very often as her stock shops.’ Emma is drawn to 19th-century is too tempting but I rustic pieces so, although items were always come away with collected from various places, the overall something beautiful.’ look is cohesive. In each room, a variety of antique mirrors – from Venetian to McCully & Crane, mercury glass – bounce light around 27a Cinque Ports Street, and, along with decanters and floral jugs, Rye. 07932 478383; they are one of her weaknesses. ‘I can’t mccullyandcrane.com ‘The owners have great taste,’ says Emma of this eclectic and glamorous vintage furniture store. Warehams, 68 Oxford Street, Whitstable. 07831 210139; warehams.com ‘Warehams specialises in rustic wooden cupboards, tables and chests and has an interesting selection of large garden ornaments in its courtyard.’ THIS PAGE, FROM TOP Emma’s vintage and antique china, picked up at antiques markets and fairs, is displayed against old French receipts, which were already pasted into the cabinet when she bought it; the glass-fronted cabinet in Emma’s kitchen and the industrial lights in the foreground all came from Fontaine in Margate, which specialises in French decorative antiques 70 H&A JUNE 2015

Emma has created a pretty, informal dresser by pairing a mismatching cabinet and base. The cabinet is from Branching Out Antiques in Wingham. For similar glass bottles, try Violette

CLOCKWISE FROM The interior is full of ABOVE Emma bought the bed in the master bedroom touches of colonialism when she was working in Los Angeles some years and glamour ago; the iron slipper bath was painted red by resist the patina on an old gilt frame Emma. The Venetian mirror or the carvings on framed wooden embedded in scarlet velvet French designs,’ she says. ‘My most is from Michel Andre Morin interesting find was a six by eight foot Antiques in Faversham. mercury glass design that’s more like The Moroccan table was a work of art than a looking glass. My inherited from Emma’s friends persuaded me to get it before family; an armoire from the sale of the house went through, Brenda Harrison Antiques so it was a nerve-racking purchase.’ provides storage for blankets and bed linen Emma has definitely succeeded in the spare room in making the house her own. The interior is full of touches of colonialism 72 H&A JUNE 2015 and glamour, with the mixture of old rugs, flower patterns and rustic antiques suggesting faded grandeur. ‘I’m incredibly pleased with how it turned out – sometimes I just walk round and give things a pat,’ says Emma. ‘The house has such a light and friendly feel, plus the never-ending challenge of creating the garden I want makes me think that this home will last me a long time to come.’ Q

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes yle spyColonial chic Key pieces to give your home a touch of faded grandeur Opt for calm, subtle paint shades, such as Achieve instant opulence with this Little Greene’s ‘Oak Apple’ (no 63), which ‘Valeria’ chandelier (above), which costs from £37 for 2.5l (above). This costs £525 from Alexander & Pear. Lady in Pink canvas by Rockett St George The white star decoration (right) (right) is a fun twist on a Regency portrait is £5.95 from Idyll Home Add colour with an antique tribal rug. This c1900 Afshar example from southern Persia costs £1,650 from Brian MacDonald Antique Rugs Plants, including palms, Nothing says French are big news in Emma’s romance more than house. Try this indoor an antique painted palm tree from B&Q, which costs £39.98 armoire in your bedroom. This The French Bedroom Company example costs £1085 Colefax & Fowler’s ‘Penryn’ Vintage Susan Deliss pink/green linen (£83 per m) paisley Durham quilt is adapted from a 19th-century – perfect for a boudoir, French document £385, English Abode Emma’s red roll-top Cane furniture is bathtub adds a a must for this style. rich pop of colour We love this Regency to her bathroom. chair with caned seat, This painted ‘Serpentine’ bath £680 for a pair costs £3,210 from from Lorfords Drummonds H&A JUNE 2015 73

The sitting room walls are ‘Sherwood Green’ by Farrow & Ball, which is a dramatic foil for the couple’s Staffordshire figures, John Derian plates and contemporary pieces by ceramicist David Cleverly 74 H&A JU NE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes ART HOUSE Artists Mark Rochester and Martin Storey have filled their Devon home with Poole Pottery, Staffordshire figures and vibrant textiles – all set against a backdrop of vivid colour FEATURE AMANDA HARLING PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL

