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PERIODLIVING 30 BEAUTIFUL OLD HOMES

DECOR ATING & SHOPPING

GARDEN ANTIQUES INSPIRATION & VINTAGE

RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING PERIOD HOMES MAGAZINE

Brighten up your interior with a rich and vibrant palette RENOVATION FOCUS REPAIR OR REPLACE WINDOWS IDEAS FOR EXTENDING

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Embrace

FEBRUARY 2020

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Beautiful homes: from a Victorian townhouse to a Georgian gem

RESTORING TIMBER BEAMS

PLANT A WILDLIFE HAVEN

Attract creatures great and small to your garden

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Celebrate this iconic era of glitz and glamour

Illustration Sarah Overs Photograph David Lloyd

Editor’s Letter

eople often ask me how old a house should be to be considered ‘period’.

As far as I am aware, there is no legal or dictionary definition, but the era that’s often bandied about as being the last true historic architectural period is Edwardian. However, as time moves on, so too does our perception of what is period, vintage and antique. Over the last few years, I have noticed a shift in the terms to encompass the interwar era, and beyond to good examples of mid-century design – and these boundaries will keep on moving in the years to come. I often wonder what future generations will think of our modern estate houses; it’s hard to imagine they will be considered historic gems – more likely blank canvases in need of an overhaul to keep up with the latest trends – but stranger things have happened.

This issue, we take a look at two important eras of the early 20th century, starting with the design of the Roaring Twenties, an iconic decade that brought us cocktail party glamour, Hollywood ‘It’ girls and Art Deco interiors (page 92). Then, conservation and heritage expert Lee Bilson uncovers Edwardian house design (page 124). This short but influential period felt like a breath of fresh air following its Victorian predecessor, with a greater emphasis on natural light and gardens. Both features make fascinating reading.

Elsewhere this month, we kick off the gardening year with a look at creating a wildlife haven (page 141). Last summer, Period Living launched its Save the Bees campaign, and throughout 2020 we hope to advise you in supporting not only these essential pollinators, but other treasured garden visitors. Along with assessing planting, my own plans include adding a bee hotel and more feeding stations for birds.

Finally, this month don’t miss the chance to subscribe to Period Living for just £20 for six issues, and receive a set of five Orla Kiely cake tins, worth £45, completely free (page 52). It’s the perfect treat for yourself or gift for a friend. I do hope you enjoy the issue.

Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living

Period Living 5

PERIODLIVING

Future PLC, Units 1 & 2, Sugarbrook Court, Aston Road, Bromsgrove B60 3EX EDITORIAL Editor Melanie Griffiths Content Editor Rachel Crow Homes Content Editor Karen Darlow Style Editor Pippa Blenkinsop Features Writer/Subeditor Holly Reaney Email periodliving@futurenet.com

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Art prints: All Getty Images

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Future plc is a public company quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR) www.futureplc.com

Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford !Ç?ǣƺǔ ˥ȇĆ?ȇƏǣĆ?Çź Ȓǔ˥Əƺȸ Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

C 55 74 Cover Photograph Colin Poole

Decorating & shopping

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Journal We round up the latest interiors offerings, news and exhibitions Rich velvets Add warmth with plush fabrics

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Calm and collected Create a restful space with mint and sage toned homeware

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Stunning artwork Stamp some personality on your space with these colourful prints

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ON THE COVER

Embrace colour How to incorporate contrasting colours into your scheme Focal-point stoves Keep cosy and warm this winter

Features Made in Britain We visit Rachael South, who is keeping the chair caning craft alive Antiques journal This month’s fairs and auctions, plus expert advice on collecting

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Decorative details Marc Allum explores gilding Gilding techniques Ruth Tappin shares her expertise on the antique restoring process ON THE COVER

1920s design A century on, we look back at the iconic era that brought us Art Deco February journal The best activities to get you out and about this month Heritage weekend Visit the university city of Oxford with our guide to the highlights Food journal Events, eateries and kitchen essentials for keen home cooks Recipes Cook up dishes inspired by recipes from Paris, the city of romance

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ON THE COVER

Time for change Carla Isolano and Ben Lillywhite have transformed a tired Victorian house into a characterful home

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A new lease of life Alix Bateman’s converted Georgian coach house is now brimming with heritage charm

Henk and Lianne have turned their modest farmhouse into a home fit for the 21st century

74 Welcome home

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A Victorian vicarage has been renovated to create a cosy and environmentally friendly home

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ON THE COVER

Extend your home How to achieve the perfect blend of old and new on a period house

Advice & inspiration House journal New products and expert advice for improving a period home Luxury bathroom inspiration Create a relaxing sanctuary ON THE COVER

Health check Advice on restoring timber beams

11 38 52 163

Gardens Garden journal The latest products for your garden, and horticultural advice ON THE COVER

Garden advice Find out how to transform your garden into a mini nature reserve

Regulars Your journal Readers’ letters and pictures 30 years of Period Living Celebrating our anniversary year Subscribe Get a free set of Orla Kiely cake tins worth £45 when you subscribe Stockists All the suppliers in this issue

ON THE COVER

Windows Find the best designs for your home, plus maintenance tips

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Edwardian design We uncover the unique details of this popular architectural era

ON THE COVER

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Letters

the magazine

TABLES TURNED

I love upcycling furniture.

I’ve painted many pieces of furniture for my home, including a lamp table, two kitchen chairs and some small shelves in my kitchen. I don’t really remember when I came into possession of this Edwardian table, but I know it used to belong to my granddad. It was in quite a battered state for many years until I finally decided to give it a new lease of life by upcycling it for my new summerhouse, which has a beach theme.

I love it it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Erica Gaize, Bromsgrove

This month’s star letter prize is a gift set from Nordés Gin, with a bottle of its delicious Atlantic Galician gin and a luxury recycled cotton Cornish blanket from Atlantic Blankets, worth £120.

DINING DILEMMA

Would you rather have a family-friendly kitchen-diner or dedicated dining room?

Annette Thompson: I have a separate dining room and love that I can walk away and not have to look at dirty dishes!

Ian Todd: My kitchen-diner is the heart of my home. It’s such

a social space and stops you being left alone in the kitchen.

Beth Von Black: It makes my heart sad when people knock down walls in period homes. Why don’t they buy a new build if they want open plan? Leave the old houses alone for the people who want original features.

IN PRAISE OF CONSERVATION I’ve been a member of the National Trust for many decades and love exploring all the different properties with my family, but I’ve never thought to look into the organisation’s history. Your article in the January issue gave a fascinating insight into the Trust’s founders and early properties, as well as those who are preserving these architectural gems for the next generation. Nigel Roe, Chester

THE CHALLENGE OF OLD HOMES

Feature Holly Reaney

As an owner of a 300-year-old house with roof tiles just like these (featured in the December issue), all I see is the vast quantity of maintenance required to keep it looking this good. My roof took a bashing over the weekend and about 20 tiles now need replacing. But saying that, I’ve tried living in newer houses and didn’t like it!

You can’t beat the character of period homes. Miranda Powell, Shepton Mallet Get in touch: periodliving@futurenet.com

@periodlivingmagazine

@PeriodLivingMag

@period_living Period Living 11

The latest interiors offerings, from refreshed archive prints to handcrafted accessories Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

w

he bloc t k on

N e

In homage to its rich heritage, Cole & Son has drawn inspiration from its extensive archive of block-printed designs to create a range of timeless wallpapers.

Taking its name from the fruit wood originally used to create the 19th-century printing blocks, The Pearwood Collection sees seven designs from the archive – one of the largest block print collections in Europe – reinvigorated for the 21st century. From the fruit-laden branches of Vines of Pomona to Boscobel Oak, which depicts monarchal symbols of England, the colourful, ornate papers are perfect for those with a passion for pattern. Looking for a modern chintz? Try Midsummer Bloom in Purple and Teal on Ink, £120 per roll.

Period Living 13

Neil Thomas, technical director at Gainsborough, talks about how the historic weaving mill is keeping its heritage alive What’s the story behind Gainsborough?

It was founded in Sudbury, Suffolk in 1903

by Reginald Warner. Apprenticed as a silk weaver at the age of just 13, he travelled widely in Europe during his lifetime, collecting fabrics as he went and laying the foundation of Gainsborough’s archive, which today is one of the UK’s leading textile libraries. Warner quickly became known as an expert in damask, brocade and velvet, producing important commissions for companies such as Liberty, Morris & Co and for the Royal Household, with whom Gainsborough works to this day, gaining a Royal Warrant in 1981. Another long association was with Cunard and the White Star Line; in 1911 Gainsborough produced bespoke silk for RMS Titanic.

Today sees Gainsborough fabrics starring in many movies and TV productions, including Downton Abbey.

How do you keep the brand’s heritage alive?

By drawing on our incredible archive to create new collections. The Design Studio at Gainsborough can recreate, rescale and recolour from over 7,000 historic references in the library. There is a minimum order of just 20 metres, making special commissions feasible for a wide range of projects. Also, our fabrics are still made by employing traditional manufacturing techniques.

Our hank dyeing machines allow for great accuracy when repeating a colour as well as creating one from scratch. All our processes – winding yarn, making warps and finally weaving – are of a traditional nature using tried and tested machinery; our oldest looms will turn 100 next year and still weave our highest quality silk damasks. When it really makes a difference we intersperse this with the latest technology, ensuring it doesn’t compromise on quality.

What’s new?

We recently launched two new collections, both of which draw on Gainsborough’s remarkable archive. The Saluté Collection offers seven archival designs, recoloured for modern living, and includes an Italian baroque design that featured in the Titanic.

Grand Masters offers 21 designs covering a wide range of historical references, especially those fabrics that have been widely used and loved over the decades. (gainsborough.co.uk) 14 Period Living

in

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Introducing Morris & Co’s heavenly new collection: Rouen velvets, comprising six vibrant prints inspired by the colourinfused interiors of the cathedrals of Northern France. A visual feast of the most skilled medieval craftsmanship, from stained glass to intricate wood carvings, the majestic interiors of France’s Gothic cathedrals left a profound impact on William Morris and were formative in the creative direction of Morris & Co. Drawing on the jewel colours of illuminated stained glass, the Morris & Co design team has now refreshed a number of iconic prints, setting them against a pure cotton velvet backdrop to further enhance their richness and depth. This Fruit design, although originally dating to 1864, looks of the moment in Indigo/Slate, £115 per m.

Plush pr

BEST OF BRITISH

From top: Neil Thomas; Gainsborough founder Reginald Warner weaving on a hand-operated jacquard loom; the Makins Paisley fabric being woven; Gainsborough Saluté fabric in Titanic Green & Honeysuckle

delft, e v i t he a figur m across t A). o t s & ro ign n des ceramics f Hudson/V a i n a r s& ric I y of hame omet ual histor T e , g 5 g 9 rin vis 19.

Featu ire (£ k is a o p s o n B i d ile The T ght an i l e d to globe Images (tiles clockwise from left) Delft tile, Netherlands, 18th century; moulded frieze tile from the Ilkhanid Palace at Takht-i Sulayman in north-west Iran, probably Kashan, Iran, c.1275; London Individual fritware tile from a decorated chimney piece belonging mostly to the repertory of ornament developed by the Ottoman court in the 16th century, c.1731; all © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

LF E H S BOOK

A PASSION FOR COLOUR Perfectly timed for a spring refresh, Benjamin Moore has introduced the Century collection, a new paint range of 75 curated colours. Carefully formulated to create a softtouch matt finish, the paint is designed to bring unrivalled richness and depth to interior walls. Looking to banish winter blues? Try this warming palette of Wild Caraway (this image) teamed with (left from top) Sémilion, Realgar, Saffron, Terrarosa, Sumac and Red Jasper, from £11 for 118ml.

Period Living 15

News

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This month the V&A will open Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk - Europe’s first major exhibition celebrating the iconic Japanese costume. Showcasing kimono from across the centuries, the show will chart the sartorial and social significance of the garment from the 1660s to the present day. Examining its impact on Japanese culture and the wider world, the show hopes to present the kimono as a constantly evolving icon of fashion. 29 February - 21 June, entry £16.

NS CO

An under-kimono for a man (juban). Fabric made in Britain or France, tailored in Japan, 1830–1860

Fashionable brocade patterns of the Imperial Palace, woodblock print, made by Utagawa Kunisada, 1847–1852, Japan

Images (kimono) Image courtesy of the Khalili Collection; (woodblock print, top right) Museum no. Circ.636 to Circ 638–1962 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

TALENT SPOT ‘I’m reinterpreting a past product with my own twist,’ says designer Petra Palumbo of her beautiful hand painted glassware.

‘I remember as a child being mesmerised by my parents’ lovely collection; I particularly remember a ruby crystal carafe.’ Indeed Petra’s appreciation for the handmade was sparked at an early age and has inspired her to go on to create high quality, handcrafted products to pass down the generations. Beautifully handpainted with an array of floral designs, from roses to thistles, her carafes and tumblers brighten up the bedside table. ‘I’m inspired by nature and what it has to offer,’ says Petra.‘Living in the Highlands, where the seasons are so drastic and wild, brings me so much inspiration in terms of colours and mood.’ While it’s easy to be deceived by the effortless, sinuous

brushstrokes, Petra explains how glass painting is a skilled and multiphase process that requires lots of patience, starting with the careful preparation of paints through to the heat curing needed to set them in place. Passionate about print, Petra began her journey into surface decoration with a degree in Sustainable Textiles at Chelsea College of Arts, where she specialised in screen printing before experimenting with tableware and now glass. At the heart of her creativity is a deep concern for the environment. Consciously choosing to focus on high quality, plastic free products, Petra also ensures sustainability at each stage of the manufacturing process, from using water based inks through to recycled packaging. Since moving to Scotland from London, the future’s looking rosy, as her creations have turned the heads of Liberty’s buyers, who invited her to design exclusive pieces for their curated maximalism showcase, Floribunda. There are also exciting plans in the pipeline to extend her bedside collection and even open a shop.

