INSPIRATION Twenties Deco
While there is no doubt that
art deco exudes a sense of the
avant-garde and an enthusiasm
for advances in technology,
engineering and motion, many
of its stylistic in!uences are
rooted in the past and include
touches of the ancient and the
foreign, with Egyptian, Aztec
and African motifs all leaving
their mark. The combination of
the modern with the exotic is
one of the reasons that art deco
is so distinctive. ‘This is the "rst
time that something totally new
and fresh came on to the market
and that’s what makes it so
exciting today,’ says Jeroen.
Although original French
pieces by some of the most
notable designers such as
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann or
René Lalique can exceed
Art deco style was most evident in
architecture, so tiles in bold and distinctive
designs – from geometric patterns to
glorious peacocks – are a simple way to
bring a flavour into your home.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
Art deco Lea & Boulton majolica tile
(wreath) c1915, £60; brown art deco
Malkin majolica tile (jewel) c1925,
£95; brilliant colours art deco tile (pink
flower) by Richards c1928, £70; art
deco New Marsden classical tubeline
majolica tile (purple/mauve flower)
c1917, £45, all Tile Heaven. Green
c1920 modernist tile by Servais
Werke Ehrang, Germany #2, £110;
mid-brown Ceramiques Herent
Belgium abstract tile c1920s,
£85, both Richard Hoppé Antiques.
Peacock tile by Richards, £40;
hand-stencilled fox tile by Polly
Brace, £45; landscape tubeline tile
by Richards, £40, all Hive Antiques.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 51
INSPIRATION Twenties Deco
hundreds of thousands of
pounds, pieces from the English
art deco stable are far more
a!ordable. Chairs and tables by
distinguished names such as the
Epstein brothers and Hille can
fetch between £2,000 and
£3,000 at auction. Smaller items
like mirrors or lamps can be
bought today for as li"le as
£200-£300. This is a re#ection of
the movement’s shi$ into the
1930s, when mass production
ensured that objects could be
made in much greater quantities
at a lower cost.
But what we really love about
this remarkable look is the sense
of glamour and elegance that
it evokes. When we see a
beautifully curved, walnut
cocktail cabinet or a sleek,
angular lamp, we are able
to picture ourselves in that
drawing room, at that party,
during a time when pleasure
and enjoyment were
fundamental antidotes.
‘There is a growing nostalgia
for deco at the moment,’ Jeroen
concludes. ‘The 1920s and 30s
seemed to be a lot more fun with
all the parties and the cocktails.
Why not own a piece of that?’
The ‘exotic’ was a big part of art deco
style. Layer up intricate and colourful
Turkish rugs from the era for an authentic,
luxurious effect.
LEFT, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
1920s Egyptian Revival appliqué rug,
£1,950; 1920s Turkish rug, £1,450,
both Rare Rugs. Geometric rug c1930,
£1,250, Gazelles of Lyndhurst. 1920s
Ghiordes rug, £2,700; silk Turkish
rug c1920, £750, both Rare Rugs.
52 Homes & Antiques February 2020
Walnut dressing table with cloud shape
mirror c1928, £2,800, Gazelles of
Lyndhurst. Hand-blocked felt cloche hat
with vintage trim, £90, Daisy Darling.
Ostrich feathers, stylist’s own (find
similar at The Little Crafty Bugs Company).
French blue cut crystal art deco perfume
bottle with powder bowl base by Francois
Koozi c1930, £440, Gazelles of
Lyndhurst. St Louis France bottle c1920s,
£265; St Louis France scent spray
c1920, £265; St Louis France crystal
pot and cover with impressed gilding
c1910, £230; St Louis France gilded
crystal scent perfume bottle, £325;
c1920s ruby overlay cut to clear
crystal atomizer, £170, all Richard
Hoppé Antiques. 1930s malachite (green)
glass perfume bottle, £185; c1920s
Moser Karlsbad amethyst glass (purple)
perfume bottle with oroplastic frieze,
£450, both Richard Hoppé Antiques.
Pink vase, £35, Rachel’s and Michael’s
Antiques. Pink art silk lace c1920s
panel sample, £10 per m, Antiques Centre
York. Handheld mirror, £85 as part of
a set of three, Savoy Art Deco Collectables.
Create a glamorous
area in your bedroom
with a polished art
deco dressing table
and gilded and
frosted glass bottles.
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Our visits are led by experts whose passion
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L I V I N G W I T H
ANTIQUES
Explore this month’s ECLECTIC and STYLISH antiques-!lled homes, and
discover the STORY of silk (p69) and homespun APPEAL of con!t pots (p106)
This beautiful 18th-century
farmhouse table, surrounded
by Windsor chairs, sits at the
heart of Jo and Barrie
Stewart’s Tudor home. To see
more, turn to page 96.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 55
The sitting room, with its
lofty ceilings and full-height
windows, is flooded with
light. The whitewashed
walls amplify the sense of
sunlight and space. The
painted Regency chair
and ornate gilt overmantel
mirror are both family
heirlooms. Colour comes in
the form of bright cushions
and a Moroccan rug.
56 Homes & Antiques February 2020
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
Fairy tale of
NEW YORK
Marysia Woroniecka has !lled her
Brooklyn brownstone with art and
antiques that are worthy of the
grandeur of the house itself
FEATURE DOMINIQUE CORLETT
PHOTOGRAPHS MARCO BERTOLINI/
LIVING INSIDE
STYLING ALISON ATTENBOROUGH/
LIVING INSIDE
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 57
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
arysia Woroniecka took a
lot of persuading to move
away from Manha!an.
In fact, it probably never
would have happened if it hadn’t been
for her then-husband’s persistence,
with a li!le help from none other than
Spike Lee. It was the late 1990s and
Marysia, who moved to New York from
London in 1995, was running around
town having a blast. She had set up her
own fashion consultancy "rm and the
The Owner newly married couple were renting a
Marysia Woroniecka, a Manha!an lo# with views of the
partner at fashion brand Empire State Building – as she says,
Zero + Maria Cornejo ‘living the dream’. And she would have
(zeromariacornejo.com), continued like this quite happily, if her
lives here. Originally from
London, Marysia has lived husband hadn’t insisted that they
in New York since 1995. should buy somewhere, and lured her
over the East River to check out his old
The Property neighbourhood of Fort Greene.
A four-storey brownstone ‘I’d grown up in Kensington, so I was
in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, very snooty about being the other side
built around 1860. Set over of the river, and didn’t want to ever feel
three floors, the property like I was living in the suburbs,’ says
has three bedrooms, two Marysia. ‘But then we were living on
bathrooms, a kitchen, living this very commercial street at 27th and
and dining room. There is Broadway, surrounded by discount
also a separate flat in
the basement. T-shirt and handbag stores, and it was
so noisy and "lthy.’ Marysia had heard
a bit about the leafy suburb of
58 Homes & Antiques February 2020
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
The parquet floor and ornate cornice were
among the original features that attracted
Marysia to the property. The sleek lines of
the mid-century sideboard complement the
simplicity of the gilt mirror above. The dining
table is by Ilse Crawford for De La Espada
and the dining chairs are Cherner. LEFT,
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Marysia in
her sitting room; Moroccan tea glasses and
bronze candlesticks are among the decorative
pieces that she uses every day; a Regency chair
and pedestal table stand in front of a bespoke
mirror by Lisa Vandy in the entrance hall.
