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A Touch of Flock For our Spring issue, Heart Home were lucky enough to spend some time with bespoke furniture maker, Johnny Egg. We found him with wife Lucy in the aptly named Egg House. They share their Essex home with two dogs, one cat, a handful of chickens and hundreds of furniture prototypes‌
Photographs Paul Craig Words Ellie Walker-Arnott
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Heart Features
“Travelling the world gave me a taste for what’s around in different countries”
Though Johnny has been crafting
furniture since the age of sixteen, when he was a cabinetmaker’s apprentice, his career really took off in 2003 after he exhibited at the prestigious 100% Design show. Since then, his flamboyant style has been embraced by interior designers and nowadays his furniture is stocked by contemporary design store Heals. Johnny’s work ranges from elegant
and
understated
to
wonderfully wacky. Using bold patterns
and
vibrant
colours,
Johnny takes traditional shapes and distorts them to create clever and innovative pieces of furniture. His specialises in sharp lines and seriously
stylish
mirrored
and
gloss finishes as well as softer shapes, designs and textures. And that’s where Johnny’s trademark finish comes in. Johnny loves to add a twist to everyday items, be it telephones,light fittings or the inside of drawers, with a touch of
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Heart Features
flock. The idea originated from the desire to create something soft inside his furniture.
After his apprenticeship, Johnny travelled to all
four corners of the globe aboard cruise ships,meeting his wife Lucy when working in an onboard casino. They decided to settle down and they have lived a much quieter and laid back life ever since. Now, instead of card dealing, Johnny is happiest walking his dogs or having a quiet drink in his local country pub, The Compasses in Littley Green.
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“I’ll have things in the house, sometimes for six months, before I realise that I actually do like them!”
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Heart Features
“I enjoy taking something old and then updating it”
It was once he was back on British soil, that Johnny
rekindled his love for carpentry, and his home is now the place where Johnny decides which pieces he’ll take further. Living with his designs helps him decide whether or not he really likes them. “I’ll have things in the house, sometimes for six months, before I realise that I actually do like them! Then I’ll carry on and actually make it as a product,” he says.
The inspiration for his designs comes from the
world around him. “I am inspired by so many things: colours, fashion,the shape of cars...” he says.
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“I normally start with a shape. The shape of old furniture is a constant inspiration. I enjoy taking something old and then updating it.�During our visit, Johnny took us to one of his favourite British haunts, Metro Retro, a warehouse filled with mountains of covetable vintage furniture. It was easy to see why he is so inspired by the shape and feel of old design.
This year Johnny is launching an impressive four
new collections. We had a sneak peek at Safe, which features chunky wooden cupboards constructed to look like retro metal safes, and Pashley, a range of chic black and neon pieces.Though increasing the website is the focus of his attention now, Johnny does have aspirations to have his own shop one day, so watch this space...
Heart Homes
Designs for life. When Chelsea Cefai finally landed her dream home, she also discovered a treasure trove of rare designs which changed the direction of her life.
Photography Jon Day Stylist Emily Henson Words Claire Marie Slight
The journey began when Chelsea fell in
love with a property that was virtually on her doorstop. “We’d lived around the corner from this house for quite a few years and I’d always kept an eye on it hoping that one day I would see a ‘For Sale’ sign.” It was an event that was clearly meant to be. The sign did indeed go up eventually and Chelsea and husband Gary managed to sell their current property within a week. Five years later they are still living in their coveted Victorian property, which is located in the historic market town of Rugby. One of the main features of the house Chelsea originally fell in love with was its unusual layout:
“It’s a double fronted Victorian property
so the rooms are laid out squarely on either side of the entrance hall, rather than the usual long narrow format you get with a Victorian terrace”. Chelsea realised that
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Heart Homes
housing two businesses, two daughters and Dusty
colour and had no problem with pulling it all in. “I’ve
the cat was always going to be a big demand on
never felt uncomfortable or nervous about mixing
space: “I knew the layout would work perfectly for
styles and love to experiment with different styles.
family life; with plenty of use able space and separate
We have lots of use able, family space and the things
working areas for our businesses”. After the initial
we find and love are what make it personal.”
excitement died down, the Cefai family had a real
task on their hands, building an extension to the rear
key pieces: “Inspiration for each room usually starts
ground floor. Chelsea added, “We also decided to re-
with something quite simple like a picture or a piece
point the entire house more than half way through
of furniture. In the living room we have a piece of
the project, hence a constant cloud of orange brick
artwork by Terry Frost, which hangs above the
dust to contend with!”
fireplace”.