Hot pink rose bud carafe and tumbler, £62 (petrapalumbo.com)

Period Living 17

Left: Tricia Guild surrounded by the Geranium collection, 1976. Designed by Kaffe Fassett for Designers Guild Right: Howard Hodgkin for Designers Guild collection, 2011

ONE TO VISIT Founded by Tricia Guild OBE, the influential brand Designers Guild will mark half a century in interiors this year with its own retrospective at the Fashion and Textile Museum. Out of the Blue: 50 years of Designers Guild will trace the evolution of the brand from 1970 and its beginnings as a small section of a shop in Chelsea’s Kings Road, to a global enterprise, changing the way in which people view colour, pattern and texture in their homes. Celebrated for her intuitive approach and bold, artistic juxtaposition of colour, print and texture, Tricia Guild’s vision is brought to life through displays of archive documents including never before seen original designs and artworks, plus visitors can glimpse into the workings of the design studio. 14 February – 14 June, entry £9.90.

Green c le As you embark on

ing an

the big new year clean, spare a thought for the environment by choosing eco-friendly cleaning products made from 100 per cent natural and organic ingredients. Produced in small batches in Somerset, the National Trust’s new range of laundry and household cleaning products use organic, fair trade essential oils, which are sustainable, ethical and safe for people, animals and ecosystems. Helping keep your home – and the environment – happy and healthy, all the products are certified by the Soil Association, Cruelty Free International, Allergy UK and The Vegan Society.

From £5.

HERITAGE HOMEWARE

British weaver Ian Mankin has once again teamed up with The Landmark Trust to add a range of cosy homeware to its 1485 collection.

Woven in Lancashire, the throws, cushions and draught excluders take inspiration from British architectural heritage, using motifs drawn from historic properties across the UK. Made from recycled cotton, this Langley throw has a linear design reminiscent of the timber façade of Langley Gatehouse, from £59.50.

18 Period Living

Soft touch

Create spaces brimming with texture and luxury using an array of sumptuous velvets.

Whether patterned or plain, try fabrics in rich rusty hues for ultimate warmth

Backdrop: Accent Teal Verdigris wallpaper mural, £36 per m2, Murals Wallpaper. Velvets from left: Orkney F6920-14 velvet, £40 per m, Osborne & Little; Nikita cotton velvet in Marina, £179.78 per m, Lewis & Wood; Bourlet velvet in Terracotta, £75 per m, Designers Guild; Fruit velvet in Madder/Bayleaf, £115 per m, Morris & Co; Manipur velvet in Sienna, £95 per m, Designers Guild; Lennox velvet in Terracotta, £69 per m, Jane Churchill; Floriana velvet in Red, £110 per m, Colefax & Fowler; Albano velvet in Cinnamon, £125 per m, Marvic Textiles; Tiffany cotton velvet in Spice, £136 per m, The Design Archives; Lennox velvet in Russet, £69 per m, Jane Churchill; Smokey F7322-03, £103 per m, Margo Selby for Osborne & Little

Styling Pippa Blenkinsop Photograph Kasia Fiszer

Fabrics

Shopping Vivian mint crackle table lamp, £641, Arteriors Home Bagsie sofa in Powder Green Clever linen, from £1,695, Loaf

Venus sage glass decanter, £45, Curious Egg

Mr Clarke modern Scandi wall clock in plywood and Bubble Green, £65, Newgate Clocks Ikat silk square cushion in green and pink, £95, Rosanna Lonsdale

Edo mural design wallpaper panel in Mint Green, £470, Rockett St George

Gold rim coffee cup with saucer in Sage, £26, The Hambledon Sarah Went porcelain teapot, £140, Made by Hand Online

Sophie Conran Colour Pop dinner plate in Celadon, £72 for 4, Amara

Gluggle jug in Sage, £34, Graham & Green

Use on-trend soothing sage and mint shades to create restful yet uplifting spaces

Fishbone wool throw in Seafoam Green, £40, National Trust Shop

Green Berry napkins, £24 for 4, Sarah K

Bo stonewash rug, from £2,607, the Geometric collection at Luke Irwin Intro small bowl in Mint, £11, Denby

Washed cotton percale bedlinen in Duck Egg, £49 for a double duvet and £9 for a pillowcase, Secret Linen Store

Feature Sophie Warren-Smith

Glazed terracotta wall tiles in Agua Marina, £114 per m², Indigenous

Harvard bar cabinet, £399, John Lewis & Partners

Shoreditch chair in Jennings Mist, £999, Parker Knoll

Period Living 23

Wordsworth’s House original linocut print, H30xW26.5cm, £120, Clare Curtis A Vision of Fiammetta

by Rosetti framed print, H100xW70cm, £385, Mind the Gap

Inthe

fram

Galerie Maeght Henri Matisse ‘Eaux Fortes’ Exhibition poster framed print, H70xW53.5cm, £175, John Lewis & Partners

Valencia print, from £60 for H50xW50cm, Bluebellgray

Simply Spring by Reg Cartwright poster print, £50, H76xW50.5cm, London Transport Museum Shop

Stamp personality on your space and spark joy at every turn with these beautiful art prints, from Pre-Raphaelite portraits to artisan lino prints

Hare & Hillside print, £65 for A3, Vanessa Bowman

Hampton Court Palace giclée print, from £25 for A4, Josie Shenoy

Dali & Ocelot by Raphael Balme limited-edition print, H59.5xW42cm, £155, The Shop Floor Project

The Greenhouse print, from £29.95 for H30xW19.5cm, Sam Wilson

Plate 113 by Pierre Joseph Celestin Redouté, from £120 for a H62xW48cm framed print, King & Mcgaw

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Shell Study limited-edition giclée print, H20xW20cm, £38, Brie Harrison

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Feature Pippa Blenkinsop

Fall in love with colour and combine hues from across the spectrum to curate lively interiors that will provide the perfect antidote to grey winter days

TO THE MAX If you’re looking to liven up the living room of a period home then flamboyant florals are a great way to inject colour and wow factor. New from Cole & Son, this Aurora design in Mulberry and Sage, £110 per roll, is based on archival documents and conjures an enchanted forest feel, with its dense thicket of foliage. To prevent busy designs from taking over, try tempering them with soft pastel hues, as shown here with a delicate duck egg shade on panelling. Furnishing with contemporary boxy pieces in bold shades will help to cut through chintz to bring the look up to date – try the Marlon suite in colour pop velvets, from £719 for an armchair at Love Your Home.

26 Period Living

Decorating

‘When creating an interior full of colour try using a pattern as your starting point. It can be either a wallpaper or fabric, but it should be the biggest and boldest; then pick out some colours to build a palette for your room. Pair muted, soft pastels with dark, rich tones within the same colour family – for example sage and olive, mulberry and rose – which allows for a contrasting yet considered and harmonious look.’ Carley Bean, design director at Cole & Son

Period Living 27

COLOUR CONFIDENCE It’s important to feel uplifted in everyday spaces, and that could explain why homeowners are being ever more adventurous with colour in the kitchen. Not only will a kitchen made from real wood stand the test of time, but the cabinets can be easily customised with paint to create a unique and exciting scheme. ‘Using two colours and worktops is a design feature we love,’ says Helen Parker, creative director at Devol. ‘The vibrant colours of this Classic kitchen lift the spirits and prove that traditional handcrafted furniture can be both fun and classic.’ Indeed the pink island makes a cheery statement paired with Farrow & Ball’s Arsenic on walls and forest green on base cabinets.

Complementing the walls, Devol’s Emerald Green London tiles, £25 each, have a beautiful irregular glaze and bring welcome texture.

28 Period Living

Decorating

SPAN THE SPECTRUM Love statement furniture upholstered in artisan prints? Try setting pieces against a contrasting colour to make them shine. With its alluring cobalt blue, this Phil chair in Bethie Tricks Large Waves fabric, £1,800 from KD Loves, looks great against zesty orange, its spectral opposite. For similar paint try Little Greene’s Marigold.

EXPRESS YOURSELF In line with his signature ‘greco disco’ style, artist and designer Luke Edward Hall has teamed up with The Rug Company to launch a range of colourful wall hangings and cushions full of energy and personality. This Valentine wall hanging in Aubusson wool, £750, makes the perfect finishing touch to a vibrant, creative room.

WEATHERED FINISHES If opting for bright colours, introducing plenty of texture is essential to prevent surfaces from looking flat. The chips and scrapes of old painted furniture will bring inimitable character to a period home.

For similar vintage Indian furniture, try Nkuku. Walls in Yacht Blue, £45 per 2.5ltrs of Active matt emulsion, Sanderson.

BLANK CANVAS Colour can really enhance a gallery wall, as this raspberry shade proves when used as a backdrop to these monochrome prints, from £44 at John Lewis & Partners. Add an exciting contrast with a sofa in a clashing colour, such as the Draper large three-seater velvet sofa in Lucca Sienna, £1,699.

Period Living 29

‘The trend for strong and vibrantly painted walls is here to stay. In a bedroom it’s a good idea to soften them with ornate prints that include hints of the same colour, as well as sugary pastel tones’ Rebecca Craig, lead designer at Sanderson

NEW WAYS WITH BLUE Bold cobalt blue often conjures coastal schemes, but why not drift away with an oriental palette instead by teaming blue with layers of contrasting coral, peach and pastel pinks? Used wall to wall, Yacht Blue from Sanderson, £45 per 2.5ltrs of Active matt emulsion, is given an exciting edge teamed with sugary shades. It also works wonderfully as a backdrop to timeless blue and white china, and exotic prints such as Sanderson’s Clementine fabric in Indienne, used to cover this headboard, £63 per m. To add that quirky touch accessorise with handmade pieces, such as Sarah Vanrenen’s jute scallop rugs, from £396, and original artwork from Laura Gee. 30 Period Living

Decorating

COLOUR BLOCK For an easy but effective feature wall that will bring a twist to a traditional bedroom, try painting up bands of contrasting tones in murky hues. Although opposite ends of the spectrum, Dulux’s Heartwood – a dirty lilac – and its Burnished Brass have a similar tone, allowing them to sit harmoniously with each other. Ensuring the darker colour sits beneath will help to ground the scheme and emphasise the height of the room. Included in Dulux’s creative palette inspired by autumnal shades, the paints cost £29.16 for 2.5ltrs of matt emulsion.

RICH PICKINGS Conjure the luxury of a boutique hotel bedroom by choosing a deep wall colour and furnishings, with saturated, opulent hues from saffron and rust to damson. Embracing a variety of textural surfaces, such as suede upholstery, deep-pile woollen carpets and velvet bedspreads, will help to create that five-star feel. Wellington rug in Paprika, £65; Connubia by Calligaris New York velvet dining chair in Rust, £329; Mid-century Sweep upholstered double bed frame in Erin Damson, £699; Boutique Hotel velvet stitch throw in Tiger’s Eye, from £200; Tom Dixon Spring LED medium ceiling light in Gold, £925, all John Lewis & Partners.

Period Living 31

DREAM WEAVER

A third generation chair caner, Rachael South is helping to keep alive an ancient craft, but adding a contemporary approach for a natural evolution Words Rachel Crow | Photographs Polly Eltes

32 Period Living

Made in Britain

This image: Rachael in her studio in east London, a creative environment where she counts among her neighbours architects, fashion and interior designers, weavers and artists. The space is filled with hanks of cane and cord, and bolts of hand-picked rushes destined for the woven seating that is stacked on shelves awaiting her skilled repairs. On the trestle lies a part-woven door panel, part of a set commissioned for a wall of cabinets in a London hotel Opposite: Cane, cord and rush weaves sit in happy harmony, demonstrating the breadth of her craft – from an envelope pattern rush stool, Danish paper cord basketweave, to intricate cane double daisy design

R

achael South’s studio, tucked away in a side street of Dalston, east London, is like a mini museum to cane, cord and rush seating. Stacked on shelves, hanging from wall hooks or jostling for floor space, the chairs in a multitude of styles, designs and states of repair, represent the embodiment over the centuries of this varied craft.

Victorian nursing seats with strands springing free from their frame; Thonet bentwood café chairs, the gentle criss-cross seat pattern interrupted by holes; to flamboyant rococo pieces or mid-century Danish paper cord designs.

With an audio book chattering away in the background, from here Rachael restores and upcycles neglected pieces of furniture, carrying on the artisan trade passed down from her father and grandfather. Light floods through the wall-length window overlooking the rooftops surrounding this converted former rag trade factory, and the air is filled with the sweet, spicy scent of bundles of native rushes and hanks of exotic cane mixed with an aromatic medley of wood dyes and varnish. With well-practised precision, her fingers deftly travel across a caned panel destined for a wall of cabinets, as she quickly builds up the layers of the intricate double daisy weave using her few simple, traditional tools.

‘My grandfather was from a large Irish community that settled in Ladbroke Grove in the Victorian times. He was once a prizefighter and bare knuckle boxer, but as that career waned he got a pedlar’s licence to mend chairs,’ Rachael explains, as she teases cane lengths up and under the latticework of strands. The Irish community has a long history of chair caning and basket making, and in an era when the cries of traders could still be heard daily across the city, and much of the capital’s business was done on the streets, Michael South would ply his traditional craft on the roadside through Kensington and Knightsbridge.

Brought up caning chairs, her father, Terry, left school at the age of 14 to apprentice with an interior decorator, eventually setting up his own upholstery workshop in Harrow. ‘I was always in his shop as a child and I loved getting involved and the banter among the upholsterers. It was a real working man’s atmosphere, but when I watched my dad working with fine materials he had a way of handling it so delicately – it almost seemed a contradiction,’ Rachael reminisces. She in turn learned the seat weaving craft from her father

34 Period Living

while she was still at school, and later earned her way through art school, where she studied textiles, by repairing seating for local upholsterers and secondhand shops in her spare time.