Marysia picked up the
mid-century chairs in the
kitchen at the Brooklyn
Flea – the fabric on the
table came from a market
in Mombasa, Kenya.
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
Fort Greene, which had been gaining a
reputation as a creative hub since
artists started moving there in the
1980s. The !lm director Spike Lee had
set up his !lm company there and, as
Marysia recalls, ‘it was a very cool
neighbourhood, with a lot of young
creative people doing cool things. But
really, nobody I knew lived in Brooklyn
at that point – absolutely nobody’.
It was a trip to visit a friend-of-a-
friend in the area that !nally made her
drop her preconceptions and fall in
love with the quiet tree-lined streets of
brownstones, built in the 1860s. She
also realised that it was incredibly
close to Manha"an – just a !ve-minute
drive from the Manha"an Bridge – and
as one half of an interracial couple, a
place where they could feel at home
– ‘the neighbourhood looked like ‘us’,’
she says. It was also somewhere in
which they could acquire a whole
house, rather than just an apartment,
and a#er several months of searching,
they came across the perfect property
– a four-storey townhouse on one of
Fort Greene’s loveliest streets.
‘The lady we bought the house from
had lived here for 40 years. She was
101!’ says Marysia. ‘What was fantastic
was that, unlike many similar houses,
which had been chopped up
CLOCKWISE FROM
ABOVE The house is
painted white throughout,
which provides the
perfect gallery-style
backdrop for Marysia’s
extensive collection of
art and antiques. On
the first floor landing,
an antique runner from
Morocco adds a dash of
colour below a selection
of framed photographs;
a delicate mobile from
MOMA hangs in front of
a painting by Toby Mott;
in the kitchen an inlaid
tray from Lamu, Kenya,
serves as an attractive
informal platter.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 61
Against the blank canvas of these enormous
light spaces, Marysia has built up a colourful,
eclectic and personal collection of antique
furniture, mirrors, lamps, textiles and art.
62 Homes & Antiques February 2020
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
and lost their beautiful details, this one
was pre!y much intact.’ Walking in to
what Americans call ‘the parlour
"oor’ (the hallway level), Marysia was
bowled over by the light and height
of the living room, with its "oor-to-
ceiling windows, decorative parquet
"oor and two marble #replaces, one
in the front and one in the back. The
house also retained its ceiling
mouldings, original staircase and
banisters, plus further #replaces and
original "ooring throughout. ‘It was
grand and lovely,’ says Marysia – and
also crying out to be #lled with art
and antiques.
The couple moved in in February
2000. The house needed to be re-wired
A diptych by Sidney and, to their horror, they discovered
Mang’ong’o hangs on
the wall in the master that the two-storey extension at the
bedroom. The bedside back – which houses the kitchen and
tables are vintage the basement "at’s living room – had
G Plan; on the floor is been built without foundations,
a Beni Ourain rug from meaning a large portion of the budget
Essaouira, Morocco. was sunk into remedying that. They
The bedcover is a cotton lived in their home in a makeshi$
kente cloth from Africa. state for a couple of years then, once
ABOVE RIGHT The the "at was let and they had a bit more
octagonal etched mirror income, they put in a new kitchen.
hanging above the
fireplace was inherited. For the decorating, Marysia chose
white throughout. ‘I like the freshness
of white,’ she says. ‘I love colour
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 63
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
‘Everything in the house
is, in fact, super personal.
They’re all things I’ve
chosen for this house and,
a!er nearly 20 years,
somehow feel a part of me.’
in my furnishings and art, but I’m not
very brave about colour on the walls.’
Against the blank canvas of these
enormous light spaces, she has built up
a colourful, eclectic and enormously
personal collection of antique the space above the bed has been given
furniture, mirrors and lamps, textiles to a diptych by Sidney Mang’ong’o.
The bathroom has a charming
from around the world, and art by A self-confessed ‘terrible hoarder’
vintage vibe and is filled with
artists working in New York or who Marysia has a tendency to hang on to
souvenirs from Marysia’s travels.
she has met on her travels. every li"le thing. ‘When I pick The vibrant pink rug came from
‘My ex-husband is an artist and something up, I get a strong sense of Morocco and adds warmth and
through him I got to know artists where I was when I got it and what I colour to the tiled floor.
working in the city,’ she says. ‘Over was thinking at the time.’ Above all, LEFT Metro tiles along the side
time I’ve developed a more informed her mirrors are her most prized assets. of the bath and above the basin
eye and got more perspective and a bit ‘I would never part with them. The one are a glamorous touch, while
an antique shaving mirror and
more knowledge. I’d love to buy more, over the main #replace hung in my
the Thirties kitchen cabinet are
but not only can I not a!ord it, but I mother’s living room. Everything in the
characterful as well as practical.
don’t actually have room on the walls!’ house, in fact, is super personal. They’re
The yellow bentwood chair was
Her living room features work by New all things I’ve chosen for this house and,
a flea-market find.
York artists Mickalene Thomas and a$er nearly 20 years of living here,
Kara Walker, while in her bedroom, somehow feel a part of me.’
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 65
Focus on
GILTWOOD
OVERMANTEL MIRRORS
Janet Gleeson explores how overmantels rose to
prominence, becoming a staple of decorative schemes
A giltwood overmantel mirror brings As technology progressed in the 18th
an instant injection of elegance, light century, ever larger overmantels were
and opulence to a room. Plus, their produced. To begin with, the French
large scale makes them eye-catching were pre-eminent, their mirrors
focal points. ‘They’ve been status adorning the homes of the rich in
symbols for centuries, and they still Europe. ‘Fireplaces in France were
work in modern homes,’ says Laura o#en lower than those in Britain to
Dadswell of Westland, London. accommodate them,’ says Laura.
Mirror-making for the international The architectural trends of the time
market began in Venice in the 1500s, shaped mirror styles and they were
but the Venetian manufacturing o#en conceived as part of a decorative
process – involving blowing cylinders scheme. Spurred on by high taxes on
of glass, then cu!ing the ends and imported glass, British makers fought
"a!ening the cylinder – limited the back from the mid 18th century.
size of glass plates they could produce. Thomas Chippendale and his
A sea change came in the 1680s, when contemporaries designed them, some
Bernard Perrot, a French cra#sman, adorned with paintings set in the
devised a new method of casting glass frame above the glass. At the end of the
in large "at sheets. It was then cut, century, Robert Adam’s designs were
polished and silvered by specialist embellished with delicate carving and
workers and set in decorated frames. gesso neoclassical motifs.