Profile T H E OW N E R Mark Rochester and his partner Martin Storey live in this five-floor Regency house with cats Billy and Bunny. Mark designs fabrics for the interior design market and is also an artist (markrochesterpaintings.co.uk), while Martin is a knitwear designer for Rowan. Lantic Gallery, Tiverton (lanticgallery.co.uk) will be holding an exhibition of Mark’s paintings from 3rd-17th October. T H E PROPE RT Y The house dates from around 1830 and is part of a Regency terrace overlooking the Devon fishing port of Ilfracombe. Mark’s studio is on the raised ground floor, while the sitting rooms, kitchen and dining room are on the first floor and the bedrooms and Martin’s studio are on the top two floors. Minimal is not a concept that either ABOVE Mark at work on light that poured into all the south-west facing Mark Rochester or Martin Storey are one of his coastal views rooms on the front. We couldn’t believe how familiar with. ‘Collecting is in our in his studio on the raised spacious it was but once we’d moved in, those DNA and, thankfully, we both like ground floor of the house empty rooms filled up remarkably quickly.’ what the other collects,’ says Mark. ‘If we hadn’t ABOVE RIGHT From its the room to display ceramics and paintings, we’d position on the hillside Soon after they arrived, Mark and Martin have stopped long ago but if we come across above Ilfracombe, Mark completely reconfigured the rooms at the back of something unusual we’ll squeeze it in somehow.’ and Martin’s 19th-century the house. ‘It was a labyrinth of claustrophobic And so in alcoves and on fireplaces are 18th and house enjoys unobstructed little rooms but getting rid of the internal walls 19th-century Staffordshire figures, in a cabinet views of the coast transformed the space,’ says Mark. ‘The adjoining in the snug hangs a display of Pelham puppets kitchen was originally two rooms but taking out and, on various shelves throughout their home, the wall gave it a much more open feel, which are Poole Pottery vases, plates and bowls. we emphasised by painting the walls white.’ Colour is provided by collections of vintage Mark and Martin moved from London to this china and decorative handmade glass, as well as five-storey Regency terrace in the North Devon contemporary boat models made from salvaged seaside town of Ilfracombe 10 years ago. While wood by Devon-based artist Rachel Sumner. both loved life in London, they were in need of more studio space. ‘I grew up in Braunton, which The most noticeable collection in the house, is about 10 miles further down the coast, so I was though, is Mark’s Poole Pottery, displayed against familiar with the area and knew that we’d be able a rich blue in the bedroom and the tomato red to find a suitable property that wouldn’t break of the snug. ‘The collection was kick-started by the bank,’ says Mark. Even so, he was surprised an interwar lidded pot that I inherited from my when the third property they viewed on that grandmother 30 years ago,’ says Mark. ‘It had a first morning turned out to be everything they handmade quality about it, as does most Poole wanted. ‘It didn’t feel very loved but the position Pottery of that period. As a designer, I found it overlooking the town was fantastic, as was the appealing that the forms were hand-thrown and that the designs were painted on by hand. I also 76 H&A JU NE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes The kitchen walls were kept free of cupboards. Decorative tableware is displayed on open shelves beside boats made from recycled wood and found objects by artist Rachel Sumner

Chairs are decked out in mismatched fabrics ranging from one of Mark’s designs to a cocktail of Indian embroidery and appliqué 78 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes Colour and pattern are used to maximum effect in the snug, which is painted in ‘Charlotte’s Locks’ by Farrow & Ball. Mark’s collection of puppets fills a glass cabinet above a kilim- covered 1930s sofa. Shelves are filled with Poole Pottery from the 1920s and 30s