For some years Rachael worked in the textiles industry, designing bespoke passementerie for interior designers; but yearning to work for herself, about 16 years ago she inherited her father’s established upholstery business. ‘That’s when I really saw the value of the seat weaving and realised that it should be a big part of what I do.

I didn’t appreciate when I was young that I had been handed this living craft, but I came to learn that it was something quite special,’ she explains.

Like three-dimensional artworks, examples of the numerous cane and rush patterns she will recreate in seating are displayed in vignettes on the walls, the variety of weaves showcasing the beauty of the craft and the natural inconsistencies that occur in this organic material.

Alongside the well-known, ancient patterns that have been used for centuries in the chair caner’s craft, are more complex designs that Rachael has tweaked to make her own and which she incorporates with mixed materials for a contemporary interpretation – a child seat woven with satin ribbon, or a bentwood rocking chair laced with leather strands. ‘While a trimmings designer, I worked in India and Guatemala with weavers and braid makers, where the skills are passed down through generations of females, and I soaked up the vitality and colour of their designs. That has fed into the Above: Rachael’s grandfather, Michael South, peddling his chair repair craft on the roadside in Kensington during the 1940s Opposite, clockwise from top left: Rachael gently twists lengths of rush as she weaves; she created this complex weave inspired by the 1920s Heal’s Owl cabinet; a Victorian child’s chair woven with silk ribbons to mimic the richness of a Victorian rug; the six-way weave has endured for centuries; Rachael takes great enjoyment from the variety and skill of her craft; she wove the seat of this walnut Thonet bentwood chair with a mix of cane and pink waxed linen, for a contemporary take on tradition; the simple tools of her craft, from bodkin to rush dolly, can be fitted in a pocket; a hank of cord; ‘for weaving I mostly just use my hands and a knife,’ she says

Made in Britain

Period Living 35

Left: This 1930s nursing chair with its rush seating will soon be restored to be enjoyed by future generations. Alongside restoration commissions, Rachael will scour secondhand shops, Ebay and Kempton Park Racecourse furniture market for vintage and antique pieces she can rework with mixed materials for her contemporary projects – such as the bentwood rocking chair that will have a woven leather seat. Displayed on the walls are examples of weave designs, from traditional to contemporary, including the rare, labour-intensive craft of split willow weave – close caning (middle left). ‘I want to do more of this work as there are so few people doing it,’ Rachael explains. ‘I find caning relaxing, quiet and calm. There is almost a meditative quality to it’

contemporary pieces I create, moving away from recognised patterns,’ Rachael explains.

With the revival in the popularity of midcentury modern designs, she has seen a rise in demand for Danish paper cord seating and its enduringly popular basketweave design, but the standard little Victorian caned bedroom chair and rustic rush seating have remained staples of her oeuvre. Rachael harvests her own rushes from a riverbed in Somerset each summer, the bolts gradually turning from green to golden as they slowly dry in a corner of her workshop.

‘It takes about 20 to 30 years for the rush to go through its whole life cycle and that is the lovely thing about working with natural materials – once the seat is rewoven that is just the beginning of its aesthetic story,’ Rachael explains. ‘When I do a chair restoration, I ask a client if they prefer a wood stain or polish and pigment applied to give it an instant aged appearance. Matching colours down is another art in itself, but I like it when the material takes on its own colour naturally as time passes.’

Rachael values that her skills focus on restoring and recycling old pieces of furniture. ‘My father 36 Period Living

would never have seen it that way because that was not the zeitgeist of his era. Now people are so much more appreciative of restoring pieces of furniture with history and provenance, that have been in the family for generations or part of their life for years.’

Alongside the preservation of pieces, she is also helping to preserve a craft, and teaches workshops to pass on her skills. ‘You have to learn from someone as there is so much small detail that you can’t get from a book or by watching Youtube,’ says Rachael, whose own niece spends two days a week in the studio and Rachael hopes will pick up the gauntlet to continue the family tradition.

‘Sometimes I can’t believe that I’ve been doing this for so long and still enjoy it so much,’ she explains. ‘There is only a small community of seat weavers left in this country, and while there has been a resurgence of interest in chair caning in recent years, the contemporary work also helps to keep the craft alive: taking the traditional skills and then expanding them with new ideas.’

To find out more about Rachael’s work or the workshops she runs visit rachaelsouth.com

38 Period Living

Anniversary

30th A

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I

n the first ever issue of Period Living, editor Kirstie Rogers announced ‘a new type of home magazine for people who enjoy living in period homes; who enjoy the sense of history, the elegance, the atmosphere, the character, but who can also brave the dry rot, the damp, the seemingly inexhaustible demand on the pocket and patience, to see that character lovingly restored.’ That mission statement could have been written today, and while the magazine has evolved with the times, it still inspires people to live the period home dream.

This year, Period Living turns 30, and the team will be celebrating over the coming months with a series of special content. Over the years, dozens of people have contributed to the magazine from section editors and writers to designers and photographers and helped it to go from strength to strength. Last year that hard work and passion paid off as we became Britain’s fastest growing homes magazine.

Of course, we wouldn’t have got here without you, our loyal readers. We thank you for supporting us for three decades, and hope you will be with us for many more years to come.

RS

In 1990, a new magazine was launched with the intention of helping readers care for and enjoy their period homes.

Three decades later, it’s almost unrecognisable from its original form, but the aim remains the same

AR Y

PERIODLIVING E IV

Supported by our anniversary sponsors:

Period Living 39

Authentic appeal Timber Windows’ Listed collection has been approved by several planning authorities and seeks to ease the process of updating windows and doors OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, Timber Windows has developed a network of craftspeople specialising in the expert installation of beautiful timber windows and doors. It has launched the Timber Windows Listed collection, a range of timber sash and casement windows and doors specially designed for listed homes. The collection has gained lots of positive feedback and has been approved by several planning authorities throughout the UK as suitable for listed homes.

Perfect for period homes Owners of listed properties are proud to be the custodians of these historic homes, entrusted with their preservation. Many will recognise the challenges they face when making improvements – sourcing the right materials and designs to match those of the period, while also complying with local authority rules. Following consultation with planning specialists and local authorities, paired with their own experience, the experts at Timber Windows have created a dedicated range, featuring products befitting a listed structure while also easing the frustrations of historic homeowners.

Beauty meets performance Putty glazing, true bars and individual glass panes are all important aspects incorporated into the range; the use of factory-painted, engineered timber eliminates warping, twisting and sticking previously associated with wood. This results in an authentic timber appearance with none of the downsides of the past.

The range carries a number of glazing options to suit everyone’s requirements, giving sympathetic

aesthetics while regulating heat effectively and vastly improving sound insulation. The 4mm single-glazed option is ideal for areas where the rules are most stringent, while the next step is the 14mm ultra-slim double-glazed unit through to 18mm and 24mm high-performance doubleglazed units.

The most popular option to date has been the ultra-slim 14mm double glazed unit, with its thermally insulating krypton gas. Its slender appearance has allowed it to be accepted in replacing original single glazing in a number of examples already. Although, even where single glazing is still specified, this is both warmer and quieter than the original glass.

Planning success Trailblazing owners are using the Timber Windows Listed collection to sympathetically modernise their homes, even in places where it was previously deemed impossible to satisfy the regulations.

Successful cases include homes in the national parks of the Yorkshire Dales, a former granary in Hampshire, a Worcestershire school house and a Gloucestershire manor estate. All have eradicated the draughts, damp and noise pollution which previously had seemed impossible to resolve.

The forward-thinking Timber Windows system makes the process of filling in application forms easier for the homeowner and much simpler for planning officers to consider, owing to its computerised drawings and specifications.

Customers have commended the comprehensive paperwork, which has been tailored to their homes, making completing council forms a breeze.

Left: This bespoke slim box sash window successfully gained approval from English Heritage Above right: These cottage casement windows are made from engineered European redwood, finished in the shade Oxide Gold Right: New timber sash windows were specified to match the style and formation of the glazing bars from the original windows. The windows and doors have fine astragal bars and are manufactured in engineered European redwood Far right: Putty glazed cottage casement windows in a White internal finish with horizontal glazing bars

40 Period Living

Advertorial

About Timber Windows With over 40 showrooms nationwide, the local experts at Timber Windows will be happy to show you the options that could suit your listed property, as well as offering expertise, unbiased advice, and providing assistance in planning applications. For more information or to find your nearest showroom, call 0800 030 2000 or visit timberwindows.com.

www.timberwindows.com

Period Living 41

TIME FOR CHANGE Carla Isolano and Ben Lillywhite took on a tired and tatty turn-of-the-century townhouse, transforming it into a modern family home while honouring its history and preserving its period charm Words Annabelle Grundy | Styling Pippa Blenkinsop | Photographs Colin Poole

Right: The original living room fireplace has a painted, fauxmarble surround. The gilt-edged mirror above and the upholstered chair were both inherited from Ben’s parents. Carla chose Dulux’s Urban Obsession for the living room walls, with Valspar’s Graceful Grey to create a pale contrast on the panelling 42 Period Living

Victorian Townhouse

efore she even stepped inside the house that would eventually be hers, Carla Isolano was in no doubt that she had found her new home. ‘Just as soon as I pulled the iron doorbell and heard it ringing inside, I knew this was the one,’ she smiles. ‘Who could possibly resist a house with a lovely old bell like that?’

Once inside, Carla looked past the worn carpets and tatty 1980s décor, focusing instead on the original tiled hall floor, elegant staircase, open-plan living area and spacious, high-ceilinged rooms.

‘The house clearly needed a massive amount of work, but the more I saw of it, the more I fell in love with it,’ she says.

Carla and her partner Ben were keen to move closer to Ben’s work and gain some extra space for their growing family. However, a home combining period charm with a family-friendly layout had eluded them until now. Although Ben was equally taken with the property, securing it once they had found it was by no means easy. Over several months the couple lost out twice to other buyers and were close to agreeing a different purchase themselves when they heard the house was back on the market yet again.

‘After over a year of looking, it was finally third time lucky for us,’ says Carla. ‘We’d considered so many houses and in desperation I’d even viewed some new-builds, which just confirmed that for me, it had to be an older property. They have character and warmth that you just can’t recreate.’

Ben and Carla launched an ambitious renovation, starting with the large family bathroom. The worn-out, wall-mounted boiler was dismantled, along with a dated corner bath and fussy suite.

A modern boiler and new water tank were fitted in the loft, and new pipework laid.

‘We made do with the en-suite shower room, but floorboards were up and it was quite disruptive,’ says Carla. ‘The work was absolutely essential, but it felt like a lot of time and budget were going on things we couldn’t actually see.’

Once the behind-the-scenes structures were in place, Carla designed a crisp, monochrome 44 Period Living

bathroom, including a walk-in shower and traditional, freestanding bath, and incorporating the original fireplace as a focal feature. She and Ben saved money by researching and buying the components themselves online, and arranging a local installer. Meanwhile, the old carpets were thrown out, and Ben sanded and restored the living room and bedroom floorboards. At the same time, Carla masterminded the fitting of elegant wall panelling in both rooms. It was custom-built to her specification from MDF and she then painstakingly filled, rubbed down and painted it to achieve an immaculate finish.

‘We decorated and did whatever DIY we could, partly for budget but also for the satisfaction,’ she says. ‘We had next to no knowledge at first, but we picked up tips from the skilled trades we used, and learned a lot through the process.’

Major alterations were also made in the kitchen and dining room, which were partially separated with an internal wall. Carla wanted maximum natural light and a practical, open-plan layout.

Although knocking the rooms together was an obvious move, it proved less than straightforward.

With two storeys above the kitchen and a cellar below, a huge support beam was required to take the weight. Once the space was opened up, the old tiled floor and wooden units were replaced with parquet-style flooring, a large central island and smart, simple grey cabinetry. The palette echoes the colour schemes through the rest of the house, ‘Greys are easy to live with, and feel classic but modern at the same time,’ says Carla. ‘Although we’re a young family, I’ve got quite traditional taste and we’ve inherited a lot of antique furniture that we love. I wanted to embrace our period setting without the house seeming old-fashioned.’

Much of the couple’s furniture was brought from their previous home, including many cherished items that belonged to Ben’s parents who were antiques dealers. There is an eclectic blend of heirlooms, antiques, high-street buys and charity shop finds, all of which slotted comfortably into the new surroundings.

‘I just go with what I like, so there are different styles, though I do prefer dark oak furniture,’ says Carla, adding, ‘It’s not very fashionable right now, so beautifully made items can be amazing value.’

Attention to detail gives Carla’s home its calm, cohesive ambience. Warm gilt and brass touches complement the multi-toned grey palette. Plastic power sockets were replaced with brass, the kitchen units are finished with vintage-style brass handles and there are numerous decorative gilt frames suspended from original picture rails.

‘I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved, and I love being here with all our treasures and mementos around us,’ says Carla. ‘We’ve created our ideal family home and given it a real personal touch.’

Victorian Townhouse THE STORY Owners Carla Isolano (below), a studio production manager, and her partner Ben Lillywhite, an insurance sales director, live here with their four-year-old son Luca and daughter Aria, aged six months Property A turn-of-the century, semi-detached, five-bedroom home in Shrewsbury. It had been converted from flats back into a house in the 1980s, when a dining room extension was also added What they did The couple opened up the kitchen-dining area and renovated the entire interior, upgrading plumbing and wiring, fitting a new kitchen and bathrooms, sanding wooden floors and redecorating throughout

Above: The L-shaped velvet Schreiber sofa was bought at Homebase. On the dark grey wall behind, Carla has hung gilt-framed prints and an old mirror from Antiques & Curios Creations, a favourite independent. The leather trunk, now used as a coffee table, was among Ben’s father’s muchloved pieces Left: Original coloured tiles give the large hall plenty of period character. Carla bought the piano as a gift for Ben some years ago.