The heavier, more austere simplicity
of the Regency period was re"ected in
designs that o#en feature a strong
horizontal emphasis. In the 1800s and
beyond, be!er technology made glass
production cheaper and overmantels
became more widely available.
As with any antique, condition will
have a bearing on price. ‘Sometimes
gold paint is used to restore gilding
that is worn from years of dusting, but
this never has quite the same quality,’
warns Laura. ‘New glass isn’t the same
either. Original glass has a shimmery
gli!er and areas where it’s wearing
away o#en add to the appeal.’
The vast majority of overmantels on
the market today will date from the
Ornate Louis 19th century or later. Size, decoration,
XVI-style carved as well as condition, all play a part in
giltwood overmantel value. France remains a rich hunting
mirror from late ground – some can be found for £100 or
19th-century less in brocantes. On this side of the
France, £5,040,
Westland London. Channel, a large early 19th-century
version might be £500 plus, but earlier,
grander ones rise to £3,000 or more.
66 Homes & Antiques February 2020
HOMES Brooklyn Brownstone
This large,
decadent mirror
hangs above the
fireplace in the
main room in
Marysia’s home,
and belonged to
her mother.
CLOCKWISE
FROM ABOVE
A Louis XVI-style
Victorian mirror,
£4,560; an elegant
carved and gilded
example, £4,560,
both Westland
London; a large
gilt design
c1840, £1,300,
Thakeham Furniture.
AT A GLANCE
What to consider when buying an antique
overmantel mirror
Think about the style Grandeur – carved
and scale of your decoration will add to the
fireplace – the mirror mirror’s overall desirability,
should complement, rather but be aware that the cost
than overwhelm it. Ideally it will increase.
should not be wider than the
mantelpiece beneath, but Examine decorative
sit within it. details (such as cresting,
bows, swags and finials)
Condition is key to carefully for damage – gesso
value – look for original features are especially easily
gilding and glass. broken and chipped.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 67
Material Ma!ers:
SILK
This luxurious material has been revered for
thousands of years and has a colourful history
interwoven with legend and yarns…
WORDS ELLIE TENNANT ILLUSTRATIONS BECKI CLARK
From the shimmer and elegant drape form a single silk yarn, which can then be
of a curtain to the subtle sheen of a woven into fabric.
lampshade, sumptuous silk always According to the Chinese philosopher
elevates the look and feel of a room with Confucius, it was the Chinese princess
its super-so! "bres and lustrous beauty. Xi Ling Shi who "rst discovered silk in
This special material has extraordinary 2640 BC, when she was si#ing beneath
origins. Silk comes from the silkworm a mulberry tree and a silkworm cocoon
(Bombyx mori), which feeds on mulberry dropped into her cup of tea and began to
leaves until it has increased in size 10,000 unravel. Whether or not this is true, silk
times and forms a cocoon of silk, before production certainly emerged in China
pupating. The threads are then dipped in around that time and, for 3,000 years,
hot water to loosen the "laments and the Chinese kept ‘sericulture’ – silk
unwound. Each cocoon produces around production – methods a guarded secret.
900 metres of a single strand – "ve to By the third century BC, Chinese silks
eight strands are then spun together to were beginning to "nd their way
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 69
Silk on spools at Whitchurch
Silk Mill, Hampshire, where
the team use traditional silk
weaving skills on looms that
date back to the 1890s.
70 Homes & Antiques February 2020
MATERIAL MATTERS Silk
throughout the whole of Asia, by sea Europe’s main silk-producing centre.
to Japan and, later, overland to Rome, Italy started a silk industry in the
along trading routes that we now 12th century. Later, France led the
refer to as the ‘Silk Road’. The way. In the mid 1400s, Lyon became a
Romans bought silk and admired it, leading marketplace for trading in
but had no idea of its origins. Some imported foreign silks.
assumed it was made from tree In 1685, the Revocation of the Edict
leaves. They didn’t discover its true of Nantes meant that many French
origin until AD 552, when Emperor
Justinian sent two monks on a
RIGHT Print showing The Breeding of
mission to Asia and they returned to
Silkworms, 1775, from The New Rustic
Byzantium with silkworm eggs
House. BELOW The Manner of Feeding
hidden in their bamboo walking
Silkworms – the engraving, created in 1753
canes. Sericulture then spread by Benjamin Cole, depicts a silkworm farm.
throughout Greece and Asia Minor
and further west over time. By the
10th century, Andalusia was
Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images; East Asia Collection, Victoria
Antique silk Fereghan
rug, from Western
Persia, c1890,
£14,000, Farnham
Antique Carpet.
Key Designs Creations that tell the story of silk
Ann
Images;
Collector/Getty
Media/Print and Albert Museum; British Museum; V&A Images This wooden panel, c500- This early silk damask fragment Martha Edlin’s Casket is an This rare silk swatch book
ROYAL SMUGGLER
ELEGANT EMBROIDERY
TRADE INSIGHT
SILK ROAD FIND
exquisite example of 17th-
700 AD, depicts the story of
(1200-1500) was found in
Art a Chinese princess smuggling Egypt and shows the Chinese century stumpwork embroidery, was seized in 1764 by British
customs officers from French
Low; cocoons and mulberry seeds symbol ‘shòu’ – a character worked by Martha when she agents, who were attempting to
Joe out of China in her headdress. meaning longevity. was just 11 years old. sell silks illegally in London.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 71
3
1
1. Antique silk Kashan rug,
from Isfahan, c1915-1920,
£8,600, Farnham Antique
Carpets. 2. 17th-century
tapestry woven in silk and
wool featuring wooded
landscape, £28,000,
Julia Boston Antiques.
3. French blue and yellow
silk, c1700, £500, Joanna
Booth. 4. 1930s Hermès
silk scarf, £643, 1st Dibs.
in cream, white, light co#ee and pale
blue hues.
‘The designers we know by name
2
today are those for whom archives
survive, for example, James Leman
Huguenots – some of whom were A Merchant’s Sample Book. ‘Silk was and Anna Maria Garthwaite, whose
talented weavers – "ed France to mainly woven in small workshops, designs are in the V&A, and Jean
Germany, Italy and England, each housing maybe three to four Revel and Philippe de Lasalle,
bringing with them their skills. looms. Silks with woven pa!erns whose work and portraits survive
London and Lyon became the hubs were the height of fashion, new in the Musée des Tissus in Lyon,’
for European silk. ‘The 18th century designs being created each season. explains Lesley.
was a period in which the French Plain silks were perhaps the In 1804, French weaver and
and English silk industries mainstay of the trade, as they merchant Joseph Marie Jacquard
experienced growth and renown dated less readily.’ invented the Jacquard machine
for the quality of their plain and Lesley says that, throughout the – a device $!ed to a power loom
pa!erned silks, which were sold both century, French design was copied by with perforated cards that meant
at home and abroad,’ says Professor the English. From the early 1740s to producing silk brocade and
Lesley Miller, Senior Curator of the early 1760s, England had its own damask was simpli$ed.