loved the visual connection between the Bloomsbury Group Little painters Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, who briefly worked black book with Poole Pottery during their involvement with Roger Fry’s Omega Workshop immediately after the First World War.’ Quay Antiques Centre, Topsham, Exeter. 01392 Just as the collections are inherent aspects of the 874006; quayantiques.com decorative scheme, so is colour. While some designers ‘I rarely come away adopt a clinical approach to decoration, choosing to live empty handed,’ says with white walls and a few pieces of carefully edited trophy Mark of this centre, furniture, Mark and Martin prefer to surround themselves where 70 dealers sell with strong colour and layer upon layer of decorative everything from bric- artefacts. The style of furniture is wide-ranging: in the a-brac and industrial snug, a 1930s club sofa and armchair upholstered in vintage to Georgian and multicoloured kilims are juxtaposed with a gilt trimmed Victorian furniture. armchair. ‘I’m not too sure exactly which “Louis” it’s modelled on but it’s comfortable. We aren’t purists,’ says Shepton Mallet Antiques, Mark. In the sitting room next door, a Jacobean style suite is bedecked in mismatched fabrics, ranging from one of Vintage and Collectors Fair, Mark’s designs for Brunschwig & Fils to a vibrant cocktail of Indian embroidery and appliqué on the sofa. ‘We haven’t Shepton Mallet, Somerset. yet been to India but the fabrics fascinate me – the varieties of colour and pattern never fail to inspire.’ 01636 702326; iacf.co.uk Mark and Martin love Mark has found the dramatic seas, skies and scenery hunting for antiques of Devon an unfailing source of inspiration but the still life at this vast fair held also plays a major part in his oeuvre. Selecting a Staffordshire at the Royal Bath and figure from one room or maybe a Poole jug from another, West Showground, with with a few seasonal flowers from the garden or hedgerow more than 600 dealers. adding to the composition, he sets to work. ‘That way I can always justify adding to the collection – I just tell Taunton Antiques Market, TOP Mark’s most recent paintings of Devon’s myself I need something new and interesting to paint.’ Q 27-29 Silver Street, medieval church interiors adorn the wall of his Taunton, Somerset. raised ground-floor studio ABOVE In the snug, 80 H&A JUNE 2015 01823 289327 as throughout the house, wall shelves have been A large market, with put up to hold an expanding collection of artefacts more than 130 dealers, this is a favourite haunt.

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes The couple’s love of layering pattern and contrasting colours is evident in the bedroom. The bedhead is covered in a linen designed by Mark for Colefax and Fowler. Mark also designed and embroidered the Jacobean-style leaf cushion cover. The walls are painted ‘Deep Space Blue’ by Little Greene Mark and Martin like to surround themselves with strong colour and layer upon layer of decorative fabrics

Collecting DECO POOLE POTTERY Discover more about the company’s iconic traditional works and where to buy them For many collectors, the Trumpet vase in ‘IZ’ Mixed lot of seven Poole Pottery ceramics, hand-thrown and hand- pattern, sold for £80 estimated at £150-£200, Woolley & Wallis painted designs of the interwar years represent a in February 2014, Small vase, £70, Carlton golden age for Poole Pottery. Fieldings Auctioneers Fine Art & Antiques Centre Works from this period are referred to as deco or traditional Carter, Stabler & Adams Poole ‘DO’ pattern vase, Jug in ‘TV’ pattern, sold for and remain highly sought-after. Pottery vase, sold for £60, Clarke £42, Replace £75 at Fieldings Auctioneers In the years following the First Your China World War, Europe witnessed & Simpson Auction Centre last October a period of great creativity and experimentation in the arts, and Jug in ‘BN’ pattern, £22, Display plate in this is evident in the exuberant Replace Your China ‘LE’ pattern, £28, abstract patterns that characterise Replace Your China Poole Pottery throughout the Twenties and Thirties. The stylised flowers, leaping fauns and bolts of lightning look as fresh and vibrant today as they did when they appeared in Poole’s first trade catalogue in 1920. Designs from Poole’s art deco period can be split into three main categories: flora, fauna and geometric. Decoration at Poole was applied by hand, directly on to the raw glaze prior to firing, and this is what gives the pots their soft, blotting paper quality. Known as ‘in-glaze painting’ the process required great skill as it left no room for error. Identifying works from the deco period is straightforward: from 1921 the company used a rectangular or lozenge-shaped backstamp with the names Carter, Stabler, Adams above Poole or Poole England. After 1925, Ltd is included. In addition to the company stamp, other marks will indicate a particular design and also which artists painted the piece. The website robspoolepottery.co.uk has a useful gallery dedicated to Poole backstamps. Artists to look out for are Anne Hatchard (a stylised letter H) and Ruth Pavely (reminiscent of a reverse swastika motif or a back-to-front f). 82 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes As a designer, I found it appealing that Poole Pottery’s forms were hand-thrown and that the designs were painted on by hand The shelves in the snug are filled with part of Mark and Martin’s collection of Poole Pottery from the Carter, Stabler & Adams era. The deco pieces are displayed against walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s vivid ‘Charlotte’s Locks’, which lends a modern edge to the arrangement