‘It doesn’t get played much now, but it’s still a beautiful object,’ she says. The mirror above is one of a pair inherited from Ben’s parents

Period Living 45

Victorian Townhouse

Left: By removing a dividing wall, Carla and Ben achieved the roomy, family-friendly kitchen-diner they were hoping for. New bi-folding doors from Matthews & Peart and a glass door on the utility room help to maximise the light. Carla has teamed retro-classic chairs from Ebay with the chunky dining table, for a chic mix of old and new. The new flooring came from Wood Floor Warehouse Above: Carla and Ben designed and bought their painted timber kitchen online from DIY Kitchens.

‘It was nerve-wracking taking the measurements ourselves, but we saved money and it’s a high-quality kitchen,’ says Carla. The inglenook that neatly accommodates the range cooker from Belling is one of the home’s many original features

Above: A roll-top bath was top of Carla’s bathroom wishlist and she chose a shapely black design from Victorian Plumbing, adding classic Burlington floor-mounted taps. The Barnet Harrow floor tiles from Tiles Direct echo the traditional feel of the original flooring in the entrance hall Left: Pipework for the basin and walk-in shower is neatly concealed behind a false wall, so the bathroom has a smart, streamlined look. The large console basin, from Heritage, makes a glamorous statement and stands out against walls painted in Valspar’s Earthy Beige Opposite: This small bedroom has been turned into Ben’s dressing room. The feature wall displays old photographs and keepsakes, including newspaper cuttings, certificates and documents relating to Ben’s parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Carla mixed the dark grey shade herself from leftover paint from other rooms.

The beautifully-preserved RAF uniform was Ben’s father’s

Victorian Townhouse

Period Living 49

As the large, lofty bedroom would have required replastering, Carla opted instead for large-scale wall-panelling, which adds to the imposing feel. Valspar’s Oyster Shoal has been used to create a tranquil atmosphere, while gilt finishes and touches of mustard yellow lift the room. The bed is from Esupasaver. Carla created her own simple floral displays, using jars of faux flowers suspended within old picture frames that had belonged to Ben’s father

Victorian Townhouse

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52 Period Living

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ONE-YEAR OFFER Subscribe upfront for a year for £43 and you’ll also receive Cake Decorating for Beginners, worth £9.99 *Terms and conditions: This offer entitles new UK Direct Debit subscribers to pay £20 every 6 months and receive an Orla Kiely cake tin set, worth £45, when taking out a subscription. Alternatively, subscribers can pay for one year and receive an Orla Kiely cake tin set, plus Cake Decorating for Beginners, worth £9.99. Gifts are only available for new UK subscribers and are subject to availability. Please allow up to 60 days for delivery of your gift. In the event of stocks being exhausted we reserve the right to replace with items of similar value. Prices and savings quoted are compared to buying full-priced print issues. You will receive 12 issues in a year.

Your subscription is for the minimum term specified and will expire at the end of the current term. You can write to us or call us to cancel your subscription within 14 days of purchase. Payment is non-refundable after the 14-day cancellation period unless exceptional circumstances apply. Your statutory rights are not affected. Prices correct at point of print and subject to change. UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed line numbers (starting 01 or 02) or are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered by your phone tariff). For full terms and conditions visit: www.bit.ly/magterms. Offer ends 28 February 2020.

Period Living 53

Converted Coach House

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE A dilapidated Georgian coach house that once belonged to the church next door has been turned into a welcoming home for writer and gilder Alix Bateman, who worked hard to keep its heritage charm intact Words Sara Emslie | Photographs Rachel Whiting

Alix and Bedlington terrier Vincent in the living room, where underfloor heating was installed under stone slabs. Alix painted the shutters and architraves in Farrow & Ball’s London Stone and White Tie – shades that really suit the building’s heritage. The vintage school desk and chair are from Sunbury Antiques and are easy to move when Alix is hosting an event and opens up the study and lounge to make a large open-plan space

Left: A slim window at the top of the room lets in light but maintains privacy. It also acts as a display shelf for ceramics and glassware.

Alix picked up the oak chest in a Chiswick car boot sale – it’s the perfect place for a pair of 1950s American flocked nodding lions found at Sunbury Antiques and some vintage metal toys. The circus plate on the wall is by Pia Bramley and the van print is a reminder of the one Alix used to drive Below: The original window between the front room and the yard gets opened up when Alix hosts events.

It makes a quirky ‘cloakroom’ with antler hooks from Graham & Green, a gilded shop sign from Sunbury Antiques and a painting of Vincent the Bedlington terrier’s uncle, Dorian, by Cadogan Doggy Dogs Below left: ‘When we bought it there were rotten wooden gates into the passageway (now the lounge) that the coach and horses used to get to the stable yard,’ says Alix. A new wooden frontage and brass door furniture have replaced the old gates, in keeping with the listed building criteria. The house sign is from Inkpin & Boot, gilded by Alix

56 Period Living

Converted Coach House

The living room was originally the passageway leading to the stable yard. It’s furnished with a velvet sofa from Peter Jones and a cane sofa, which is a charity shop find. The sign is from Wiltons, one of the oldest surviving grand music halls. ‘The architect who oversaw its renovation is a friend of mine and told me they were selling off props. It was part of the Live at Wiltons sign above the stage.

It turned out to be too long for the wall so we prop it up wherever there’s space,’ says Alix.

The cushions are by Chocolate Creative

rom as early as the 12th century, there has been a church on the plot next door overlooking the Thames, explains Alix Bateman, the current custodian of a small but beautiful slice of history in leafy Clapham Old Town, south-west London.

The coach house that she now calls home stands next to the church and was built during Georgian times on the site of the original manor house of Clapham. ‘Old plans show Glebe House, as it is known, to be actually in the position of the kitchen for the great house,’ says Alix.

By 1825 this section of the original building was part of the stable yard and associated buildings of Russell’s Livery Stables and was used to house horses and carriages until it was eventually gifted to the church next door in 1903, along with a sitting tenant. Old maps show its different surroundings over the years, including the episode in 1895 when part of the building was demolished to make way for a Victorian road to be built.

Poor upkeep over the years meant that when the church finally came to sell the coach house it was in need of total renovation. Step in Alix, who was six months pregnant at the time with son Ply and adamant she didn’t want a building project. This heritage wonder won her over and work began. ‘It was its uniqueness and its potential,’ she says. ‘And it is in an amazing position, detached, next door to glorious church grounds and a listed Georgian church, and opposite a small chapel, which is now a community pottery. Behind it are walled allotments and community gardens with beehives and a pond, all in our large bustling, crowded capital city!’

Restoration seemed to ‘take an age’ says Alix.

‘As areas were uncovered, I sometimes chose to leave them in their distressed state; the patina was often too good to cover up. Materials that were not original to the house were removed and more sympathetic ones reinstated.’ But the major alteration to the property is the conversion of the covered side passageway into the family’s living space. This original thoroughfare for the horses and carriages was accessed through large rotten wooden gates that Alix removed and replaced with a wooden frontage in the same style to satisfy the requirements of the home’s listed building status.

58 Period Living

At the back, wooden folding patio doors were added and large windows were fitted inside the original brick arches. The result is a space full of light and character that serves as the perfect modernday complement to the building’s heritage charm as well as the perfect backdrop to its current contents.

Alix and Ply both love collecting and the entire house is an assortment of curios and period pieces picked up along the way. As a former antiques dealer Alix admits that nothing gets her out of bed quicker in the morning than a trip to a fleamarket.

‘I’m at the gates at 6am with all the mad men in macs awaiting the market’s opening,’ she confesses.

And it has paid off with an enviable collection of Georgian furniture. ‘I took my cue from the bare bones of the house and its period features,’ says Alix. ‘Some good bits of Georgian oak furniture just work so well alongside striking contemporary lighting and slightly idiosyncratic objects or furniture and keep it looking current, as I had no wish to create a Georgian pastiche.’

These antiques work well alongside Ply’s impressive collection of natural history curiosities too. The original Georgian sitting room at the front of the house is not only Alix’s study but home to her son’s burgeoning collection of fossils, taxidermy and other Darwin-esque finds showcased on a couple of Georgian bureaux, including a woolly mammoth rib, a rattle snake’s rattle and a bleached horse’s hip bone found on a beach in Antigua.

They all come in handy as props, too, for the photo shoots, private parties and events that Alix sometimes hires the house out for – a business that developed organically. With so many possible variations on a theme it seemed a waste not to let others enjoy the charm of the property and its history. ‘The exterior is quite unusual and arouses people’s curiosity,’ says Alix, ‘so I get a lot of people tapping on the window mouthing, “What is this place?” Which led me to hosting mini pop-up events such as artists’ and authors’ talks, craft workshops, supper club nights, mindfulness workshops and so on.’ Alix also hires out the property for filming, parties and private dining, and runs a boutique B&B here.

It is like an old curiosity shop with layers of history in every nook. Keenness to preserve the character has meant that the coach house ‘squint window’ still remains - a narrow glazed aperture in the kitchen through which the coachman could see the horse and carriages arriving and leaving.

And so too does the original window from the study onto the yard that is now the living room. ‘When we have events we throw it open. It’s been used as a DJ booth, a bar, and an opening through which classical singers sing musical numbers at parties,’ says Alix. ‘I feel very lucky to have found such a special building and privileged that I could give it a new lease of life and be a small part of its history,’ she says. The entire house it seems, along with all its contents, really is a window into the past.

Converted Coach House THE STORY Owner Alix Bateman, writer, gilder and former antiques dealer, lives here with her 13-year-old son Ply, and Vincent, a Bedlington terrier.

Alix runs a boutique B&B from her home (theglebehouselondon.com) Property A converted Grade II-listed Georgian coach house in south-west London, that was built around 1825 and started life as Russell’s Livery Stables. The coach house was gifted to the church next door in 1903 What she did Alix oversaw a sympathetic renovation throughout.

The covered courtyard was converted into a new living room with access to a patio garden. An internal wall was removed to enlarge the kitchen. Original fireplaces and panelling were restored

Above: The Georgian shutters, panelling and fireplace in the study have all been lovingly restored.

‘When stripping the fire surround I discovered the original marbling. It was too good to cover up,’ says Alix.

The space serves as a workshop, where she creates gilded glass panels and embellishes antique furniture with gilding or painting Above left: The Georgian bureau came from Kempton Park Antiques market. On top is a gilded house sign, made by Alix for a client in Antigua. A neighbour gave Ply the stuffed squirrel and Alix bought the elephant’s tooth in a fleamarket in Belgium to add to Ply’s collection Left: Treasures here include Alix’s gilding tools, her son’s Darwin-esque finds, a plate from Anthropologie and a couple of antique sea-life prints Period Living 59

Above: The reclaimed cast-iron range is the focal point of the kitchen, while a drying rack, an old oil painting, and some vintage pots and kettles add to the period charm Right: Alix had the concrete trough sink custom made and found reconditioned laboratory taps online Above right: A large dining table is paired with mismatched chairs Opposite: The open-plan kitchendiner is full of Georgian character and modern-day essentials. The range cooker is by Mercury, the steel trolley is from Ikea and the clock is

by Newgate; for similar pendant lights try Original BTC. At the far end of the kitchen is the original ‘squint’ window from where the coachman kept an eye on the horses and carriages coming and going

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Converted Coach House

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Below and bottom right: Alix found a discarded gilded overmantel in the street nearby. She brought it home, restored it and infilled with foam and tartan fabric to make a stunning headboard that works well in this warm-toned room. The lights at either side of the headboard are made from reclaimed Victorian railway lanterns found online, and the cushions are from Chocolate Creative. The walls are painted in White Tie by Farrow & Ball Right: Alix collects vintage tin toy cookers. Most are stored in the loft but some of her favourites, like this one, are out on display Below right: Alix opted for simple utility styling for the bathroom, with classic brick wall tiles and traditional fixtures and fittings

Opposite: There are plenty of authentic period details in the blue bedroom with Georgian oak furniture bought at antiques markets and plenty of decorative china and glassware. Alix is a big fan of Chocolate Creative and chose one of its pendant lampshades and a pair of cushions. Alix sourced reconditioned cast-iron radiators from The Old Radiator Company for the bedrooms. The walls are painted in Arts and Crafts 12 from the Crown Trade Historic Colour Collection

Converted Coach House

DOWN

BY THE MEADOW A simple shepherd’s dwelling, next to the fields where his sheep graze, is home to Henk and his partner Lianne, who restored the mid-century farmhouse into a characterful and comfortable home Words Geraldine Nesbitt Styling and photographs Pia van Spaendonck/Coco Features

64 Period Living

Shepherd’s Cottage

Left: Lianne makes her own sheepskin rugs, weaving the wool from the shorn sheep onto a felt underlay; no animals are slaughtered for their skins Far left: Henk’s sheep keep the 270 hectares of common land in good shape around the house in Veluwe in the Netherlands Below left: In lambing season Henk and Lianne sell some of the new lambs but only to other grazing shepherds Below: The barn is a listed building and is maintained by the local council – it also provides a bit of shelter for the flock from the cold northerly winds

razing his sheep on the meadows and heathland around his childhood home, Henk is carrying on the work of his father before him. The rustic shepherd’s house comes with the job and when Henk first moved in with his family he was keen to update it completely and give it a new look.

Renovating and reimagining a house takes vision, but to repurpose the space in a small house takes even more imagination, especially if you’re working to a modest budget. Henk was also determined to retain the look and feel of the original building, so it was quite an undertaking.

The house was built for the shepherd in 1950 by the Netherlands’ Sheep Flock Foundation, who promote the use of sheep to sustainably manage the land. Since the late-1990s Henk has been breeding and keeping a flock, not for their meat, but specifically to keep the 270 hectares of common land in shape, just as his father’s sheep did when he was there during the previous two decades.