Textiles and Fashion before 1800, at very particular style: naturalistic
the V&A, and author of Selling Silks: "oral pa!erns on light-coloured silks The End of an Era
Increased mechanisation in the $rst
part of the 19th century boosted the
productivity of the silk weaving
industry. But sericulture in Europe
Caring According to the Farcroft should never use chemicals on began to decline, caused in part by
restoration specialists silk. Don’t get silk rugs too wet diseases that a#ected the silkworm,
for silk (farcroftuk.com), most silk or their foundation can shrink and competitively priced raw silk
costumes or textiles can be – they need a gentle, delicate from Japan, which became easier to
antiques gently vacuumed to remove clean compared to a wool rug. get hold of with the opening of the
dirt and dust, but if you are Never clean one area of a silk Suez Canal in 1869. In the Second
concerned that the material is rug, even with a very gentle World War, raw silk from Japan was
too fragile, or if it has elements solution. You need to wash the cut o# and new manmade $bres
4 such as beads that might come whole piece. Silk rugs can be began to be used instead of silk, even
loose, it’s best to seek the help cleaned by hand using a mild for parachutes and stockings.
of a professional restorer, rather foamy soap solution, which Today, European sericulture
than attempting the job yourself. crystallizes when it dries and has all but ended, but it’s still an
‘If very old silk pieces dry out, then you can vacuum it out. You important industry elsewhere.
they can get a bit brittle and should test the dyes before you ‘There are millions of people
crack,’ reveals Stephen Marsh of go ahead – some chemical dyes worldwide who are directly
Farnham Antique Carpets. ‘You can bleed if they get wet.’ dependent on sericulture. It provides
MATERIAL MATTERS Silk
a bu!er against poverty in rural
communities,’ explains Hollie
Moreland, Creative Director at David
Hunt Lighting and The Light Shade
Studio. ‘The main silk-producing
countries are China and India,
however it is also important in
Brazil, Thailand and Vietnam
amongst others.’
Silk antiques in good condition are
always collectable and there’s a broad
spectrum of silk "nds available to
suit every taste and budget, from
vintage Japanese kimonos to elegant
antique embroideries, but silk rugs
command consistently high prices.
‘Antique silk rugs are always
highly sought a#er,’ says dealer
Stephen Marsh of Farnham Antique
Carpets. ‘The sheen of the silk and
the luxurious texture underfoot
makes these rugs stand out – plus,
the workmanship is incredible. They
Whitchurch Silk Mill
ensures the craft of silk took a long time to create.’
THE FUTURE weaving is passed down Sophisticated Styles
through generations.
OF SILK The "nest silk rugs have plenty of
knots per square inch. ‘Turkish silk
Bioengineered synthetic silks Kumkapi rugs (mostly made between
are on the horizon 1916 and 1938 in master weaver
The Stella McCartney
Microsilk dress was unveiled Zareh Penyamine’s workshop in
Spider silk is much stronger than at the New York Museum Istanbul) are particularly stunning,
silkworm silk, but silkworms can be of Modern Art in October with gold and silver threads, and can
farmed, whereas spiders eat each 2017. The Bolt Threads fetch between £20,000 and £100,000,’
other if they’re all kept together. and Stella McCartney reveals Stephen. At the more
Heralding a new era in sustainable partnership has also a!ordable end of the spectrum, small
produced Mylo, a synthetic
textiles, Bolt Threads (boltthreads. alternative to leather, made silk rugs from Fereghan in Persia or
com) has developed technology to using mycelium spores from Qum in Iran can cost in the region
replicate spider silk fibres and create mushroom roots. of £3,000-£5,000.
super-strong Microsilk™, which can ‘The many di!erent faces of silk
be produced with less environmental are endlessly intriguing,’ agrees
impact than traditional textile Lesley. ‘I love the cra#smanship in
manufacturing and has the potential to the historical examples, and the
biodegrade at the end of its useful life. $uidity and lustre of many of today’s
silks – and, at the couture level of
Genetic code for spider silk proteins production, the extraordinary
is put into yeast cells then mixed with innovative approaches to design and
sugar and water and left to ferment embellishment. Now, it is also being
in large tanks. The resulting liquid championed as a sustainable "bre.’
silk protein is then turned into long, With cu%ing-edge developments
continuous strands of synthetic spider on the horizon (see page 74), perhaps
silk, which can then be woven to silk’s story has only just begun.
create soft, durable fabrics. So far,
beanie hats, ties and a dress (right) in
collaboration with Stella McCartney
have been made. Turn the page for essential expert advice
on collecting silk
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 73
LEFT Silk embroidered
memorial attributed
to Clara Lothrop
Massachusetts, 1809,
£4,300, Stephen &
Carol Huber.
BELOW Pair of oval
Georgian silkwork
embroideries,
£1,015, Madelena.
COLLECTING ‘Silk embroidered
pictures became
SILKWORK fashionable in the
late 18th century.’
EMBROIDERIES
of the expense of both schooling and
Elegant and highly collectable, antique materials. ‘Normal working people
needlework artworks embody both didn’t have time to spend doing this
kind of thing,’ points out Ben. ‘Some
cra!smanship and creativity were improvised ‘free style’ designs,
but lots of them were bought as kits
There’s something u!erly around 1630-1650 and can fetch – you’d get a pa!ern and a piece of
captivating about silkwork £50,000 at auction,’ he reveals. silk pre-painted with certain
embroideries. Each %ower – every ‘A stumpwork casket is the holy background elements like the sky.
face – has been so meticulously grail of silk embroidery.’ The embroiderer would then stitch
stitched by hand that as your eye Small embroideries from the late on top to complete the scene,’ he adds.
scans the intricate pa!erns and 18th and early 19th centuries
pictures for meaning, you soon #nd are much easier to get hold of. ‘Silk Tips For Collectors
you’re as intrigued by the individuals embroidered pictures became very As they were all stitched by di"erent
who stitched these decorative items fashionable in the late 18th century people, there aren’t speci#c makers
as you are by the compelling and in both England and America,’ says to look out for like there are in other
colourful scenes they’ve depicted. specialist dealer Stephen Huber. areas of antiques collecting.