THIS PAGE The kitchen dresser is home to a changing selection of vintage pieces. The Victorian base was in the house when the couple moved in but it was missing the shelves. Having spotted a complete dresser in a neighbour’s house, Rhiannon commissioned a carpenter to replicate the shelves and then painted the unit in Annie Sloan’s ‘Duck Egg Blue’ FACING PAGE The ‘Pareek’ tea set on the living room mantelpiece is by Johnson Brothers

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes Vintage HUNTER Rhiannon Southwell has created a charming and playful family home using her collection of vintage treasures, picked up from fairs, boot sales and reclamation yards FEATURE NICK Y OWEN PHOTOGR APHS MARK BOLTON H&A JUNE 2015 85

Rhiannon Southwell’s reaction ABOVE Rhiannon made the camped in different rooms to avoid them.’ Once to seeing her future home for wall hanging and cushions the building work was complete, it was time for the first time was nothing if not from a tablecloth she the couple to get to work with scrubbing, sanding emotional. ‘I’m not the weepy bought in Stockholm – the and painting everything they could. ‘It was pretty type,’ she says, ‘but I cried during 1950s design is by Kerstin much shipshape within three months.’ the viewing.’ Looking at ‘house Boulogner. The monochrome after disappointing house’ with a toddler and rug is actually two rugs Both keen collectors, Rhiannon and Patrick a newborn in tow had taken its toll. She recalls (from Solva Woollen mill take the family on regular trips to local fairs, that the Victorian terraced property, which had and Ikea) that Rhiannon has boot sales and reclamation yards. ‘The hunt gives been neglected for many years, looked ‘sad and cleverly layered on top of my shopping trips purpose as well as a sense wonderful all at once’. Charmed by the original each other. The collection of of the unknown,’ says Rhiannon, whose love features and the light, airy rooms, Rhiannon suitcases in the alcove was of vintage homeware – from 1958 Portmeirion recognised its potential though. ‘I immediately handed down to Rhiannon ‘Dolphin’ pottery to vintage suitcases – is evident thought that it was our forever home,’ she says. from family and dates from throughout their home. ‘I love how mismatched Rhiannon and her husband, Patrick, lost no the 1950s and 60s pieces can chime when displayed together.’ time in transforming the unloved property into the colourful and ecclectic home it is today. ‘As Having grown up in houses filled with soon as we moved in, we got to work,’ she says. antiques, Rhiannon has always had an interest ‘While electricians rewired the whole house and in collecting. ‘My father lives in an old Welsh plumbers replaced the boiler and radiators, we hall full of interesting furniture and items that were part of my childhood – I definitely inherited 86 H&A JUNE 2015 my love of old and quirky interiors from him.’

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes I love how mismatched pieces can chime when displayed together Profile ABOVE In the bedroom, Rhiannon has grouped THE OWNER together some of her favourite Rhiannon Southwell, pieces. ‘The artwork is by a freelance textile Valériane Leblond and shows designer (see rhiannon the Welsh alphabet, the pink southwell.com), lives vase is from Portmeirion here with her husband (where we got married) Patrick, who works for and the lampshade is by a PR agency, and their the Bristol-based Quincy two sons, Dylan (two) Lampshades,’ she says and Macsen (four). RIGHT The rocking chair was a gift from Rhiannon’s THE PROPERTY father and the ‘Pareek’ tea This late-Victorian set was a bargain find at terraced house in Beckington village fete in Bristol has four Somerset. The mirror cost bedrooms, a kitchen- £10 from a local junk shop diner and double reception room. H&A JUNE 2015 87