The first round of renovations to the little house took place in 1976 when Henk’s parents took it over. They tackled the rewiring and updated the gas supply, as well as adding dormer windows upstairs to create enough sleeping space for the seven children who still lived at home. Two attic bedrooms were built for the boys, while Henk’s mother, father and sister slept in the two downstairs bedrooms.

Just over 20 years later the house was updated again when Henk took over as shepherd and moved in with his (now ex-) wife and their four children.

The roof was repaired and the ground-floor space was reconfigured more logically. What was once the living room is now the main bedroom, while the bathroom and original downstairs bedrooms were transformed into the current living room, and a new kitchen and bathroom were installed.

The solid oak floors were stripped and rewaxed, and the original doors and window frames restored.

Although central heating was installed, they are still more likely to use the stove for heating. ‘The wood-burner is so much cosier than central heating 66 Period Living

and it helps add to that authentic feel we wanted in the interior,’ says Henk. The house is cosier still since double glazing was fitted in a further round of renovations that took place when Henk’s partner Lianne moved in. The weatherboarded exterior was painted and a new barn was built. Originally a carpenter, Henk was able to do some of the jobs himself, which not only saved money, but ensured the work was done to his and Lianne’s satisfaction.‘Where we can do the work ourselves, we do,’ says Lianne. ‘I love the built-in wardrobe in the bedroom and the vintage-style shelf above the bed, both handmade by Henk. They finish the room off perfectly.’

Lianne chose black slate floor tiles for the kitchen and dining room, which Henk laid in a traditional diamond pattern. The floor and new granite worktop transform the budget kitchen into a very appealing and homely space. There is, however, one more thing Lianne would love to change: ‘I really don’t like the red wallpaper in the living room. If I had my way, I’d paint over it but unfortunately Henk likes it!’

Lianne has a flair for combining new pieces with vintage finds to create interesting corners throughout the house. There’s a uniformity of colour, style and design, which she puts down to careful buying and curating from fleamarkets and auctions. ‘I hardly buy anything new. It’s always worth checking out online auctions and keeping your eyes open for vintage pieces,’ she says.

The couple take a similarly holistic approach to the land. ‘We do our best to be as environmentally and animal friendly as we can. As well as grazing our sheep, we organise open days here with sheep shearing contests and organic produce markets.

The locals can come and take a look at what we do here, and they can roll up their sleeves and muck in,’ says Lianne. ‘People are surprised by our lifestyle. It’s a sustainable way of life that really suits us, and it makes us happy.’

THE STORY Owners Lianne van de Blaak, who works for a catering company, and Henk van den Brandhof, a shepherd, live here Property The small three-bedroom house, surrounded by the stunning scenery of Veluwe in the Netherlands, was built in 1950 specifically for the shepherd who grazed sheep on the meadowland around the house What they did Henk’s parents lived here in the 1970s, and rewired and updated the gas supply, as well as adding two attic rooms with dormer windows. In 1997, when Henk took over as shepherd and moved in, the roof was repaired, central heating was installed and the ground floor was reconfigured. More recently double glazing was added along with a new barn

Shepherd’s Cottage

Above: Some vintage frames are a feature in themselves and can be used in unusual ways. Lianne is keen to point out that she found the skulls during a walk in the woods and the deer died a natural death Right: Henk and Lianne removed the wall to the utility room to extend the dining room. The walls are painted in Pure & Original’s fresco lime paint in a natural tone to complement the striking black floor tiles. Lianne’s daughter made the little bench Below: Henk and Lianne have made the most of the freely available and sustainable wool supply in furnishing their home – adding a Dutch take on hygge

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Left: Henk built the shelf around the extractor fan and used antique white tiles for that 1950s feel. Again, Pure & Original Paints have been used.

The feeding trough left of the hob is from Van Hees Design and is used to store condiments Below: ‘I economise on most items, but when it comes to my kitchen equipment, I want the best of the best. So I asked for this Kitchenaid mixer for my birthday,’ says Lianne.

The green enamel pots came from Henk’s parents Right: Rustic farmhouse furniture looks the part here, gathered from fleamarkets, auctions, and handed down through the family. For a similar bench with a back, try Nordic Style, and for similar industrial-style pendant lights, try Industville. There are plenty of places for Lianne to display her extensive collection of antique pottery and glass pieces, many of them found at De Potstal in Valburg

68 Period Living

Shepherd’s Cottage

Above: Lianne was delighted to get her hands on a secondhand Jøtul 602N stove, which gets plenty of use. The hanging basket is from Van Hees Design and the chandeliers were bought online Right: The vintage coffee table is from Sober & Stoer Wonen and the sofas are from Mart Kleppe. At the back is an old apothecary’s cabinet, which Lianne has had for 25 years.

Next to it is a standard lamp that she designed and made herself from a branch of a cherry tree, with a little help from Henk 70 Period Living

Shepherd’s Cottage

Above: The walls in the master bedroom are painted in Pure & Original’s Post Modern Mauve. The bedlinen is from H&M and the ceiling pendants are from Sober & Stoer Wonen; for similar, try Industville.

The cabinets were auction finds and the shaving set was Henk’s father’s Right: The basin is one of Lianne’s budget buys from a local DIY store and the shelving was originally in Lianne’s grandfather’s textiles shop Top right: Lianne is delighted with the pine wardrobes Henk built

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WELCOME HOME This draughty old vicarage was crying out for an update, and for interiors to suit its impressive faรงade. Luckily Melinda Swann had clear ideas about how to warm it up, adding numerous environmentally friendly features and a sense of style to the historic home Words Karen Darlow | Photographs Matthew Cattell

Renovated Vicarage

Built in 1857, the brick and flint vicarage has a handsome Victorian faรงade. Inside, however, it was cold and neglected with a higgledypiggledy layout. Melinda and Chris put their trust in SDA Build London, who set about restoring it from the tips of its chimneys to its subterranean wine cellar. The most important element of the brief? To make the house as environmentally friendly as possible

76 Period Living

Renovated Vicarage

Left: The vicarage was up for sale along with its coach house and a small school building. Melinda and Chris’ challenge was to unite the three buildings. The couple enlisted the help of garden designers Creative Landscape to bring the extensive garden back under control Above: A greenhouse from Alitex’s National Trust range is the centrepiece of Chris’ beloved vegetable garden. He also keeps five hives of bees. Melinda’s speciality is the flower garden Right: A glass corridor links the main house with the old schoolroom, which now houses a boot room and luxurious living room. The coach house has been transformed into a spacious guest suite, with bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen Below right: A sweeping drive leads to the front door

THE STORY Owners Melinda and Chris Swann.

Melinda worked in the pharmaceutical sector and Chris is the managing director of a gas trading company Property A former vicarage, and adjoining buildings, built in 1857 near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire What they did The couple enlisted SDA Build London to renovate the house from top to bottom, adding a glass walkway to connect the buildings. The couple added numerous eco-friendly features

ooking for a home and a major project to keep her busy, Melinda thought she’d struck gold when she found an old brick and flint vicarage. ‘It was a handsome house from the outside, but inside it was unloved,’ says Melinda. ‘It was freezing cold and draughty as a church hall, but it had potential.’

The only snag was that it was in Oxfordshire, 7,000 miles away from Singapore where Melinda and her husband Chris were based for her husband’s work. After selling her own business, and due to return to the UK in a year’s time, Melinda decided it would make the perfect renovation project even though she would have to manage the work from the other side of the world.

One thing that was clear from the start was that the layout needed a rethink. ‘The configuration wasn’t ideal,’ says Melinda. ‘Rooms had been subdivided here and there, and although it was sold as a nine-bedroom house there were only two bathrooms. We needed to tackle the heating and insulation, too. The tenant who’d been living there told us she had to put extra clothes on to go to bed!’

The Swanns wanted to make the vicarage an environmentally friendly home and specified air-source heat pumps. To ensure the house stayed warm, Thermalite linings were used for the walls and floorboards. At this stage some rotten floorboards were replaced.

‘We wanted to put double glazing in too, but do it sympathetically so it looked like the original windows,’ says Melinda.

Next door to the vicarage was an old singlestorey building where the vicar had run a school, and Melinda was keen to incorporate this into the new layout, keeping as many of the original features as possible. A contemporary glass-box extension now links the two buildings, providing a striking covered walkway between the two spaces.

‘The Victorian foundations were somewhat lacking, so we had to dig down. It was a big project, and took a year from start to finish,’ says Melinda.

‘We were still out in Singapore, so I was project managing a team of 12 builders, plus some specialist tradespeople, using email and video calls to see what the issues were. The builders were living in 78 Period Living

the house while they were working on it, so they were always close at hand.’ A new kitchen was fitted, together with five new bathrooms, and even a new spiral staircase. ‘There were originally two staircases either side of a dividing wall - a central one for the vicar, and one for the servants leading straight from the kitchen to the attics,’ says Melinda. ‘And it was fascinating - all the doors that the vicar would have used had crosses on the back of them. The servants’ doors had no crosses.’

The couple kept this detailing when they fitted replacement doors, and used some of the wood from the old stairs to commission a coffee table and some trays from a local artisan.

Melinda wanted to bring more the light into the home. ‘We added extra windows and had to get planning permission for that – and we built up the height of the chimneys too. They’d been gradually reduced in height over the years, so the builders matched them back to their original heights using old photos as a guide.’

The couple moved back to the UK for the last three months of the project. ‘Just in time for all the nice finishing touches, the wallpapers, paint colours and the carpets - all the fun bits,’ says Melinda.

Melinda was able to gather together some unusual furnishings and accessories on her travels around the world. ‘When you’re doing up a house you’re not just looking for a bowl or something like that, you’re looking for bigger things as well,’ she says. ‘When we were in India I found the most fantastic hand-embroidered cotton curtains that I’ve used in two of the bedrooms. After I came back I saw the same design at William Yeoward, and I was so happy I got them at a fraction of the price!’

Melinda is rightly proud of her comfortable and harmoniously renovated home, with its eco features and striking furnishings. ‘I chose all the décor myself. I had no interior designer, and I’m as pleased as punch with how it’s turned out. Above all I wanted to be sympathetic to the house. I didn’t want it to look old-fashioned – more classic and traditional with a modern twist.’

So if the Victorian vicar were to walk back in after all these years, it would be nice to think he’d still recognise his not-so humble abode, but would find it infinitely warmer, more practical and very much more welcoming than he remembered.

Renovated Vicarage

Above: Two leather chesterfields from Old Boot are set either side of a handcrafted rug from The Rug Maker in Singapore. For a similar yellow sofa, try Sofas & Stuff. The large footstool, used as a coffee table, is from William Yeoward, as are the console tables. The light fitting is Pieter Adam’s Twiggy chandelier, the table lamps are by Porta Romana, and the curtain fabric is Romo’s Tremont Bark Right: Along with the living room, the kitchen is Melinda’s favourite room.

The cabinetry is by McCarron & Company, who fitted the kitchen in the couple’s previous home, with worktops and splashback in Brazilian quartzite. The barstools are from Pinch Design, the armchair next to the French window is from One World, and the pendant lights are Tom Dixon’s Melt design

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Right: The vicarage originally had two staircases – the main stairs and the back stairs that led directly to the kitchen from the servants’ quarters.

This new curved staircase is from Kevala. The Wychwood tumbled floor tiles are by Artisans of Devizes Below: Space and luxury are abundant in the master bedroom, where the striking Merian Palm wallcovering by Timorous Beasties is the star. For a similar bed, try The Four Poster Bed Company. The footstool is by Sofas & Stuff, the curtain fabric is Romo’s Quinton Pesto, the lights are from Porta Romana and the cushions and chairs are covered in Manuel Canovas’ Tiana fabric

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Renovated Vicarage

Above: Simple dÊcor in the coach house guest room with a cast-iron bed from Feather & Black and a blind made in Colefax & Fowler’s Amelie fabric. The bedside table and lamps are from One World Left: An all-white scheme for the attic bathroom allows the architectural details to shine. The Bath is the Derrymore freestanding acrylic double-ended roll top, with a floorstanding Crosswater Belgravia bath and shower mixer, all from UK Bathroom Store

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of

r i a f e Kicking off 2020 with tha bright and beautiful bang, the

Fu n

Winter Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair returns to Battersea Park from 21-26 January, showcasing 150 specialist antiques, design and art dealers from across the UK and Europe. It runs alongside the London Antique Rug & Textile Art Fair (LARTA), featuring colourful carpets, folk rugs, tribal weaves and textiles from around the world. But most exciting of all is this year’s Fair Showcase, Alice in Wonderland: Adventures in Decoration, consisting of a styled space in the entrance foyer.

Highlighting the many design disciplines on offer, the space will celebrate the bicentenary of John Tenniel, illustrator of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, paying homage to the book’s whimsy and humour. Entry £10 or register online for free tickets.

OLD MEETS NEW Impressionist painter Chloë Holt RCA FRSA carefully marries her oil, raw pigment and multi-media works with antique frames from across the centuries. ‘The objects and places I paint connect to the same time periods, and even before, so it makes sense to present them in old, time-worn frames,’ she says. ‘They provide a window into the past, allowing you to view the scene through new or ancient eyes.’

Her frames range from 1700s Venetian to mid 1900s, and even some late-19th-century ones from Versailles store rooms. ‘All are important to me and sometimes inform what I paint.’

From top: Handpainted folding screen c.1970, £2,900; playing cards in papier-mâché box c.1900, £160; toy rabbit c.1930s, £180

Feature Alice Roberton Images (top right) Opus, oil, graphite and gesso on board in antique frame, Chloë Holt (screen, playing cards, rabbit) The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair (Amanda Leader) layeredlight.co.uk

s and vintage ctors’ stories

IN FOCUS DUTCH DELFT TILES Originating from the city of Delft, these tin-glazed earthenware tiles were handmade from the end of the 16th century up to 1900 and typically depict everyday scenes, people, animals and items from iconic periods such as the Dutch Golden Age. Known for their blue and white decoration - although other colours were used delft tiles were heavily influenced by Chinese pottery of the time, resulting in a fusion of designs. As reproduction tiles were made on a grand scale during the 1900s, it is advisable to buy from a professional dealer who can confirm when and where tiles were made and clarify the pictorial detail, notably of abstract ornaments, biblical scenes, mythology and symbols. A good dealer can tell the condition of the tile and whether it has been restored or repaired.

