The American owner of this house in Hampshire first came across Max Rollitt when she read about his own home in House & Garden a decade ago. ‘I remember thinking then that so many of the items in the house were beautiful – that none of it matched, yet all of it belonged together,’ she recalls.
Since then she has, over the years, bought the occasional painting and piece of furniture from Max and, when she and her family moved to this 17th-century townhouse in 2022, she immediately made her way to his barn in nearby Yavington. The former grain store in the Hampshire countryside is Max’s centre of operations and showroom, full of gloriously enticing, original pieces; it is also host to upholstery, restoration and furniture-making workshops. She introduced herself to Max and asked for his help in transforming her new house. And so began a very fruitful relationship.
Facing the window is a ‘Hepplewhite’ sofa made bespoke by Max. A gilt rococo-style chandelier hangs above the Regency rosewood breakfast table, on which is a late-17th-century carved giltwood heraldic lion and crown pediment.
Christopher Horwood
At the other end of the room, pieces include an 18th-century Chinese export black lacquer cabinet, a mahogany breakfront bookcase, c1790, and a floor lamp from Vaughan.
Christopher Horwood
Max knew the property of old. Tucked away down a tiny back street, the Grade II-listed, eight bedroom house had undergone many changes of use and redesigns; at one stage it was the headquarters of the quaintly named local Ladies’ Club. As Max explains, ‘I am not a person for a lot of change, and the house was already large enough for all of the family’s needs, but it did require some reorganisation to make it feel more like a home.’ To this end, he brought in George Saumarez-Smith of Adam Architecture, with whom he has collaborated frequently, as they share a particular sensibility.