BELOW A Venetian-style and vintage mirror add interest in the bathroom RIGHT Rhiannon made the Kilner jar light fittings herself. The piano was already in the house when they moved in LEFT The little 1950s Rhiannon’s passion Mobo blackboard desk in Macsen’s bedroom for collecting isn’t driven was bought from Wheeler Fabrics in Machynlleth for by aesthetics alone... £45. The second-hand chest has been jazzed up The pieces she collects often find themselves with glass knobs BELOW creeping into her work as a textile designer Rhiannon bought the – blue-and-white china inspiring a recent willow child-size table and chairs pattern design, and the pastel hues of mid-century at a car boot sale and Portmeirion pottery dictating the colours used covered them with scraps of in another. Many of her most treasured items wallpaper, which she sealed – such as a mid-century German bowl, which with decorator’s varnish belonged to her grandmother – are displayed on the antique kitchen dresser so, while she works at the kitchen table, she has a good view of them. To add to the visual impact, the pieces have been grouped together in bold primary colours, which sing against the duck-egg backdrop. But Rhiannon’s passion for collecting isn’t driven by aesthetics alone: her purchases have a practical purpose too. The family eats from vintage TG Green Cornishware and Domino Ware plates; the artfully stacked suitcases are used for storage; and the children, Dylan and Macsen, play with vintage Fisher-Price toys. ‘With two bumptious boys, our home needs to be practical as well as pretty,’ she says, ‘and it’s a testament to the quality of these old designs that they’re still in great condition today.’ Q 88 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes Little black book Bouton, 43 Alma, Vale Road, Bristol. 07896 164678; boutonshop.co.uk ‘Bouton is owned by a French woman who imports beautiful pieces of furniture and objets d’art from France. She also upholsters and restores furniture in the back of the shop.’ Bristol Reclamation, Southville, Bristol. 0117 953 2111; bristol-reclamation.co.uk ‘This is a must-visit for anyone in Bristol furnishing their home. It’s full of nice furniture – some antique and some made from reclaimed items.’ Reclaimers Reclamation, Gloucester Road, Bristol. 0117 924 8000 ‘It’s full of everything from paintings to fireplaces and tables. We bought our kitchen table here and often pop in to see what’s new.’ The couple found the mirror on the street in Queen’s Park in London. The radio is an original 1950s Bakelite model and the bird cushion came from Ian Snow. Rhiannon found the pretty vintage patchwork quilt (just seen) at Portobello Market

Style spyVintage vibe Bevelled edge mirrors are experiencing something of a Follow Rhiannon’s lead with these retro pieces moment. These ‘Vintage Revival’ hanging mirrors cost £120 each Geometric rugs make a good foil to 60s furnishings. Kangan Arora from Alexander & Pearl ‘Loha’ rug (left), £395, Heal’s Bush ‘TR82’ radio (below), Argos, £19.99. French art deco clock (bottom), £807, Decollect on 1stdibs Ercol hit its design Portmeirion’s archive when creating 1948 ‘Dolphin’ this mid-century-inspired lustreware was ‘Chiltern’ chair for John designed by Lewis. It costs £199 Susan William Ellis, the daughter Recreate Rhiannon’s of the creator mantelpiece display with of Portmeirion Johnson Brothers’ ‘Pareek’ village. This pot earthenware. From £12.60 costs £55 from for a plate, Chinasearch Purely Portmeiron at Etsy Alexander & Pearl’s sophisticated take on the Chesterfield will balance charming vintage pieces. The ‘Chelsea Black Boutique’ costs £1,095 There’s a nod to natural history in Rhiannon’s home. We love this Ian Snow cushion cover, £21.99, Wayfair 90 H&A JUNE 2015

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The show-stopping circular entrance hall was designed in 1933. The circular rug is a recreation of the original (which is on display at the V&A) by the influential textile and rug designer Marion Dorn. The walnut side tables and sofas are replicas of the originals that had been created by the hall’s designer, Rolf Engströmer

H&A LIFESTYLE: Open house A return to GLAMOUR ECN E PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON UPTON H&A JUNE 2015 93