Clockwise: Landscape with post mill, c.1760, £148; polychrome flower with a Chinese ‘Wan-Li’-style border c.1640, £295; rare owl tile of outstanding quality, c.1650, £500; scene of three wise men, c.1750, £230, REGTS Antique Tiles

MEET THE COLLECTOR Amanda Leader What I collect: Antique French household linens, from plain, homespun, rustic pieces to fine works.

Most of my collection consists of 19th-century country pieces and I have a weakness for monogram embroidered sheets with my family’s initials.

Why I collect: I’m warmed by the connection with the women who originally created linen in their homes; they are the unsung heroes of domestic life who uncomplainingly stitched, laundered, pressed and kept life going. The linen is a wonderful glimpse into the past.

How I collect: I scour rural French markets and vide-greniers. My well-trained eye can spot a good piece from 100-yards away.

My collection highlight: An unused 100-year-old sheet bearing a half-stitched monogram with the needle and thread left tucked in – it had completely rusted into the sheet. I’ll forever be intrigued by the story that lies behind this piece. (amandaleader.com) Period Living 83

e v d i etai t a r ls eco D

I D N L G I G

Antiques Roadshow specialist Marc Allum takes a look back at the vast history and various techniques of this ornate craft

84 Period Living

of financial success, but also has strong historical associations with myth and spirituality.

GOLDEN AGES Gilding is not a singularly distinct process and, like many crafts and artisan based forms of decoration and design, has developed over the millennia to suit the many different applications for which it has been required. If it were not for the writings of Herodotus and Pliny, we would have far fewer insights into such historical information, but as we know from the riches of the Egyptian world and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the Egyptians were extremely skilled at gilding, using it widely.

Photographs (Regency mirror) Windsor House Antiques, (rococo mirror) Lorfords

he advice of an interior designer friend of mine once, as I was pondering the treatment of an 18th century cornice, was that ‘if in doubt, gild it.’ I did exactly that and, although this might seem a rather extreme solution to many decorating dilemmas, it has, in fact, proved rather sage advice over the decades.

Gilding is the most opulent and lavish statement: a mark of success, wealth and grandeur sometimes of excess but it is also symbolically important in conveying messages of love, compassion, wisdom and illumination. Its richness is therefore not only associated with the baseness

Antiques

Photographs (Saltram) © National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel, (commode) 1stdibs, (chair) Christie’s

Left: This corner of the saloon at the National Trust’s Saltram, in Devon, perfectly exemplifies the passion over the centuries for gilding items of furniture

Historically, it is important to define what gilding actually is. The ancient Greeks, Persians and Chinese all gilded objects and the use of gold in sheet or beaten form, which was applied to largescale statuary, furniture and boxes, for example, does not in modern terms constitute ‘gilding’.

Our use of the word generally refers to the application of gossamer-thin sheets of gold leaf to various mediums, such as picture frames, furniture, leather, stone and architectural detail. Ancient craftsmen were naturally not capable of producing sheets of such microscopic thinness; however, archaeological remnants of Roman gold leaf showing its thickness give us a good indication of their processes and the applications for which it was routinely used. Pliny the Elder leaves us first-hand written evidence of its popular utilisation in decorations for temples, civil buildings and even domestic Roman homes.

Modern gold leaf is around 4-5 millionths of an inch in thickness. Ancient gold leaf was about ten times that, and by the medieval period about half of its ancient equivalent. It is the most ductile metal on the planet, hence its incredible malleability.

Various types of gilding also became highly important in art and particularly religious art, where we see it used in many cultures and importantly Christian art and architecture.

The use of gilding is not necessarily carried out to give the impression that objects might be solid gold, although this became the case in Europe, specifically when gilding silver. However, silver also tarnishes, so a layer of gold was useful in adding a protective layer and also as a lining for ‘salts’ and snuff boxes, in which the contents would corrode the silver. The French historically call this process vermeil, a term we still use today.

BURNISHED BRIGHT Most people are familiar with traditional techniques, which are still extremely important today. These include various processes that are categorised as ‘mechanical’. ‘Water gilding’ or ‘oil-gilding’ – traditionally used by decorators, woodcarvers and signwriters – necessitates the use of a base, such as gesso – a fine gypsum or chalk and glue mix – which when smoothed and dry, allows the gold leaf to be applied with a ‘sizing’,

Opposite, from left: This Regency-style giltwood convex wall mirror has retained its original gilding, £2,850 from Windsor House Antiques; a 20th-century reproduction of a rococo-style mirror, £1,450 at Lorfords Top: A 1950s example of a decorative Italian parcel gilt commode, from 1stdibs Above: One of a pair of Chippendale armchairs, sold at Christie’s for more than £2million

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in 1805 but perfected by entrepreneurs such as George and Henry Elkington, who were granted a patent in 1840. As a result, gilding became far cheaper and far less dangerous.

Yet, nothing ever quite comes close to the quality of mercury gilding. Its colour is far superior to electroplating and for all of its dangers it is preferred by connoisseurs. French Empire clocks evoke a richness and quality in their mercurygilded cases and the decorative features of French ormolu furniture mounts are a sublime addition to the intricate marquetry pieces that they often adorn. The particularly French skill for producing ‘bronze doré’ is no more apparent than at Versailles, where the Baroque excess of Louis XIV made the French the masters of fire gilding.

Above: Made in 1765 by John Linnell, this sofa for the Drawing Room at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, interpreted a Robert Adam design. Such pieces were gilded using traditional water and oil gilding techniques

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or water-based glue. This can then be burnished with a special agate tool, producing a mirror finish.

The oil variation uses boiled linseed oil and need not be burnished.

Much of the architectural majesty that we see in our churches and stately homes, with their 18th-century giltwood Adam console tables, Chippendale mirrors, elaborate picture frames and furniture, such as The Keddleston Hall drawing room sofas by John Linnell, for example, are gilded in this way. It is the incorruptible nature of gold that gives us this incredible longevity; history and originality in the medium is cherished, although re-gilding is also often deemed highly acceptable.

‘Fire gilding’, as it is commonly known, became prevalent in Europe in the medieval period, and the use of the ‘mercury amalgam’ method is documented from the mid-16th century and prolifically used in the later part of the Italian Renaissance. This skilful and complicated process has gone down in popular culture as one of the most dangerous processes in the world of art and antiques; this stems from the highly toxic nature of mercury, which was used to form an amalgam with gold (or other precious metals) creating a butter-like consistency that was applied to metal surfaces and then driven off by heat to leave a plating of gold. The process, however, produced a toxic vapour, which when inhaled was highly debilitating to the workers and resulted in neurological disorders and premature death.

As the perils of the process became more apparent its use declined and was eventually replaced by electroplating, a process invented

by Italian chemist Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli

Whether buying gilded pieces for investment or purely for decorative reasons there is a plethora of different mediums you can choose from.

Statement overmantel mirrors are currently fashionable and you can expect to pay in excess of £1,000 for a large Victorian example. A period Chippendale or Adam-style mirror might cost tens of thousands of pounds, but the Victorians and Edwardians made countless reproductions and these can often be bought at auction or retail for just a few hundred pounds. Other popular styles include Regency convex mirrors with eagle surmounts and Regency triple-plate overmantels with gesso pictorial friezes, which were also reproduced later. Condition is not always important as worn gilding can be absolutely acceptable, but beware large sections of missing decorative gesso as this can be expensive to restore.

Gilded picture frames were often specifically designed to go with period pictures but when alienated and spotted at auction, can easily be repurposed as mirror frames. However, good gilded picture frames merit specials auctions and can run into the thousands.

There are varying degrees of quality in everything; I often see ‘decorative’ items that are poorly gilded and perhaps even ‘Dutch-leafed’, which is brass leaf instead of gold, lacquered to prohibit it from tarnishing. But some items are purposely naive and Italian parcel gilt furniture can be very decorative, with pre- and post-war examples selling quite reasonably at auction.

Popular items include chests of drawers with painted and partially gilded decorative elements - £200-300 will secure a reasonable 1950s example. Gilded Italianate standard lamps are also popular decorator’s items.

It is important to exercise caution when dealing with gilded items as it is very easy to damage the finish by quickly abrading it or perhaps knocking off the often fragile gesso base to which the gold leaf is applied. Small repairs can be carried out with modern ‘gold’ waxes and pens but if you are unsure always seek professional advice.

Photograph © National Trust Images/Nadia Mackenzie

GOING FOR GOLD

The

RESTORERS From her workshop in Leek, Staffordshire, antiques restorer Ruth Tappin specialises in gilding work using traditional methods and materials Words Karen Bray | Photographs Kasia Fiszer

R

uth Tappin has been professionally restoring and gilding for 20 years, since completing a fine art sculpture degree. She has gilded a plethora of items, from antique gilt mirrors, picture frames and furniture, to internal architectural features, large wrought-iron gates, chandeliers, copper baths and sandstone, and is often commissioned to create reproduction, antique-style gilded items.

A passionate advocate of her craft, here she shares some of her knowledge and expertise.

with rabbit glue, which provides a flexible surface that can be burnished. Then, the gold leaf is laid on immediately with a gilder’s tip – a flat brush made from squirrel hair. This is then burnished with an agate stone to achieve a mirror-like finish.

The oil gilding gives a matt look to the gold in contrast to the burnished water gilding, and can be used for both internal and external surfaces. An oil size – or mordant – is painted onto a prepared surface and after becoming tacky, the gold is applied. This form of gilding cannot be burnished.

Once the gilding is dry, around a week later, you can age the gold to match the original gilding.

Can you explain the process of gilding?

There are two main types of gilding that are used on pieces. Water gilding is always first, mostly on the high points of decoration and flat or scooped sections of the frame. For this process a water and glue solution – gilder’s lacquer – is brushed onto the smoothed bole surface; the bole is clay mixed 88 Period Living

What does gilding restoration involve?

When a picture frame, for example, comes into the workshop it can have a range of issues. A lot of frames will have been poorly repaired in the past, so this work needs to be corrected. Sometimes the frame has been covered with gold-coloured

Antiques

Clockwise from opposite: Ruth in her workshop; a reproduction fern oval mirror; compo decoration ready to be attached to a frame in the midst of repair; she uses a selection of brushes for gilding; water gilding involves the delicate process of picking up gold leaf with a small gilder’s tip that she’s first brushed on her face to get a tiny bit of grease on it; she lays the leaf on to an Italian Florentine carved wood mirror; the gilder’s lacquer is painted on just before the gold leaf is laid; jars of tree resins, which are used for making varnishes; the process of oil gilding where, once the oil size is at the right tackiness, a 23.5ct gold leaf is gently lifted out of the book with a brush and patted down onto the decoration; Ruth trims down small sections of compo decoration to replace missing pieces

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paint or emulsion. This can be dry stripped (scraped off) or wet stripped with paint stripper, but this will remove any original oil gilding, which will then need replacing.

The gesso – a mixture of size and whiting that is painted on to give a very smooth surface – can be missing in places, which needs filling and sanding.

The compo decoration – a composition of glue, rosin and whiting, which is pressed into moulds and carved – can also be damaged and need replacing. Any repair then needs an application of bole. The colour of the bole clay differs between countries: the French used red, Italians orange, and in Victorian England the preference was for yellow, or pink and black under the water gilding.

The bole needs to be very smooth, as any brush strokes will show in the gold.

How long does it take to master these processes?

Oil gilding is fairly easy to learn once you know what to feel for as the oil size dries – this is how you know when to apply the gold. For water gilding, learning to control the gold leaf is vital; it is so light and thin that just breathing on it can blow it away.

Your breathing slows and your movements become controlled and slower; a bit like meditating. Trying to lay down a piece of gold without it tearing takes years of practice.

What skills does it call on?

There is a lot of preparation work before any gilding can be done. Repair and preparation can take 80 to 90 per cent of the time, with only a small amount the actual gilding. Any scratches in the gesso or bole will show, so every process you go through needs sanding until it is smooth, which can be very time consuming. It calls for a lot of patience and a good eye for detail.

What difficulties can it entail?

When a repair on a frame is gilded the new gold is very bright; however, the original gold will have aged over time, so you have to tone down the shine on the repairs and simulate possibly 200 years of ageing so that it matches. This can be challenging as each frame has had its own life: placed in different environments they will age in different ways. Toning can involve the removal of gold or application of pigments to replicate an aged patina.

There is no one way to age gold.

What do you enjoy most about the process?

Some days the gold goes on like a dream and it’s so satisfying. When someone says ‘I can’t see what you’ve repaired’, I know I’ve done a good job.

Why is it important to retain these types of skills?

Gilding is on The Heritage Craft Association’s Red List of Endangered Crafts, which means it is a craft that could decline even more if the next generations do not take it up as a career. Gold has always been a luxury material, so to have some on a frame 90 Period Living

Above: Picture frames awaiting restoration.

A mix of water and oil gilding is used on most frames, which gives contrast and depth

around a mirror, painting or on a piece of furniture denotes it as a special item. This is then often handed down the generations, which means it acquires sentimental as well as real value.

For more about Ruth’s restoration work visit ruth-tappin.co.uk or see her on the TV series Salvage Hunters: The Restorers, on Quest

A century on, we look back at this remarkable decade and its striking interiors – from opulent Art Deco to cutting-edge Modernism

THE ROARING TWENTIES

A

fter great turmoil and heartache, it is testament to the strength of the human spirit that we somehow find our way back to hope and to light. In the aftermath of the First World War, with Europe reeling from the catastrophic loss of life and the old sense of order, bold and defiant creative ideas emerged. These ideas were to translate into dramatic new styles of art and interior design, and were to show humanity’s innate need to strive forward, against the odds, embracing change and modernity. The 1920s is one of the most iconic decades of the 20th century and one whose ethos and innovation was to influence the decorative arts for many years to come. It introduced an array of cutting-edge, ambitious design, and 100 years on, we still look to its originality and its inventiveness for our own interiors inspiration.

