Indeed the playroom, with its balance of exuberance and maturity, is one of the rooms that demonstrates most potently how the family and the design team think about time in this house. Walls in Paint & Paper Library’s rich burnt orange ‘The Long Room’ provide a sophistication and along with the Balineum tiles on the hearth of the fireplace, a stylish nod to the 1970s. In fact there are vintage references all around. The armchair is vintage and has been re-upholstered in a fun and pretty floral from GP & J Baker and a lamp from Retrouvius sits on the mantlepiece. These pieces infuse the room with a sense of worldliness amongst the playfulness. It again seems to look to the future, when it may no longer serve the purpose it does now, by intentionally keeping its aesthetics inline with the rest of the house’s design story.
The harmonious juxtaposition of multiple styles and eras can be found throughout the house. Far from having the house’s Victorian architecture serve as a mere shell for the mid-century modern interiors the couple favour, Jess found a way to honour the house’s original features, which hinged on their willingness to be bolder than they had been in the past with colour. The original fireplaces have been painted in joyful colours: Fenwick’s ‘Kelp’, a lively yellow-green in the playroom and a warm buttery yellow in the living room. In said living room, the original cornicing as well as the ceiling have been painted a darker neutral. Throughout the house, the doors and doorways have been painted in glossy reds, vibrant greens, and biscuity browns.
The stools are from Ercol. The cabinets have been painted in Farrow & Ball‘s ‘Joa White’ while the tiles are from Claybrook. The pendant light is a vintage piece and the room has been painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Dimity’.
Dean Hearne
Just beyond the living room, is the extended kitchen which Jess describes as having a ‘utilitarian mid-century vibe.’ It is a space shaped as much by function as by feeling, designed to host everything from hurried breakfasts to long, convivial suppers. Its glazed, white, square tiling from Claybrook is satisfying to look at. The kitchen island is a rustic workbench, bespoke and made of a striking dark oak. In fact, the use of wood throughout this house is notable. There is a real celebration of the honesty of the material, which seems inspired by the mid-century modern’s approach to design that anticipates human needs with its ergonomics, symmetry, and lines. ‘We’ve got oak, we’ve got walnut, we’ve got teak, we’ve got all sorts going on in this house, sepale.’ Combined, they give a richness to the house, which works particularly well with the brighter splashes of paint around the house. ‘It’s such a cheat code for somewhere feeling warm, homely and attractive,’ Jess admits.
Incorporating the family’s love of travel also added to how layered these interiors are. Instead of signalling their wanderlust with an abundance of knick knacks, Jess and Kat took a more subtle approach, for example, ‘splic[ing the kitchen] with bit more of a rustic, warm, almost Mediterranean feel’ by installing terracotta tiles from Floors of Stone. Getting the kitchen right was particularly important. In their early conversations, the husband had highlighted the role of the dining table as a place, Jess recalls, ‘where all the important things in your life and all these lovely conversations would happen.’ It is not just in the cosy dining area with its patterned banquette where Jess and Kat have succeeded in creating a beautiful space to experience some of life’s most important little moments. This whole house presents a conversation between the past and the present while looking forward to a fulfilling, family-oriented future.
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