I first encountered art deco style in 1972 When textile millionaire Visiting when a Victoria and Albert Museum Stephen Courtauld and Eltham touring exhibition arrived at Towneley his wife Virginia built it Palace Hall in Burnley. I was a teenager at the in 1933 they created a time and the objects on show were my first futuristic home with the Discover five new rooms: the introduction to designers such as René latest technology map room, Virginia’s wardrobe, Lalique, Edgar Brandt, Gerard Sandoz and the billiard room, photographic René Buthaud. It had a lasting impact on me. darkroom, and wartime bunker. My interest in all things deco led me to the ADDRESS Eltham Palace, entrance hall of art deco-style party house Eltham Court Yard, Eltham, Greenwich, Palace in southeast London – soon after English London, SE9 5QE Heritage opened the property to the public in 1999. Once inside, I was totally captivated by the interiors VISITING TIMES Open – the entrance hall alone is a mesmerising creation Sunday–Thursday from by the Swedish designer Rolf Engströmer, with its 10am–6pm. Reduced winter concrete domed roof inset with a concentric design opening from 30th September of glass roundels, walls lined with black bean veneer and decorated with marquetry, and a replica of the ENTRY PRICES Adults £13 original circular carpet designed by Marion Dorn. (English Heritage members free). english-heritage.org.uk; I have repeatedly returned (usually coinciding 0370 333 1181 with the regular antiques fair – the next one is on 16th–17th May) and now there is more reason than THIS PAGE, FROM TOP LEFT The marquetry-panelled walls depict Italian buildings. The ever to visit, as unseen parts of the house have just stairs lead to the principle landing connecting to Virginia and Stephen’s bedrooms; texture and been opened up to the public for the first time. contrasting colours create a dramatic art deco-style look in the dining room. The table and chairs are reproductions of originals by designer Peter Malacrida, a friend of the Courtaulds. Eltham is a fine example of early 20th-century The rose pink upholstery was chosen for the chairs as the hue was then believed to best architecture and design. But while today it is a complement women’s fashion. Above the fireplace is a replica of the JMW Turner painting, beautifully preserved period property, when textile Bonneville, Savoy – the original was in situ in the Courtaulds time; the great hall was part of the millionaire Stephen Courtauld and his wife Virginia medieval palace, built for Edward IV in the 1470s – then one of the largest halls in England. The built it in 1933 they created a futuristic home Courtaulds fitted central heating and used it for entertaining featuring the latest technology. The site they chose for their ambitious project was that of a medieval palace built for Edward IV in the 1470s, which had been Henry VIII’s childhood home. It had fallen into decline in the early 17th century and it was turned into a farm. The only palace building remaining 94 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Open house The animal motif ebonised doors leading from the dining room to the entrance hall were designed by a little-known artist known as Narini in the ‘moderne’ art deco style. The unusual walls are lined with paper-thin maple flexwood

The murals on the wall of the newly open billiard room (which feature Virginia’s pet lemur, Mah-Jongg) were painted by the English artist Mary Adshead 96 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Open house today is a Great Hall that had been used as a barn and indoor tennis court over the centuries, which the Courtaulds restored and incorporated into their new home as a sitting room and entertaining space. While the property’s exterior closely resembled an 18th-century French chateau, the interiors were uber modern – dreamed up by leading designers such as the Italian aristocrat-designer Marchese Peter Malacrida and inspired by the cruise liner fashion for built-in furniture and smooth veneered surfaces. Not only were there opulent furnishings and sumptuous decorations (gold mosaic bathroom anyone?), the house was fitted with state-of-the-art mod cons including underfloor heating, wired-in speakers relaying gramophone music in various rooms, an internal and external telephone system and a centralised industrial vacuum cleaner linked to individual suction ducts scattered around the house. The Courtaulds had quite different personalities, reflected in their styles and tastes. Vivacious and The interiors were uber-modern, dreamed up by leading designers such as the Marchese Peter Malacrida and inspired by cruise liner fashion impulsive, Virginia’s suite was flamboyant (her bedroom featured a classical shrine), whereas that of her reserved, intellectual husband was more modest and utilitarian. Central heated sleeping quarters were also created for Virginia’s pet lemur Mah-Jongg, who she bought at Harrods in 1923. At Eltham the Courtaulds hosted lavish cocktail parties (there were bars in many of the rooms), even continuing festivities in an underground bunker when the Second World War broke out. The party stopped when they tired of all the German bombs dropping on the estate, damaging glasshouses and part of the great hall roof, and they retreated to Scotland in 1944. They handed the property to the British army, which used it as an educational unit until 1992, before English Heritage assumed management of the site in 1995. Much of the palace’s furniture, fixtures and fittings had been removed or decorated over during the decades and English Heritage has made great efforts to recreate some of the original looks. FROM TOP Stephen and Virginia commissioned the creation of the minstrels’ gallery, which overlooks the great hall. The stained glass was fitted in 1936 and depicts four of Edward IV’s royal badges; English Heritage is currently working on the restoration of the map room, where the couple’s secretary planned the couple’s glamorous holidays to Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. The maps and illustrations were painted directly onto the walls by an unknown artist in the 1930s; the billiards room, in the basement of the property, is now open to visitors for the first time. The table is original to the room while the lights are new H&A JUNE 2015 97