The roaring 1920s was the decade of jazz, of flappers, of bobbed hair and dark red lips, fast cars, dance halls, and that prevailing sense of glamour and decadence that was so unique to this era. It was Coco Chanel and Clara Bow, it was Bertie Wooster and Noel Coward. It was loud and adventurous, a celebration of life and vitality; it was cocktails and

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Coco Chanel created her revolutionary perfume, Chanel N°5, in 1921. The bottle was designed to resemble a whisky decanter

Photographs (main image) Rayon des Soieries poster by Maurice Dufrene; Swim Ink 2, LLC/Corbis via Getty Images, (border) Getty Images, (Chanel N°5) Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images

Feature Kate MacDougall

Design of the 1920s The 1920s epitomised glamour, elegant fashion and cocktail parties, evocative of The Great Gatsby

Photographs (party illustration) Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images, (Savoy Hotel flyer) Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images (Chrysler Building) Angelo Hornak/Corbis via Getty Images, (Noel Coward) Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images, (Robj statuette) DeAgostini/Getty Images

Doors in New York’s Chrysler Building.

Built between 1928– 1930, it is a paragon of Art Deco design

Witty dialogue and Art Deco glamour were hallmarks of Noel Coward’s plays. Here, he stars in Private Lives with Gertrude Lawrence

1930s flyer promoting the Savoy Hotel. Its Beaufort Bar provides a theatrical Art Deco setting, serving cocktails in vintage glasses

clubs and dancing till dawn. ‘The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader and the morals were looser,’ said F Scott Fitzgerald in his era defining novel, The Great Gatsby.

Society wanted to put the austerity and bleakness of the war years well behind them and that not only included fashion and night life, but also art, furniture and interiors, with designers of the day creating broad and distinctive looks that incorporated the whole room or, indeed, the whole building. From the tables to the rugs, the tiles and the ornaments, the 1920s aesthetic was as all encompassing as it was original and dynamic.

The old, heavy classicised styles of yesteryear were utterly swept away to make room for something far more avant garde.

Art Deco

Art Deco ceramic statuette in the shape of a Spanish dancer, 1929, by Yvette Guerbe for Robj Paris

Enjoying a healthy resurgence of interest in recent years (with some finger pointing towards the ‘Downton effect’) Art Deco is perhaps the most prominent and easily recognisable look from the period. Taking its name from the rather wordy ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes’ (the era’s shorter, catchier moniker was not actually coined until the 1960s), its origins lie in Paris, around 1915, although it couldn’t

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be showcased properly until the 1920s due to the war. The exhibition, staged by the leading artists and designers of the day, was to launch Art Deco onto the world stage, and its influence quickly rippled its way across Europe and the Atlantic to America and beyond.

Political and societal repercussions aside, Art Deco is a look that gleans inspiration from a huge number of stylistic influences, from the local and the contemporary to the more exotic and the ancient. In essence, it was a thoroughly modern style, progressive and industrious, and sought to encapsulate the dynamic changes that were happening in design, technology and engineering at the time. Paris was the epicentre of many of the century’s key art movements, with one of the most revolutionary and significant being cubism.

Art Deco is perhaps most recognisable for its smooth lines, angular forms and its striking geometric patterns, with many critics of the time referring to the style as ‘cubism tamed’.

The fan was a popular Art Deco motif and has been interpreted on many wallpaper and fabric designs

A Collector’s Study, circa 1925, arranged and furnished by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann with painted mural by Jean Théodore Dupas

Nature motifs are also a key element in Art Deco, the preceding Art Nouveau style playing a large part in this, with flowers, shells, sun beams and leaf patterns all frequently used, albeit in a far more streamlined and stylised way in Art Deco. This organic imagery was often used in repeating patterns to create striking wallpaper, fabric and tile designs, one of the period’s key looks. While the use of vivid colour is believed to have come from the recent Fauvist style of painting, there is also the distinct influences of Egyptian, Aztec and African art. Early-20th-century artists often looked to the primitive for inspiration, and with the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, the public’s romanticised fascination with Egyptology and its dynamic forms quickly found its way into the Deco aesthetic.

Opulent materials

A woman tries to choose which dress her love interest will prefer. 1924 illustration by Higgins from The Bystander 94 Period Living

Like the Egyptians, the Art Deco designers favoured the opulent, particularly at the beginning of the movement when the backlash to austerity and the remnants of Victorian sensibility was at its fiercest.

Art Deco was escapism, an expression of life at its most luxurious and decadent, and there was no expense spared when it came to the materials that were used. Silver, jade, tortoiseshell, pearl and ivory were all frequently used in furniture making,

Design of the 1920s

Photographs (fans) Getty Images, (woman on bed) Dea/Biblioteca Ambrosiana/Getty Images, (A Collector’s Study) Print Collector/ Getty Images, (dressing table) DeAgostini/Getty Images, (Clara Bow) Hulton Archive/Getty Images, (cantilever chair) Italy Classics

Left: Sleek, minimalist and functional, the Cantilever chair is a Modernist icon, designed in 1926 by Dutch Bauhaus designer Mart Stam Right: Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair, now sold by Aram, is ironically named after the Michelin man

with the emphasis being on the polished and the shiny to help create a sense of a lightness of touch.

Pieces were often made with contrasting inlays of wood, or in high-gloss lacquer, and often finished with glass and intricate metalwork. The overall effect was certainly striking.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Art Deco is that its designers didn’t just make tables or chairs or cabinets – they devised the entire room, from the fabric and wallpaper to the lamps and ornaments. The foremost creative of the age was Frenchman Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a furniture designer whose commissions included rooms on the luxury ocean liner Ile de France, the Chamber of Commerce, the Palais de l’Élysée and numerous other hotels, restaurants and public buildings.

Some of his furniture pieces could take up to eight months to complete due to their hugely intricate nature, yet they remarkably retain Deco’s core aesthetic of sleekness and pared-down elegance.

Another notable Art Deco designer was Eileen Gray. Irish born but resident in Paris for most of her life, she was one of only a handful of successful women in a very male-dominated field. She is possibly best known for her dramatic lacquered screens and iconic chairs, such as the Bibendum.

The Hollywood effect

American actress and ‘It’ girl Clara Bow, pictured at home, symbolised Hollywood glamour in the 1920s

such as animal skins, velvet and large thick rugs.

You could, if you had the means, create your own Hollywood-inspired interior inside your home.

Lighting was no longer purely functional as electricity became far more widely available by the start of the 1920s. Ceiling lights or wall sconces would often form the centrepiece to a room, and were often used in conjunction with mirrors to help reflect more light and shine back into the space and to add that all-important sense of drama.

Huge, angular glass chandeliers in steel, chrome or polished bronze were often seen in some of the period’s most fashionable houses, and as more larger commissions were undertaken in hotels, cinemas and theatres, the lighting became bigger and far more adventurous. Top London hotels like Claridges, The Savoy, and the Park Lane Hotel all incorporated stunning Art Deco lighting into their lobbies, restaurants and ballrooms.

The 1920s was also the decade that saw the rise of Hollywood, with the silver screen becoming an important cultural influence in its own right.

Historian AJP Taylor called cinema ‘the essential social habit of the age’, as going to the movies was all part of the glorious escapism of the day. Movie stars such as Rudolph Valentino and Mary Pickford became household names, and society at large began to feel a sense of aspiration as the glamour and elegance of the film world became something people wanted to recreate in their own lives. Cocktail Small French Art Decocabinets, drinks trolleys with ice style dressing table in buckets and silver shakers, cigarette Macassar ebony, circa cases and ashtrays all became hugely 1921–1922, stamped by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann popular interior items, as did luxurious fabrics and soft furnishings

Modernism Walking side by side with Art Deco is the decade’s other key look – Modernism. Taking its inspiration from Germany’s Bauhaus movement, the two styles share many of the same principles and forms and were both born from the same need to push forward towards a brighter future.

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Claridge’s foyer shimmers with Deco glamour. The glass chandelier features a Lalique base

Their main difference perhaps lies in the Modernists’ love of the functional, a paring back to the absolute minimum. The ‘Deco’ part was superfluous as Modernists looked to machines, automobiles and movement as their primary inspiration with furniture and other household objects, such as lamps and everyday appliances, all appearing curved, sleek and even aerodynamic.

What sparked the beginning of the end of pure Art Deco was Modernism’s great triumph. As the decade drew to a close, Art Deco had become more and more exclusive and expensive, so when the devastating stock market crash of 1929 happened, the style could only really survive through the advent of mass-production. Deco had to become more muted, less ostentatious, and easier to reproduce on a large, affordable scale, and as a result, it married better with the more streamlined vision of the Modernists.

Our 1920s heritage We are fortunate to have a wealth of 1920s treasures in this country, from the grand and majestic to the small and surprising. A trip to London will could

incorporate tea or a cocktail at one of the many Deco hotels, including Claridge’s or the Strand Palace, whose foyer gleams with mirrors and lights.

West End theatres such as Her Majesty’s or the Apollo have fine Deco interiors, as do cinemas such as the Odeon Leicester Square (recently restored), the Rio in Dalston or the Troxy in Stepney.

Further afield, don’t miss the stunning 1927 red, black and silver bathroom at the National Trust managed Upton House in Warwickshire, the glamorous cocktail bar at Devon’s Burgh Island Hotel, or the sleek Modernist Midland Hotel in Morecombe, Lancashire.

Five stylish buys to create the 1920s look in your own home

Stockholm table lamp, from £36, John Lewis & Partners

Lene Bjerre Feline round mirror, £575, Houseology Bercy Geometric wallpaper in Blush and Rose, £16.99 per roll, Cult Furniture

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Green Octagon tile, £6, Bert & May

Nancy vintage leather chair, £255, Perch & Parrow

Photographs (Upton House) National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel, (Claridges) View Pictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The Art Deco bathroom at Upton House, created in the late 1920s by architect Morley Horder for Dorothy, wife of the 2nd Lord Bearsted

Luxury materials

ALL FIRED UP Esse’s new 990 Hybrid is an elegant range cooker with fire in its belly. Part wood-burning cook stove, part electric range, the Hybrid brings the inviting scent and atmosphere of wood smoke into the kitchen while offering reliable cooking performance. The firebox gives you the ability to make rustic foods, such as pizza, and also powers the hot plate.

Meanwhile, two electric ovens give versatility for everyday cooking.

Available in a choice of 20 colours, from £7,600.

Lapicida’s new Antique Marble tiles combine the authentic look and feel of reclaimed natural marble with the durability and easy installation of porcelain tiles. A clever way to achieve a luxury shower enclosure in the bathroom, or create a classic black and white chequerboard floor, the tiles come in two sizes – W119xL59.5cm, £70.80 per m2, and W59.5xL59.5cm, £58.80 per m2 – and six different marble effects.

Shown here in Arabescato (left) and Nero Marquina.

HOUSE j ur al D the latest pr i our period pick up top tips from industry experts

TIMELESS UPDATE Second Nature Kitchens has added two new designs to its popular Shaker collection: Clarendon and Hunton.

Fusing a simple Shaker door with a traditional framed design, Clarendon offers a sophisticated, bespoke appearance. It’s available from stock in Porcelain and Dust Grey (as above), as well as in 30 paint-to-order colours with the additional option of a sanded format. Meanwhile, Hunton’s slimframed cabinetry features shallow centre panels and is available in three colours – Porcelain, Dust Grey and Hartforth Blue – as well as the paintto-order palette. Second Nature Kitchens are priced from £12,000 and available from specialist retailers across the UK.

GOING WITH THE GRAIN Inspired by the raw beauty of natural wood, the latest addition to Amtico’s Signature luxury vinyl flooring collection, Rustic Grains, beautifully emulates the pronounced textures and defined graining of salvaged, aged timbers.

The hand-worked designs are available in three distinctive palettes – Sawn Woods, Winter Oaks and Continental Oaks – all of which feature the new Rustic Grains finish, to create a range that offers seeming endless natural variations. Shown here is the Signature Rotterdam Oak design in Halcyon Pleat, £70 per m2.

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ASK THE EXPERT Douglas Kent, technical and research director at the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), answers your queries

Han gi

Showcase your favourite treasures or create some much needed hanging storage with this factory style industrial metal hook rail, £25 from Nordic House. The rail features a sturdy aged metal frame with six hooks, and is ideal for use in the kitchen, bathroom or home office, as well as hanging collections of photos and decorations.

STYLE MEETS FUNCTION Combining simple Shaker design with innovative open and closed storage solutions, the new Wentworth collection from Neville Johnson is available across its range of fitted furniture for the bedroom, home office and dressing room. Handcrafted in Britain, the furniture is available in 70 colours shown here in Sorrell and its bespoke built in design will allow you to utilise every inch of space without compromising on style. Bespoke designs start from £3,000.

MAKING A SPLASH Crosswater has introduced 11 new countertop basin designs to its striking Gallery collection.

Crafted from luxurious materials, including fire clay, marble and travertine, the basins come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from round to square. There is also a choice of finishes from gloss and matt white to on-trend grey and statement platinum.

Stain-proof, lime-scale resistant and 100 per cent recyclable, the basins are priced from £229.

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From top: Castellon Carrara marble Plus basin, £569; Castellon travertine Plus basin, £685; Navarre ceramic basin, £289

Q

Our old house faces directly onto a busy road. Can the noise through our sitting room windows be reduced without replacing them?