Seventeenth-century embroideries ‘Compositions were varied and ‘You can pick them up for nothing
do come onto the market from time included bucolic scenes and when they’re damaged,’ says Ben.
to time, but they’re rare and historical happenings. These ‘The silk backing is very fragile so
command huge prices. Ben Tulk, beautiful pictures were created by it’s o$en split or stained – a less-than-
dealer at Madelena Antiques and young women, usually aged between perfect one can be as li!le as £20. The
Collectables, says that ‘stumpwork’ 10 and 20, at schools and academies.’ price goes up as the condition gets
(raised embroidery) caskets are They were mostly created by be!er. The subject, rarity and
always desirable. ‘They date from middle and upper-class girls because complexity of the design all add to
74 Homes & Antiques February 2020
MATERIAL MATTERS Silk
the appeal. We sell good ones for this for almost 50 years, we have had
around £1,100-£1,500.’ some fabulous pieces,’ says Stephen.
In America, a#er the death of ‘The interesting ones are those that
President George Washington, involve a lot of research, such as the
memorial embroideries became wonderful picture of Lafaye!e, his
extremely fashionable and now son and members of the Washington
provide an interesting sub-genre for family visiting the tomb of George
collectors to explore. They o#en and Martha Washington when he
featured grieving relatives standing made his historic visit to America in
forlornly beside a monument 1824 (below).’
inscribed with the names of deceased With such a!ention to detail
loved ones, with symbolic weeping and impressively immaculate
willows in the background. needlework, it’s easy to forget that
‘Sometimes young ladies stitched the majority of these pieces were
these, even though they had no one to stitched by young schoolgirls. They
memorialise, and le# the tomb provided a creative outlet for a
inscription blank to be $lled in later,’ section of society who rarely had a
reveals Stephen. ‘With so many voice. Yet, on closer inspection, the Where to buy
designs and styles to choose from, it’s passion, creativity and energy that
hard to select favourites, but some exudes from the gleaming silks MADELENA
extra-special embroideries stick in clearly re"ects the optimism and 01245 425045; madelena.com
the memory. Having been involved in vigour of youth.
STEPHEN &
CAROL HUBER
Major General Lafayette antiquesamplers.com
visiting George and Martha
Washington’s tomb, now sold, FARNHAM
Stephen & Carol Huber. ANTIQUE CARPETS
01252 851215;
farnhamantiquecarpets.com
JOANNA BOOTH
joannabooth.co.uk
JULIA BOSTON ANTIQUES
020 7610 6783;
juliaboston.com
Early 18th-century
Italian open armchair,
£1,800, Julia Boston
Antiques. ABOVE
Antique miniature
sampler, 1795,
£900, Madelena.
Where to visit
WHITCHURCH VICTORIA AND ALBERT THE BRITISH
SILK MILL MUSEUM MUSEUM
28 Winchester Street, Cromwell Rd, Knightsbridge, Great Russell Street,
Whitchurch, RG28 7AL. London, SW7 2RL. London, WC1B 3DG.
01256 892065; 020 7942 2000; 020 7323 8000;
whitchurchsilkmill.org.uk vam.ac.uk britishmuseum.org
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 75
HIVE OF
INDUSTRY
An old malthouse !lled with
art and salvaged furniture
has become a homely space
that re"ects a love for the
work of artisan makers
FEATURE SERENA FOKSCHANER
PHOTOGRAPHS JAMES BALSTON
76 Homes & Antiques February 2020
HOMES Malthouse Conversion
Filled with her bold statement
lighting and the work of many
Derbyshire artists and designers,
Esther’s loft-style home
exudes charm and character.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 77
HOMES Malthouse Conversion
W irksworth has in town. ‘It can take me 20 minutes to
walk down our street because there’s
always been
a place where
always someone to chat to.’ Esther’s
home, which she shares with her
people make
husband, Paul Carr, and two grown-up
things,’ says
children, feels equally sociable. The
Esther Pa!erson.
The Derbyshire
the 1700s, and the "rst $oor they dwell
market town
in would have been used to dry grain
is where Richard red-brick building was a malthouse in
Arkwright opened the world’s "rst for brewing. The couple have preserved
water-powered co!on mill in 1771 its industrial, open-plan architecture,
and where, during the 19th century, adding rugs, art and colourful
mills in the area churned out the red wallpapers, so it’s a cross between an
tape beloved of bureaucrats in urban lo# and a country house.
Whitehall to bind legal documents. ‘We moved here from a townhouse
Today, factory workers have been with a small si!ing room and we
replaced by cra#speople, the mills wanted to have a large communal
converted into studios for the space where the family could meet up,’
ceramicists, metalworkers and says Paul, a graphic designer. They
designers like Esther, who give divided the long rectangular space
Wirksworth its bohemian edge. simply, with glazed screens at either
‘This is a friendly place too,’ says end to provide separate bedrooms. The
Esther, whose business, Curiousa kitchen, bright with hanging plants,
& Curiousa, specialises in colourful takes up the centre, opening onto the
contemporary lighting made by hand si!ing room on one side
78 Homes & Antiques February 2020
The kitchen is made from
reclaimed science lab
cabinets with shelving
from an old mill.
LEFT Esther’s lights hang
above the table in the
dining room, which
takes up one end of the
long open-plan space.
The mural is a digital
reproduction of life
drawings by the couple’s
son, Gabriel; mid-century
furniture in the living area
is pepped up with painterly
fabrics by Derbyshire
designers Blackpop.
Esther’s wallpaper
in the bathroom
was inspired by a
Christian Lacroix
design, her dog
Gwen and her
back garden.
‘My mother is a painter
and I had a creative
upbringing. I enjoy trying
out di!erent things.’
HOMES Malthouse Conversion
Inspired by a visit to
a local historic house,
Esther painted the striking
wallpaper in the bedroom.
BELOW The rustic chair
was ‘grown’ in a local field
by designers Full Grown.
and the dining area on the other, where while fellow Derbyshire designers
new doors lead to a terrace. Blackpop produced the painterly
‘Both of us love making things, so it fabrics on the mid-century seating.
was important that our home re"ected In the bedroom, Esther painted the
that,’ says Esther. In the kitchen, emerald chinoiserie wallpaper. ‘My
framed by a canopy of oak beams, they mother is a painter and I had a creative
covered one wall in Venetian plaster to upbringing. I enjoy trying out di!erent
contrast with the gleaming cooker things.’ Her glass lights, which cascade
hood, made by layering copper leaf from beams like otherworldly planets,
over an inexpensive extractor. The are handblown so that no two shapes
shelving came from an old mill, while are alike. ‘Designs pop into my head
the cabinetry was salvaged from a and I’ll sketch them in my notebook.
school science lab, with metalwork Going for a walk, photographing leaves
forged by a local blacksmith. or "owers can be the start of a new
Bare brick walls are the se$ing piece. I’ll o#en design something for
for art by friends: ceramics by Anna myself and it’ll become part of the
Colle$e Hunt, and paintings by Pat collection.’ For her latest pieces, Esther
Shenstone, Isabel Pugh Cordero and drew inspiration from her garden to
Ian Groom. ‘We’ll do swaps for my create the silk lanterns that add an
lighting – it’s a very symbiotic exotic touch to the si$ing room.
arrangement,’ says Esther. The She made her %rst pieces when
striking mural in the dining room is she was studying decorative arts at
by Esther’s son, Gabriel, its brightness No$ingham Trent University. ‘I went
o!set by the monochromatic painting as a mature student in 2006. It was a
by Ben Lowe. An unusual organic brilliant three years experimenting
chair is by Full Grown, a company that with woodwork, ceramics and
trains trees into the shape of furniture, printing.’ A chance encounter
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 81
The linen curtains in the
couple’s bedroom are by
Timorous Beasties. Esther
made the bone china
Madonna lamp with the
handblown glass shade.