Visitors are encouraged to feel like guests visiting in the 1930s… in Virginia’s wardrobe there are vintage- style accessories to try on THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT Virginia’s bedroom was designed by Peter Malacrida and reflects both his and Virginia’s flamboyant personalities. The fitted bed and cupboards are in keeping with the art deco aesthetic; Sanderson designed the block-printed wallpaper in Stephen’s bedroom depicting Kew Gardens in 1926. In the 1960s the company replaced the fading design with surviving rolls from their archives; Stephen’s bedroom reflects his more reserved personality; The walls of Virginia’s glamorous en suite bathroom are lined with onyx 98 H&A JUNE 2015

H&A LIFESTYLE: Open house Virginia’s walk- English Heritage curator Laura Houliston was in wardrobe, responsible for sourcing props and period furniture adjacent to her for the new spaces. Armed with archive photographs bedroom, features of the interiors, and a detailed inventory, she hunted vintage designs down 1930s camp beds, Welsh blankets and tub based on items seats for the wartime bunker and costumes for she would have Virginia’s wardrobe. ‘I spent around three months worn. The dress searching across the country for 1930s pieces. My hanging on the shopping list included harder-to-find items such as door is a 1930s a bird cage (the Courtaulds had a pet parrot) and design – bought to a perfect-condition tennis dress, found at Tin Tin emulate her style Collectables at Alfies Antiques Market,’ says Laura. In this, the conservation charity’s second major The other rooms unveiled for the first time include restoration of the property, the basement and several adjoining bedrooms once occupied by Virginia’s upstairs rooms have been opened and visitors are nephews, Peter and Paul Peirano, complete with encouraged to feel like guests visiting in the 1930s. a shared bathroom featuring the only shower in For example the billiards room, with its panelled the house – one of the first ever to be installed in a mural of medieval characters in landscapes by Mary residential country house. Adshead (1904–95), has a full-size billiards table for visitors to use. In Virginia’s restored walk-in wardrobe Connected to Virginia’s boudoir is the most there are vintage-style accessories to try on. intriguing room of all. Named ‘the map room’, here the family’s secretary planned their exotic travels across the globe on their yacht Virginia. Large maps that once covered the walls were decorated over after the Courtaulds left in 1944 and only now have conservators uncovered them. It was always believed there were maps beneath the paint and paper but no one knew to what extent. To their surprise they also discovered illustrations of people and wildlife. Until the hidden artwork is completely uncovered, visitors will be able to see the conservation in action – the walls will be revealed before your eyes. So, if you think that you’ve seen all Eltham Palace has to offer, think again. And, if you’re considering making your first visit, there’s every chance that you, like me, will end up falling for the lure of art deco. Q OBJECT FOCUS MARION DORN RUG American born Marion Dorn (1896–1964) is recognised as one of the most important textile and rug designers working during the art deco years. Marion, whose partner and later husband was the poster designer Edward McKnight Kauffer, established her reputation in the 1920s. Her designs soon began to attract attention, appearing in Vogue magazine and showing at the 1927 Leipzig International Exhibition in Germany. Commissions for rugs and carpets began to follow, primarily from prestigious hotels including The Savoy, Claridges, the Berkeley and the art deco-style Midland Hotel, built in Morecambe in 1933. Contracts also arrived from shipping lines, including for Cunard’s esteemed Ocean liner Queen Mary, in 1935. One of Dorn’s commissions included a circular rug for the centre of Eltham’s entrance hall. The original is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum and it has now been replaced with an accurate reproduction (left). The design is typical of Dorn’s signature style, which focused on abstract geometric motifs and was intended to complement the lines of the furniture and hues of the walls of the hall. H&A JUNE 2015 99

The renovated Italian garden at the Trentham Estate was Joe Wainwright/Trentham Estate designed by the RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Tom Stuart-Smith. His layout follows the framework of Sir Charles Barry’s original designs from the 19th century but incorporates a contemporary planting scheme of ornamental grasses and herbaceous perennials 100 H&A JUNE 2015