The best approach is to fit secondary glazing combined with draughtproofing, to reduce low and high frequency noise respectively. Secondary glazing comprises an extra layer of glass that is installed to the insides of the existing windows and, if well designed, is unobtrusive. There should be a wide air space between the panes (minimum 150mm) and their thickness should differ by at least 30 per cent. A little ventilation should be maintained through the outer window to prevent condensation.

If you have a question for Douglas, email it to periodliving@futurenet.com*

Feature Karen Bray *We do our best to answer all queries, but cannot guarantee a response

n

g

Q

splay i d

We recently removed inappropriate paint from the external brickwork of our Georgian house. This has revealed areas where the pointing needs attention. Can small repairs be carried out or do all the joints need refilling?

I would strongly recommend that you repoint your walls only where the mortar has receded leaving the joints open or has become very loose. Old pointing can be an intrinsic part of the fabric and character of a building and removing it, however carefully, risks damage to the edges (arises) of bricks.

My advice is to patch point the areas where the mortar has eroded back behind the general wall face to a depth equal to the joint width using a lime based mortar. It is important to use a suitable contractor who will take care to avoid a patchwork appearance ideally ask them to do a trial in a discreet area to check the finish before proceeding.

The exception would be if you have ‘tuck pointing’, where joints are filled flush with a coloured mortar into which is inserted a ribbon of fine contrasting mortar. Tuck pointing was often used on façades between the late 17th and early 20th century to imitate superior ‘gauged’ work. Unlike with other types of pointing, a distinct section or even complete elevation is usually renewed in one job.

Advertorial

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Its January sale is now on, with 10 per cent off all designs, and as a Period Living reader you can also save an extra five per cent WILLOW & HALL’S BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE is all handmade by skilled craftsmen to your own bespoke design specification.

Personalise from a curated edit of over 200 fabrics, a handpicked selection of quality seat cushions and, if purchasing a sofa bed, from three luxury mattresses: open sprung, pocket sprung and memory foam.

All designs come with a 25 year wood frame guarantee; are delivered within four to five weeks for personalised furniture and from five days for in stock designs; and Willow & Hall offers a 14 day returns policy.

Discover the furniture at willowandhall.co.uk, call on 020 8939 3800 or visit the London showroom in person or via a live video appointment.

How to get your extra discount Simply enter code PL310120 at the checkout by 31 January for an extra five per cent off.

Top: The Foxcote sofa or sofa bed, from £1,112 and £1,400 Left: The Buttermere sofa or sofa bed, from £833 and £1,121 Below left: The Bulford sofa or sofa bed, from £1,625 and £1,913

Period Living 101

Shopping

Jubilee 10 wood-burning stove, from £1,495, Lotus

Stockton 5 multi-fuel stove, from £869, Stovax

Huntingdon 40 gas stove in matt ivory, £1,545, Gazco

Turn up the heat

Keep cosy and warm this winter with a focal-point stove – we’ve sourced the best designs for every fuel type

Ø6 multifuel stove, £1,299, Morsø

Vintage 35 wood-burning stove, from £2,239, Dovre

Orion wood-burning stove, from £789, Nordpeis

Large Ellesmere EC5W wide electric stove, £1,575, Aga

Farringdon multi-fuel stove in Spice, from £1,307, Arada

Dimplex Grand Noir Opti-Myst electric stove, £562, B&Q

Feature Soophie Warren-Smith

Bornholm woodburning stove, from £1,219, Varde

Phoenix eco design Firebug tall stove, from £1,918, Woodwarm F602N wood-burning stove, £1,149, Jøtul

Alpine 4 Series wood-burning stove, from £1,550, with Atlantic Blue finish, £85, Chesneys

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Soak up the luxury

Bathrooms

If you dream of a relaxing bathroom where you can enjoy bathing bliss, then be inspired by the latest designs that will help revitalise your sanctuary Words Holly Reaney

ORE INSPIRING A copper bath is a stunning addition to any bathroom. Its polished exterior ages gradually over time, transforming from a deep pinkish hue to a warming red-brown. Plus, copper’s inherent properties means that it heats up faster and retains its warmth longer than enamel or acrylic tubs. The deep style of this bateau bath with artisan tin interior, from £4,831 at William Holland, allows you to fully immerse yourself for the ultimate soak.

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PERIOD DRAMA Swap mundane magnolia walls for moody shades to create a cocooning, atmospheric space.

Add depth and texture with painted waterproof panelling.

Whether you go for glamorous grey, dramatic black or classic blue, make sure you pick a matt finish, as glossy sheens can make the space feel cold. For a similar shade to this, try Little Greene’s Scree, £50 for 2.5ltrs of Intelligent matt emulsion, which is ecofriendly as well as completely washable. Add to the intimacy with a low-hanging pendant light, like this St Ives Harbour design, £55 at Garden Trading.

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Bathrooms WONDER WALLS Below: You wouldn’t think twice about wallpapering a bedroom or living room, so why not the bathroom? The injection of pattern can completely reinvent a tired space. Devon & Devon’s vinyl wallpaper is impervious to damp, making it the perfect choice for a humid environment. It is also ecologically sustainable, made using water-based inks that are non-flammable, odourless and nickel-free. We love Francesca Greco’s Lilies design, £121 per m2.

FROM THE EARTH Above: Evoke the serenity of the natural world by incorporating raw materials into your design.

Mandarin Stone’s Lavastone basin, from £354, is created from volcanic boulders sourced from Indonesia, and each basin is unique in size, colour and design. Pair it with the beautiful mink-grey shaded Fume Emperador honed limestone tiles, £83.98 per m2, to complete the natural look.

‘Bathrooms should exude as much comfort and style as your bedroom, and lighting plays a key part. A much overlooked lighting trick is to use an IPrated central pendant to gently diffuse light, rather than the more common downlighters, which create a harsh glare.’

Cassie Rowland, creative director at Jim Lawrence Period Living 107

TURKISH TWIST Right and above: Make a statement with an ornately patterned floor. Opting for a bold colourway in a vintage design will add a modern edge to a classic that will work well in a period home. This Nova porcelain tile, £68.97 per m² from Ca’Pietra, evokes the feel of an exotic Turkish hammam.

Available in Peacock (right), and also (above, clockwise from top left) Cloud, Powder Blue, Custard and Graphite.

EBB AND FLOW Left: Take inspiration from the serenity of the sea with these Indian Ocean aquatic glass mosaics in Madagascar Seaspray, £154.90 per m2 from Fired Earth. Made from a proportion of recycled glass and hand-finished, each tile is subtly different, creating a haze of blue and green tones that add texture as well as colour to the room.

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Bathrooms

PRETTY PRIVATE Being able to shut off from the world is essential in creating a soapy sanctuary. Blinds not only provide that all-essential privacy but also give you the opportunity to introduce pattern into the room. Choose a pastel background with nature-inspired patterns for a serene feel. These Camellia Chinoiserie Plaster Pink roller blinds start at ÂŁ190 for H50xW50cm from the V&A Collection at Surface View.

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Bathrooms ON THE LEVEL Not purely the preserve of new builds, a wet room can be created in many period homes.

It is perfect for irregular-shaped rooms or those with awkward spaces as it removes the need for an in-built shower enclosure.

A clear glass shower panel will provide subtle zoning, but still allow the space to feel open and light. Complete bathrooms cost from £12,000 at Ripples.

DOUBLING UP Right: Reminiscent of luxury hotels, a double console is a grand edition to a bathroom or en suite. The epitome of opulence, this Victoria double console basin, from £795 at Heritage Bathrooms, has a sleek, Victorian-inspired silhouette, which will work effortlessly in a period scheme. Plus it will avoid arguments as you’re both trying to get ready in the morning – there’s nothing more relaxing than that.

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PRACTICAL LUXURY

The material of choice for classical monuments and the most lavish buildings, marble is perfect for creating a luxury look, but this reputation doesn’t come without a hefty price tag. Instead, treat yourself to a bit of affordable luxury with this Bianca Luna marble-effect shower wall panel, from £159 for H240xW60cm at Victoria Plum. Complete the luxe look with chrome brassware, such as the Dulwich riser system in chrome, £349, to beautifully highlight the marble veining.

SMALL SANCTUARY

Create the illusion of more space in a smaller bathroom by opting for a wall-hanging vanity unit, which will open up the floor.

Choose a design with a deep drawer, such as the Burlington 65 design with integrated basin, from £1,068, to keep a minimalist aesthetic, while ensuring that all your ablution essentials are still on hand.

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Renovation

HOME MAINTENANCE

Timber beams

Original beams are a highly desirable period feature, but over time they may suffer from decay or inappropriate finishes, so it is important to know how to spot problems Feature Roger Hunt, author of Old House Handbook

T

imber, a vital structural element, has long been used to form door and window lintels, floor joists, roofs and, in early houses, the building’s frame. Beams may be hidden behind plaster, render or cladding; others are highly visible and are loved for their character and beauty, and are also important pointers to help unravel a home’s history.

Maintenance checklist l l l Illustrations Sarah Overs

l l

Investigate signs of beetle infestation.

Note timbers that have been cut or altered.

Tackle rot and decay.

Check timber is not taking up moisture.

Deal with damp problems at source.

Repair guide Early timber-frame properties were constructed of locally felled oak, which was used while it was still ‘green’ and easy to work. The sections were

prefabricated and joined together with wooden pegs. Carpenters’ marks a form of Roman numerals scribed on each timber ensured the sections were correctly assembled on site.

The most common issues are insect attack and fungal decay. Both are caused by high moisture levels within the timber and are usually attributable to leaking roofs or gutters, cracked cement renders or high ground levels. Inappropriate alterations both historic and recent also result in problems.

Replacement dos and don’ts Do remember the historic importance of original timber so try to conserve it. l Don’t replace more timber than is necessary. l Do think carefully before cleaning or stripping timber. l Don’t shot blast or sand beams. l Do seek specialist advice if in doubt. l Don’t ignore structural problems. l

Above: Original timber beams are a much sought after character feature in older properties, and the way the timber has been employed, cut, finished and jointed can give important clues to the history of the property

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they are or a more serious intervention could be considered if failure is believed to be imminent.

Q

There appears to be structural movement and broken joints to the timber frame. What is the best course of action?

Above: Check old timbers for signs of beetle infestation, but historic signs in oak beams is generally of little concern Below: Areas of discolouration on timbers adjacent to plaster can be a sign of ongoing damp issues that need to be dealt with

Expert Q & A Rick Lewis of Traditional Oak Carpentry, specialists in timber conservation and construction, answers common questions about timber frames and beams.

Q

How do I know whether beetle infestations or damp are a problem?

Many ancient timbers will show signs of insect damage. This is very often historic and, within oak timbers, it is usually within areas of sapwood so it is of little, if any, concern. Ongoing damp issues can be indicated by discoloration to the timbers, as well as staining to adjacent plaster and other materials. A moisture meter can be useful but many materials will give readings that may be misleading; it is best to take a holistic approach and understand as much as possible before reaching conclusions.

Q

Is it a good idea to hack off the surface of timber that has been affected by woodworm?

Q

The end of a beam is rotten; does all the timber need to be replaced?

As a general rule no; although, once we commence repairs to a timber, we will locally remove some frassy surfaces in an attempt to work out where the poor section ends and the better timber begins.

Almost always this is not the best approach. There are occasional exceptions but, in most cases, a timber can be repaired. That said, even a superbly effected repair is never as strong as a whole and intact timber, so it does have to be well executed if it is to give a decent level of performance.

Q

Should I remove any inappropriate plaster and render finishes over the timber frame and re-coat with lime plaster?

If the render is not too old and is in good order, it may not be causing too many problems. Therefore, although it ought to be replaced at some point, this might not be necessary immediately.

Q

If ceiling beams are sagging, should they be replaced?

It is important to first establish why they are sagging and when this started. If it is historic deflection, it may be of little concern. If it is believed that the deflection is ongoing, the cause of the problem must be dealt with first and then the sagging timbers could either be held as

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Mechanical failure needs to be fully understood before any intervention is commenced. The advice of an appropriate engineer is probably useful, although they need to be well versed in historic framed structures to be of real use. A timber buildings specialist should also be engaged to assist with the diagnosis and then, once all factors have been considered, a plan can be drawn up and approved by all parties before – or if – any remedial action is then taken.

Q

How can beams be cleaned and paint removed?

Q

Should I finish beams with beeswax or linseed oil?

It has been common to recommend trialling the use of poultice stripping methods, but many historic buildings had some degree of painted schemes at various times, both on the plaster surfaces and the exposed timber framing, and any stripping of later layers will remove the underlying schemes, too. Consider testing a trial area, but it may be worth asking the advice of a paintings conservator before any work is done.

The timbers will function without either being applied, so it is a subjective issue and one of aesthetics and personal taste. Bear in mind that oils, in particular, will allow dust to fix to the surface and the timbers will darken over time.

Useful contacts B MULFORD HISTORIC CARPENTRY – timber repair

and conservation. Tel: 07786 195098 bmulfordhistoriccarpentry.co.uk DECADET - conducts timber-frame surveys.

Tel: 07836 746520; decadet.co.uk HUTTON + ROSTRON - historic building surveyors.

Tel: 01483 203221; handr.co.uk OAKWRIGHTS - timber-frame builders, engineers and repairers. Tel: 01252 794325; oakwrights.com PEELAWAY - poultice paint remover.

Tel: 0117 960 0060; peelaway.co.uk STRIPPERS PAINT REMOVERS - paint removers.

Tel: 01787 371524; stripperspaintremovers.com TIMBER FRAMING AND CONSERVATION - timber-frame repairs. Tel: 01509 414477; ewdcrane.co.uk THE CARPENTERS’ FELLOWSHIP - database of timber framers around the country. Tel: 01249 782100; carpentersfellowship.co.uk TRADITIONAL OAK CARPENTRY - oak-frame conservation and construction. Tel: 01449 768817; traditionaloakcarpentry.co.uk