BELOW The tasselled lamp
is from Curiousa & Curiousa
and the large gilt-framed
mirror with original glass is
from a local antiques shop.
inspired her to start Curiousa &
Curiousa. ‘I’d been making lamps out
of slipcast bone china. One day, a
glassblower visited the college. I asked
him to blow one of my lamps. It took
him an a!ernoon – mine had taken six
months. That was a eureka moment.’
Graduating with a "rst, Esther
shoehorned her furniture and
wallpaper designs into a stand at the
London Design Fair, where her
trailblazing lights scooped an Elle The Owners
Decoration award. ‘No one was doing Designers Esther
contemporary coloured lights, so we Patterson and Paul
stood out.’ Liberty placed an order. Carr live here with
Harvey Nichols, The Royal Albert Hall their children, Gabriel
and Jamie Oliver (who has the lights in and Lydia, and their
his kitchen) followed suit. collie, Gwen.
From a workshop in a caravan, the
business has grown to a sta# of nine The Property
with a showroom in London. A new A 1700s malthouse
converted into a
range of waterproof lights has large open-plan
introduced colour to bathrooms and living space with two
Esther hopes to put her hand-painted bedrooms at each
wallpapers into production. The glass end. Esther and Paul
is blown in Derbyshire, the lights run the arts cinema,
assembled in the factory that once Northern Light
made red tape. ‘I can’t imagine making (thenorthernlight
our pieces anywhere else. I’d feel as if cinema.co.uk), on the
I’d lost a bit of my soul.’ ground floor.
82 Homes & Antiques February 2020
RIGHT Bermuda
wallpaper, !150 for
three rolls, Mind The
Gap. BELOW Jovanna
Vase Amber, £14,
Vinterior. Spider plant,
£12.99, Hortology.
Rococo-style
giltwood
overmantel
mirror, £8,160,
Westland London.
LEFT Shabby
chic display
cabinet, £285,
Sacarmanga.
Get the Look
MALTHOUSE
ABOVE Mini macramé
plant hanging kit, £9.99,
My Life Handmade.
Silk Ume lantern, £1,750, CONVERSION
Curiousa & Curiousa.
Fuse salvaged furniture and bold accessories
for a homely space like Esther and Paul’s
Antique Tekke Bokhara
rug, £2,400, Farnham BELOW Hampton
Antique Carpets.
LEFT Dining chair, Hex velvet cushion,
from £10,000, £120, Blackpop. Piped-edge
Full Grown. velvet fabric cushion, £18,
Cult Furniture.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 83
10 WAYS
To freshen up
ceilings and walls
From unusual paint e!ects to new uses for reclaimed wood planks,
Charlo!e Packer rounds up the best ways to transform the walls
and ceilings throughout your home
GET INTO
THE GROOVE
Simple and stylish,
tongue and groove is
!easy to install and works
in a wide range of situations,
from bathrooms to bedrooms.
The joins between the planks
provide a graphic visual interest
that suits a number of interior
styles, including country cottage,
elegant townhouse, or Scandi
cabin. It is also a brilliant way to
disguise uneven walls. This pure
wool pink and white runner is
£550 from Tate & Darby.
84 Homes & Antiques February 2020
SWATCH
WATCH
This bold and witty
Traite des Couleurs
wallpaper from Mind
The Gap (£175 for three rolls) will
raise a smile from anyone whose
decorative adventures always
begin with endless tester pot
patches. Making a virtue of
indecision, the company has taken
facsimile copies of pages from
A Boogert’s 1692 book Traité des
Couleurs Servant à la Peinture à
l’Eau, which ran to 800 pages and
is thought to be the first guide to
paint and colour.
Four of
the best
antique
Katya de Grunwald; Carolyn Barber; Getty Images
textiles
TAPESTRY TALE WELSH WONDER SWEET SAMPLE COOL KILIM
Delicate designs on
A mid 18th-century This 1920s tapestry This beautiful A lovely vintage
rich fabrics that will tapestry fragment blanket (£899, 1815 sampler flat-woven wool rug
(£3,200, Julia Jane Beck Welsh (£POA, Witney (£230, Vinterior)
enliven your walls
Boston Antiques) Blankets) is poppy Antiques) is worked featuring an
depicting goddess red on one side in coloured silk intricate geometric
of hunting, Diana, and soft lavender thread on a fine design in
and her bow. on the other. linen ground. earthy colours.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 85
WHITE
WASH
If you’d like to recreate
the slapdash effect of a
mist coat, Annie Sloan
has the solution. First, paint your
walls in a warm earthy tone to
create a base colour. Once this has
dried, apply a lighter, neutral shade
in random areas. While this coat is
still wet, use a scrunched-up piece
of newspaper to create rough
patches. Next, apply additional
layers in a lighter shade that has
been watered down, allowing the
base shades to show through.
Finish with Matt Chalk Paint Lacquer
to make it water resistant.
Wall painted with Annie
Sloan Chalk Paint in
Scandinavian Pink,
Honfleur and Old White,
all £19.95 per litre, and
finished with Matt Chalk
Paint Lacquer, £21.95.
86 Homes & Antiques February 2020
CABIN
FEVER
Laying planks laterally
along a wall, rather than
Single Astrid top to bottom, is an
headboard in Flannel excellent alternative to traditional
Grey, £550; Icicle
mirror, £235, tongue and groove, and just as
both from OKA. adaptable. Here, the cabin-style
walls are a cosy addition to this
bedroom and make a striking
contrast to the elegant carved wood
and wicker headboard, the chic
table lamp and the statement
decorative mirror.
Crema cracked natural Wooden Orissa silk in Paprika,
marble wallpaper, cladding and £76 per m, James Hare.
£36 per sq m, flooring from
MuralsWallpaper. Bert & May,
prices vary.
MARBLE NATURAL SILK ROUTE
MAGIC FINISH Very much a specialist
While few us can afford to Bert & May’s salvaged option, silk walls are the last
clad our walls in real boards are meticulously word in luxury. Companies
marble, we can at least hand-finished and can be such as James Hare, whose
@artistsresidence captured its natural beauty in a wide ceilings. Here, pale reclaimed planks elegant, textural wallcoverings, will be
reused on walls, floors and even
embrace the effect thanks to the design
silks can be paper-backed to create
team at MuralsWallpaper, who have
enliven the beautiful lofty ceiling and
able to recommend professionals with
complement darker floorboards below.
experience in hanging it.
range of colours.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 87
10 WAYS Adding Texture
ELEGANTLY
DISTRESSED
Exposed plaster,
complete with traces
of old paint and,
occasionally, the ghost imprint of
a wallpaper pattern, is hugely
fashionable at the moment.