But a major discovery was about to seal the fate of
On the decoration front, Chelsea has a real knack
of putting together different looks, a good eye for
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Everything flows from a few initial ideas and
the overall conception of the decor.
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Heart Homes
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“We’d lived around the corner from this house for quite a few years and I’d always kept an eye on it hoping that one day I would see a ‘For Sale’ sign”
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Heart Homes
“We were completing the final stage of the renovations in the kitchen/dining areas and I came across the work of Sheila Bownas at an auction. The illustrations were ideal to display in the downstairs space but when I discovered there were more than 200 original patterns I had a sudden urge to save the entire collection!” Chelsea further explains “Flora Dora our online shop was launched with a limited range of prints, fabrics, cushions and postcards. So far we have released 10 of Sheila’s original designs from the 50s and 60s.” In fact Chelsea is very much a vintage design aficionado with a passion for the preservation of British design in particular.
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“I knew the layout would work perfectly for family life; with plenty of useable space and separate working areas for our businesses”.
Heart Homes
“Inspiration for each room usually starts with something quite simple like a picture or a piece of furniture”
This is something which Chelsea wanted to reflect in her home, although there is a real mix of décor throughout the house: “There is quite a clear difference in style between the two floors. This type of house can carry a mix of styles very well and I’m strongly influenced by several distinctive periods, predominantly the 40s, 50s and 60s. When we moved here I still loved the antique French bed my husband bought for us in our very first home 15 years ago!” www.flora-dora.co.uk
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Style steal
Heart Shopping
Get the look from Chalsea’s home Fabric Clock, £25 from Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous Kitchen Pendant, £ 54.99 from tch
Sagaform Retro Teapot, £24.95 from Cloudberry Living
Venetian Mirror, £ 245 from French Bedroom Co
Sean Connery Framed Print, £18.99 from Arthouse
Big Rose Pink Wallpaper, £43 from Wallpaper King
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Miss Mary’s suggestions for Spring dates By Mary Higgs
Mary Higgs is the author of popular website The Great Date Guide.
For those of you lucky enough to live in the
country, the sight of a gambolling spring lamb will be a regular occurrence. For millions of us living in the city that’s sadly not the case. Spring, to me, is all about new life and the inquisitive newborn lamb is the perfect sign that spring has sprung. To bring a slice of the countryside to town, a great spring date is a trip to a city farm. There are at least eight in London, and one of my favourites is Mudchute Farm on the Isle of Dogs. There’s nothing more incongruous than hopping on a tube to go and look at some sheep grazing in front of a skyscraper, but at the same time, nothing more wonderful! This is the perfect spring date for a townie wishing they were living the rural dream or a country bumpkin missing home…
For me, “Spring Break” doesn’t mean an annual trip
You’ll find city farms dotted all over the UK but
to Cancun with a bunch of US teenagers (anymore!) it
we visited Mudchute City Farm, which is located on
means a weekend away to relax and unwind with my
the Isle of Dogs and is free to visit.
other half, somewhere in the great British countryside.
www.mudchute.org
Due to my springtime obsession with lambs I can’t think of anything better than a weekend in a beautifully renovated shepherd’s hut, like the Shepherds Return at the Hollow in West Sussex. Located in a country garden just an hour from London, but surrounded by fields, this is the perfect weekend getaway. Charming and simple with an incredibly stylish interior it’s every stressed city workers dream!
Take a look at the inspiring Canopy and Stars
website for more special places to stay across the country, but this particular hut sleeps 2, from
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£100 a night. www.canopyandstars.co.uk
All this excitement about spring is cause for
celebration, and what’s the best way to celebrate? With a cocktail of course! Gone are the months of mulled wine and sloe gin, now it’s time for some fresh and fruity cocktails – umbrella optional… The UK boasts plenty of fantastic bars but one of my favourites is the quirky Paradise by Way of Kensal Green in London. With an eclectic interior, including a candlelit karaoke room, and a huge roof terrace Paradise truly is one of London’s hidden gems. I asked them for their signature Spring cocktail – the answer? The “Paradise Gin Mule”. Ingredients: 50ml Millers gin Large chunk of cucumber 20ml lemon juice
The promise of spring tends to get me a little over
excited about the prospect of summer!
