DESIGN OF THE TIMES

The slower pace of life and refocus on ‘home’ over the past few years has led people to reflect upon what truly holds value and how they want to live now. Many are trying to shop more mindfully - considering how and where food, clothes and homeware are made, and in doing so, are rediscovering that buying from local producers and choosing craftsman-made design can o er a great deal of pleasure and good value, as well as feeling like a meaningful thing to support.

When the three founders of Derwent House launched their interiors shop and gallery at the start of 2020, they already had exactly these aims at the heart of their business. They wanted to champion British craftsmen and women working with sustainable materials, give shopping for the home a more joyful sense of purpose and help people create a connection to their buys as far removed from conveyor belt design as you can imagine.

Juliette Barrell, Alison Gri ths, and Richelle Spooner-Davidson are passionate about showing home decorators how craft and art can work within an interior context. Although they also launched a website, their primary intent was to create this inviting showroom, making it accessible and much more engaging and welcoming than a static gallery, while championing handcrafted and local design.

“We made a deliberate decision not to have an e-commerce website but to focus on encouraging people to visit the store instead: click and connect rather than click and collect,” says Juliette. “There is nothing like seeing the pieces in real life, to feel the textures, look at the details, understand the di erent wood choices, look at the quality of the joints or the intricacy of the fabrics, hold a ceramic jug in your hand and connect to the skills and stories of the craftsmen and women behind them.”

Designofthe TIMES

Derwent House is a welcoming new emporium of thoughtfully crafted homewares from the workshops of British makers and artisans

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: DERWENT HOUSE CO-FOUNDERS (PICTURED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): CREATIVE DIRECTOR JULIETTE BARRELL, MARKETING DIRECTOR ALISON GRIFFITHS, AND RETAIL DIRECTOR RICHELLE SPOONER-DAVIDSON; FLORAL BOUQUET DARK CUSHION BY TEXTILE DESIGNER ABIGAIL BURY WHO TAKES HER INSPIRATION FROM FLORA AND FOLIAGE; PRINT MAKER AND TEXTILE DESIGNER ALBERT HARVEY; DALTON DESK BY BARNBY DESIGN, AVAILABLE IN A CHOICE OF COLOURS; CERAMIC ARTIST JO DAVIES, A SPECIALIST IN WHEEL-THROWN PORCELAIN, AT WORK IN HER LONDON STUDIO; THE LIGHT-FILLED STAIRWELL ENTRANCE AT DERWENT HOUSE DISPLAYING A SELECTION OF CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE; FURNITURE DESIGNER ROBERT BARNBY; FERRON SIDE TABLE, BARNBY DESIGN

TOP: A CORNER OF DERWENT HOUSE FEATURING A SELECTION OF BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES. ABOVE: LUMBAR CUSHION IN TEAL AND RUST FROM BROUGHS FOR DERWENT HOUSE. RIGHT: SAFI CUSHION FROM BROUGHS FOR DERWENT HOUSE

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE SEEING THE PIECES IN REAL LIFE, TO FEEL THE TEXTURES, LOOK AT THE DETAILS, UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT WOOD CHOICES, LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF THE JOINTS OR THE INTRICACY OF THE FABRICS.”

JULIETTE BARRELL

Beyond its Georgian front, the showroom in Witney in the Cotswolds is set out over three floors. The rooms of the original house o er a light-filled setting but today the premises extend beyond the period property, and now o er over 6000 square feet of shopping.

Thoughtful vignettes showcase homeware from an array of British studio makers including cabinet and furniture makers, ceramicists, glass blowers, textile designers, handloom weavers and basket makers, not to mention art from local artists, upcycled furniture and a selection of vintage pieces, curated by Richelle.

Written profiles introduce each studio in store as they do on the website and the team speak passionately and knowledgeably about the craftspeople, and the values they represent.

Good looking and made to last, heritage clothing and equipment to carry us through the seasons, all made in the UK

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“Talking to our makers, their enthusiasm and respect for the natural, sustainable materials they use always comes across first and foremost. Whether it is a beautiful piece of wood, or wool sourced from a flock of sheep in Yorkshire, all are committed to sourcing sustainable and - where possible - British materials, crafting them into meaningful, treasured pieces that will stand the test of time,” says Alison.

The stock of pieces is ever-changing but alongside these, the showroom also showcases the made-to-order range of classical and modular sofas from respected British sofa manufacturer Delcor, and fabric and wallpaper books from wellknown brands. In its aim to make home decoration easy and enjoyable, the Derwent House team also o ers a curtainmaking service, can help to arrange reupholstery or reconditioning of tired furniture and o ers colour scheming and spatial planning advice.

When Wildflower magazine visited, the first in a series of buying exhibitions – Table Matters – was being hosted on the second floor. The exhibition which runs until the end of May 2022 holds a diverse curation of dining, console, co ee, desk and lamp tables from 15 established furniture makers including: Angus Ross, Gri n & Sinclair, Edward Wild, awardwinning Oxfordshire studio Waywood and new talents Lula James Woodworking. Some makers are involved in planting and tree management programmes, others in the recycling of o cuts or fallen woods. The furniture makers also craft bespoke pieces to commission and, as Richelle Spooner-Davies explains, such pieces can be surprisingly accessible in price.

“It’s wonderful talking to customers and seeing them have that light-bulb moment when they understand that bespoke pieces are not necessarily more expensive and can o er so many possibilities,” says Richelle. “The cabinet and furniture makers can tweak both scale and height and working with our sofa manufacturer means you aren’t limited to just three or four standard upholstery options on a website. You can choose from an unlimited range of fabrics, change seat depth or back height, choose cushion interiors and leg options, without significant extra cost, and often no change in price at all.”

The flurry of visitors since opening after lockdown has been a powerful a rmation of the need and desire of many home decorators to experience shopping in real life rather than through a screen. Derwent House’s three founders love nothing more than to share their decades of interiors experience, helping customers spend wisely on special, unique, British-made pieces to love for years to come.

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“IT’S WONDERFUL TALKING TO CUSTOMERS AND SEEING THEM HAVE THAT LIGHT-BULB MOMENT WHEN THEY UNDERSTAND THAT BESPOKE PIECES ARE NOT NECESSARILY MORE EXPENSIVE AND CAN OFFER SO MANY POSSIBILITIES”

RICHELLE SPOONER-DAVIDSON

TOP: RHIAN WYMAN ON THE LOOM IN HER FOREST OF DEAN STUDIO. BOTTOM: LANDSCAPE VASES BY LOCO GLASS