Teaming the untreated walls with
sleek, crisply painted woodwork in
a low-sheen eggshell will give it a
contemporary edge. Rough-and-
ready walls make the perfect
backdrop for luxurious furniture,
such as this Beaumont & Fletcher
armchair, covered in Wicklow
Damask fabric in Oatmeal.
Wexford armchair,
£2,800, covered with
6m of Wicklow Damask
fabric, £110 per m,
Beaumont & Fletcher.
How to Having made some wallpaper – I used RA
Smart in Macclesfield.
initial drawings, I
make it chose the designs I liked Once the paper was on
best and scanned them
the wall, I added
personal into Photoshop. I then further texture by
hand, painting in extra
used this software to
Curiousa & complete the artwork. detail on the stems,
Curiousa’s Esther The background is a roses and birds.
page from my
The design was
Pa!erson explains sketchbook that I inspired by a trip to
how she created her painted green. I then Chatsworth House in
own wallpaper (also laid my freehand pencil Derbyshire, not
seen on page 81) drawings over this in too far from where we
Photoshop. The next step live. The chinoiserie
was to have the design bedrooms there are
digitally printed onto just beautiful.
88 Homes & Antiques February 2020
The Haberdasher’s
Kitchen, from
£30,000, deVOL; Turner
Tile by Anaglypta,
£13.25 per roll,
Wallpaperdirect.
! Anaglypta was launched as
HISTORIC
REVIVAL
First produced in 1887,
an affordable alternative to
intricate plaster moulding and finely
Breatheasy matt carved panelling. Easily installed and
emulsion in Cloud Burst painted, the heavily embossed sheets are
and Blue Gravel, £18 also an effective way to disguise uneven
for 2.5l, Crown Paints. surfaces. Traditionally used below the
dado rail, Anaglypta is an excellent
choice for a focal point within alcoves or
on a single wall. For extra effect, use it on
the ceiling. Here, the company’s 1909
design, Turner Tile, looks magnificent in
a deVOL kitchen.
"# A fresh coat of paint is the obvious
COOL CONTRAST
solution when you’re looking for a
quick and affordable transformation.
For maximum impact, think beyond
a simple all-over splash of paint – consider using several
different shades in tandem to zone or define specific
areas within an open-plan space, or think about using
a bold secondary colour when painting skirtings, doors
and window frames. In this hallway, two contrasting
shades are used to create the illusion of a dado rail.
The idea has been taken a step further by extending
the colours across the door frame and panels to create
an elegant look akin to dip-dyeing.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 89
Essential
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Design Icon
STRING SHELVING
Sweden, 1949. Publishing giant, Bonnier, rides the postwar
reading boom by launching a book club, sending out new titles
monthly. A problem arises: rich folk can build shelving, but
to sustain sales they need a bookshelf for the people. A!er 192
architects pro"er solutions, one entry stands out: light, airy,
a"ordable, endlessly #exible and, packing down #at, ideal for
shipping. The String Shelving System, one of the 20th century’s
most in#uential furniture designs, is born
FEATURE JULIAN OWEN
String Furniture
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 91
STRING THEORY
Nils Strinning was in his late twenties when his wife,
Kajsa, asked him to dry the dishes. ‘He thought towels
were unclean,’ says String Furniture CEO, Peter
Erlandsson, ‘so he made a metal dish rack dipped in
rust-preventing plastic.’ Three years later, Bonnier’s
competition launched and Nils remembered his dish
rack. Turned vertically, its steel wires became ladders,
perfect for holding shelving or cabinets, ripe for near-
in!nite con!guration.
Manufacture began in 1950. Global success
germinated in 1954, with gold at the Triennale di
Milano, then "owered a year later at Sweden’s H55
exhibition – which, says Peter, was the event that
made the rest of the world sit up and take notice of
Scandinavian design. A global rise in sales followed.
Production ceased in 1974, before Peter led a 2005
resurrection. From £80,000 in the !rst year, turnover
today is £26m. ‘We’ve evolved cautiously, not wanting to
destroy the iconic system. Functional, strong design,
that’s the key.’
String shelving is considered a design classic
thanks to its versatility and understated aesthetic.
In original examples, honeycomb paper (paper made
into honeycomb shapes) was used inside to keep the
shelves light but exceptionally strong. The String shelving
pictured is available in 12 colourways and costs £126.
DESIGN ICON String Shelving
LEFT The String System first flourished from the mid 1950s
to the 1970s. ABOVE Kajsa Strinning was said to be
‘thorough, artistic and patient’. Nils Strinning worked with
Kajsa over several years to refine the design to a thing of
beauty and functionality. BELOW A vintage Bonnier poster
advertising original String shelving.
THE STRINNINGS
Husband and wife Nils and Three months before his
Kajsa Strinning were both death, Nils a!ended the
architects in Stockholm. ‘He’d 2006 Stockholm Furniture
designed chairs and sailboats, Fair to see String’s return,
but had no hits before String ‘very pleased to see it taking
shelves,’ explains Peter o"’. Kajsa died in 2017.
Erlandsson. ‘He was the The system is as in#uential
engineer, she the artist – the as ever, and Peter has
perfect combination. Nils commissioned celebrated
wanted to design chairs, but Swedish designers – Anna von
they never really sold. I met Schewen, Björn Dahlström,
them many times. She was Mats Theselius – to produce
very humble, he still some new work in String’s
very energetic.’ iconic house style.
Stock Photo; John S Timeline The evolution of shelving
Friend/Alamy
Jason
Images;
Getty
via Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images; Fred Dufour/AFP via Getty Images
Leemage/Corbis 3rd century BC This aumbry has held Revolving bookcase The Strinnings’ The extraordinary
1949
1722
2017
685
Up to 400,000 scrolls
terraced shelves of
encasing sacred
Caudery; lined the shelves of the vessels and vestments in Buddhist scriptures in blueprints for the system Tianjin Binhai Library,
that would open up a
St Paul’s Church, near
research hub of the
Dave ancient world, the great Jarrow, for more than Naritasan Shinshoji whole new world of China, were designed to
hold 1.2m books.
Temple, Japan.
1,300 years.
Library of Alexandria.
shelving design.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 93
CLEAN LIVING
Bring classic design into your
bedroom with the compact String
Pocket system. Punctuate collections
of books with small ornaments and
those clean, uncluttered lines will
keep even the smallest chamber
feeling spacious.