Sunshine,
20ml gomme (sugar syrup) Ginger beer
warmth, evenings spent outside… Sadly the British climate doesn’t always play fair, so, if you’re desperate
Method:
for some sunshine and colour then head to a botanical
Pour the gin over the cucumber
garden. In London a great weekend date is a trip to
and muddle. Add the lemon and
the fabulous Kew Gardens. The amazing glasshouses
gomme, top up with ice and shake. Strain the mixture
are full of vibrant tropical flowers, but Kew is also a
into the glass over crushed ice and top with ginger
beautiful spot to experience spring in it’s own right
beer. Garnish with peels of cucumber and mint sprig.
with lush carpets of bluebells and daffodils making a colourful display. For a more adventurous date Kew
has a sensational tree top walk, 18 metres high, 200
give you a spring in your step!
metres long and designed by the architects of the
London Eye. From up top you’ll get a stunning view
by Way of Kensal Green and it will set you back £6.
of all the spring flowers, not to mention a very good
http://www.theparadise.co.uk
excuse to grab hold of your date’s hand on the excuse of your terrible vertigo!
Most major cities have botanical gardens. We
visited Kew Gardens in West London, which costs £13.90 for an adult. http://www.kew.org
The verdict? Delicious. Spring in a glass that will You can find the “Paradise Gin Mule” at Paradise
Heart Columns
Michaela Mildenhall, otherwise known as Pargy, is the author of the blog which hunts down the best in bold and daring design from the past and present. you thought that kitsch interiors were
The word kitsch has German origins and was
all about cheap tackiness, high cartoon
basically a term used to describe cheap, sentimental
camp and shallow sentimentality then
mass produced ornaments. The biggest decades for
think again. Kitsch is a very exciting concept, and
kitsch however are the 50’s and the 80’s. In the 1950s
some of the biggest names in design are currently
we saw the “Tiki” type of kitsch; with its proliferation
experimenting with this style and taking it in a whole
of Tretchikoff’s “Chinese Girl” pictures and nightmare
different direction.
nick-nacks from hell. The 80’s saw the emergence of a
Kitsch is often mistaken for bad taste but it’s
less innocent kind of kitsch, spearheaded by Artists and
actually quite a complex idea, questioning the concept
photographers such as Jeff Koons and Pierre et Gilles.
of what is good or bad taste. It also has a chequered
This type of Kitsch was heavily sexualised, glamorous
past. First we had the cutesy-pie kitsch charm of the
and worshipped at the altar of pop culture.
50’s. This then mutated into the garish and super
sexy 80’s version. Kitsch is now the comeback kid in
influential Italian designers that called themselves
interiors, except that it’s gone and grown up, becoming
the “Memphis” group, took bold geometric shapes and
polished, witty and virtually unrecognisable. This
mixed these with kitsch colours and humour. These
new breed of kitsch is breathing an air of exuberance
pieces of furniture were also created in the 1980s, and
into otherwise average interiors.
are highly collectable today. Contemporary designers
Over In the world of furniture design, a group of
are becoming very excited about the Memphis style right The elegant Naturo Fantastic range from Lladro.
now so I’m sure you will see exciting developments in this area. So how do you incorporate this over-excitable trend into your surroundings? Well, clearly kitsch is not for everyone (and most definitely not for the faint hearted). I personally think it works best when you really embrace it. If you’re a fashionista, dandy, hedonist or joker, then I’m sure you will work it well, if not, don’t panic; here are some pointers!
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Above all else kitsch is extreme and joyful. Forget
less is more; more is more!
Rumble at the jumble; or even the charity shop
for fabby vintage finds. Some retro kitsch is becoming
Moooi Horse Lamp.
very sought after and you might end up buying a future antique!
For walls, why not try out some vibrant kitsch-style
wallpaper (I think Amy Butler works the trend very well). Alternatively, you could get some cheap copies of tretchikoff (in the true spirit of Kitsch) or a selection of postcards featuring the work of Jeff Koons and Pierre et Gilles.
There are some great kitsch accessories in the shops
at the moment. Kitsch lamps are particularly striking.
Think about some modern designer pieces for your
home. The key is to go for well executed design that has really good detailing. Typical Kitsch themes are cute animals, cartoons, crazy florals, femme fatales and pretty sailors! Blaue Blume petit four stand from Undergrowth Design and Temple Tulips wallpaper from Amy Butler, available at Graham & Brown.
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