3
Ways to
BREATHING Style
SPACE
The living room is a
tricky cove when it
comes to storage –
you never want it to
dominate, yet there are
so many things you’d
like to have to hand.
This combination of ORDERED THINKING
shelving and cabinets If a cluttered desk is the sign of a
can swallow your cluttered mind, find a little clarity by
choicest selections introducing String to your workspace.
of books, vinyl and No matter the number of tools in
sculpture, all the while your particular trade, the modular
not compromising that system can keep them within reach
sense of space. and neat and orderly.
Buying advice Vintage String systems
hanks to its simplicity of design and Weight is another consideration. ‘The Peter recommends Swedish second-
the plethora of imitations, identifying shelves were extremely light,’ says Peter, hand retail website Blocket (blocket.
T authentically vintage String systems ‘because they’d construct them with layers se) as a good place to look for vintage
isn’t always straightforward. Still, there of veneer over honeycomb paper. It systems, and there are also fine selections
are some strong pointers. Original String was extremely stiff – even though they at Pamono (pamono.co.uk) and Vinterior
panels were almost exclusively black or were very light, you could load them (vinterior.co). What should you expect
white, with the latter prone to yellowing. up heavily.’ to pay? Well, how big is your piece of
They were also dipped in a plastic Other indicators are rather more String? Modularity means prices vary but,
liable to peel – for that reason, modern prosaic. ‘On some old shelves you’ll see as a guide, £400 will get you a good-
examples are powder-coated instead. a sticker that says ‘patent pending’ and a condition 1950s combination of ladders,
The shelves can also be revealing, says list of countries: Belgian Congo, Canada, two shelves and a cabinet, while £100
Peter Erlandsson. ‘Today, we use MDF; on for example. Regarding the earliest should be enough for a couple of 1970s
older String shelves, the wood is mostly examples, for the first year or so it was not shelves and ladders. If you’re looking for
mahogany or teak. We’ve produced some called the String shelf, but BFB – Bonnier something more substantial, six ladders
teak shelving in a small Pocket version, but Folkbibliotek, or Bonnier Public Library. and around 20 shelves from the 1960s
that size didn’t exist in the old days.’ A really old shelf will have a BFB sticker.’ will be close to £2,500.
94 Homes & Antiques February 2020
DESIGN ICON String Shelving
Shop
the Look
More smart
shelving
ideas
& %
! "
' 1940s French brass
étagère, £1,350,
Brownrigg at
Decorative Collective.
( Musa Shelf by
Mogg, £200, Go
Modern. ) Woody
Shelf by Hay, £445,
Skandium. * North
Shelf by Bloomingville,
£36.99, Trouva.
+ Ladderax vintage
bookcase/sideboard/
cocktail cabinet,
£275, Vinterior.
, Vintage mid-century
50s/60s French
$ # shelving unit, £125,
Vinterior.
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 95
Aworking
PAST Delving into the
artisan history of
their 15th-century
FEATURE AND STYLING JO LEEVERS
PHOTOGRAPHS PENNY WINCER home in Rye helped
Barrie and Jo Stewart
revive its character
Ancient documents
relating to the house
reside on a primitive
bench on the landing
alongside Hungarian
miners’ bottles, which
are decorated with
colourful fuse wire.
The artist’s palettes
are vintage finds.
RIGHT The Tudor
house is set on a
road that winds
down from Rye’s high
street to a riverside
quay. The left-hand
side once included a
brick-paved alleyway,
where horses and
carts passed through
to workshops behind.
HOMES Tudor House
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 97
Barrie and Jo Stewart
were fascinated by the
history of their home,
particularly the cra!speople
who had once lived here.
Beneath the stripped-back beams of
the living room a vintage armchair
from The French House has been
re-upholstered in old linen sheets
with a deliberately unfinished feel.
The paintings are by Luke Hannam
at McCully & Crane.
HOMES Tudor House
LEFT In the living room, the medieval beams
have been stripped back to the original oak.
Sofas and an ottoman are covered in plain
linen for an unfussy, textural look. The painting
was an eBay find. BELOW Two carved
wooden cupboard door panels hang in the
living room above an antique side table.
ver the
centuries, Barrie
and Jo Stewart’s
house has been home to tallow
chandlers, sailors, wheelwrights,
cordwainers and linen weavers. A wig
maker, a hairdresser and a tailor have
all set up shop here and used its leaded
windows to display their wares. And
there were doubtless plenty of o!-the- The Owners
record occupants. A smugglers’ door Barrie (pictured) and Jo
in the eaves that used to o!er an easy Stewart, who both work in
fashion design. For short
escape into a neighbouring house
breaks at their home and
provides a clue to some of the more
to buy vintage finds visit
covert goings on at The Mint, a
themintinrye.com.
15th-century home on a winding street
in Rye, East Sussex. The Property
Once they moved in, Barrie and Jo A Tudor cottage in Rye,
became fascinated by the rich history East Sussex. There’s a living
of their home, particularly its past room, dining room and
inhabitants, who provided much of the kitchen on the ground floor.
inspiration for the way the couple have Upstairs are two bedrooms
and two bathrooms and
styled their home.
on the top floor is a further
‘When it came to decorating the
bedroom with an en suite
rooms, we included references to the
and a dressing room.
people who have lived here,’ explains
Barrie. This is present in the small
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 99
HOMES Tudor House
details, such as a vintage mannequin
bust that is a subtle reminder of the
wig maker, while beeswax candles are
a nod to the ancient chandlers.
‘Using vintage textiles to add
textures to the spaces was particularly
appealing,’ says Barrie, who works in
the fashion world. Old French sheets,
so!ened with wear, have been
hemmed by a local seamstress and
hung as curtains. Striped ma"ress
covers have been given a new lease of
life as bed throws, and old linen shirts
CLOCKWISE FROM are hung as decorative items. ‘The
ABOVE The bespoke quality of #ne needlework on even the
kitchen was made most everyday smocks and work shirts
to fit the space. The is incredible,’ he remarks.
low wooden door But before Barrie and Jo could add
leads into the back these #nishing touches, there was a lot
garden, which was of careful restoration work to do. ‘The
once a working yard. aim was to bring the house back to life
Reclaimed bricks mix in an authentic style, so seeking out
with originals here, as
part of this space was modern-day makers and cra!speople
a passageway to the was part of that,’ says Barrie.
yard; an 18th-century Early on they visited Ripley Forge &
Irish oak console table Fireplaces in nearby Robertsbridge
in the dining room. where they found replacement
The painting is the backplates for the inglenook #replaces.
decorated lid to a ‘We wanted to reinstate them as
sailor’s trunk, bought faithfully as possible and the Forge
in Turkey; Shaker was like a graveyard of old #replace
pegs provide places ironware, which was just what we
to hang useful
kitchen items. were looking for,’ Barrie explains.
They later returned to ask the
blacksmith, John Ripley, to make
100 Homes & Antiques February 2020
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