Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Homes & Antiques

W elcome to the February issue of H&A! While I have no idea what the weather has in store for us this month, I do know I'll be longing for some sunshine and an uplifting dose of colour, which is exactly what I hope this issue delivers. From our Style & Shopping section (from p10), which is filled with textiles and wallpapers featuring vibrant, painterly patterns, to Rhiannon Batten's round-up of unusual – and often remote – romantic escapes (from p99), cheerful colours and the promise of spring weave their way through these pages. This theme continues with our houses (from p37), all of which feature striking fabrics, wallpapers, paints and, of course, antiques. For artist and designer Helen Banzhaf, her collection of 1930s ceramics inspired a zingy palette; while…

Fabric Wallpaper…

What to Sell Now A trend for bold, statement pieces has put costume jewellery in the spotlight again, with fashionistas and jewellery lovers keen to snap up fairly modern designs by the likes of Dior, Hermès and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as the perennially popular vintage items. Arguably, the birth of costume jewellery can be attributed to the fashion designer Coco Chanel, whose exquisite designs did away with the stigma associated with wearing paste instead of real gemstones. Once Chanel had put her name to it, the world fell in love with costume jewellery, and well-known collectors included the Duchess of Windsor and Hollywood star Joan Crawford. Although the market likes pieces with makers’ or designers’ names and logos, some examples are identified instead by tie-on or metal tags,…

The rise in popularity of the freestanding, moveable island or prep table, is not surprising. ‘Work tables have a traditional feel, reminiscent of the cooks’ tables used in grand old country houses,’ says Leila Touwen, co-founder of kitchen design company Pluck. ‘They provide a sturdy surface on which to prep food, as well as a lower shelf for storage of big items.’ With designs to fit all spaces and to suit any interior aesthetic, the kitchen island is now the workhorse of many a kitchen. Easy to move around – some are even on castors – they are incredibly practical and, as long as you scale the table to fit your space, they can work in any room, whatever its size: ‘That's the beauty of modern kitchen design,’ enthuses Leila.…

HEIRLOOMS OF THE FUTURE It's been a busy few weeks for award-winning luxury jeweller Jacqueline Cullen. No sooner had she wrapped up at Goldsmiths’ Fair, where she exhibits every year (this was her 17th), than she was back in the studio completing the first order of her new collection for upmarket London department store Liberty. Jacqueline's new collection, Astra-Nova, is the latest evolution in her 20-year career of making glamorous, statement jewellery inspired by elemental energy and the dramatic forces of nature. Volcanic eruptions, lava and jagged cliff edges have influenced her work in the past, but for the last few years she has taken to exploring outer space. Astra-Nova features bold, chunky signet rings, disc pendants on chains, and thick hoop earrings made from two contrasting but complementary stones…

It takes a huge amount of vision and a sprinkling of good faith to take on a ramshackle Georgian property that has been left untouched for decades. But luckily Sarah and Andy Farr have both in spades. In 2016, the couple were living in a small village in Hampshire when they decided they wanted a new project. They were keen to be nearer Sarah's parents, further along the south coast. After hours scrolling online and viewing 10 houses in person, they saw a rundown Grade II-listed Georgian cottage in Kent, not far from the East Sussex border. ‘Andy had a long list of requirements, which included minimal street lamps outside,’ says Sarah. ‘We loved the untouched nature of the house. It hadn't had any work done since the 1960s and…

The early months of marriage are, traditionally, wrapped in an atmosphere of carefree rosescented romance. Giles and Sheila Udy took a different approach. ‘One of the first things I did after we got married was to enrol on a soft furnishings course,’ recalls Sheila, who was then working in insurance. Giles, a historian, was dispatched ‘not unwillingly’, he says, to learn woodworking. The pragmatism has paid off. To say that the pair have done work on their Edwardian house, in a tree-shaded corner of south-west London, would be an understatement. Over the past two decades they've pooled their practical skills – cabinetry, floor-planning and curtain making – to transform the property, which had been turned into a series of bedsits in the 1970s. ‘We gutted the house – Giles worked…

Patterns from across world history are not restricted by copyright, and textiles for fashion and interiors are among the beneficiaries. Designers mix and reinterpret patterns from this inexhaustible supply and often use them to move pattern in new directions. One such is interior designer Nina Campbell, who is unusual in having her own studio dedicated to creating her fabric collections. ‘We take inspiration from many mediums,’ she says, ‘from ceramics or rugs to objects seen on trips to museums and exhibitions. I buy antique textile documents and old factory pattern books and have even taken something from a design or a colour palette in a painting.’ How these inspirations travel to the prints and weaves in Nina's collections begins with conversations with her studio designers, Helen Carey and Victoria Smethers,…

I did a degree in Illustration, but I knew that I didn't want to sit at home drawing – I'm too gregarious. I'd heard via a friend-of-a-friend there was a job going in the Asian department at Woolley & Wallis and thought it would be something creative to do – getting together catalogues and organising photography – so I gave them a ring. It turned out there wasn't, but there was an assistant's job in the jewellery department up for grabs, and after several interviews I joined the auction house in 2009. At the time, I didn't know anything about jewellery, but the then-head of department, specialist Jonathan Edwards (who still works part-time for us), needed an assistant and saw some potential in me. I did some FGA gemmological training…

Travel HOLLY Hexham, Northumberland Parked in the far reaches of a wild-edged Northumbrian estate, Holly may be a very English-looking hideaway, but her creation was inspired by time her owners spent staying in a shepherd's hut on an Argentinian estancia. A tiny chapel on wheels, complete with reclaimed church doors, here guests get to enjoy a slice of the same back-to-basics restfulness, and connection to the surrounding landscape, but with the comfort of a king-size mattress and giant copper tub thrown in. One of a handful of cabins, treehouses, towers and huts on the Hesleyside estate, Holly may come with luxury bedding and a flushing toilet, but the idea is to swap modern distractions for evenings spent sitting round the campfire or gazing skywards; surrounded by ancient woodland in the…

OBJECT OF DESIRE The Loveseat Lorfords Contemporary adapted a favourite design to create the Elmstead loveseat – an armchair offering modern comfort, inspired by historic design, says Jenny Oldaker Despite its romantic name, the loveseat was not initially designed for couples wanting to snuggle close. When these small settees appeared on the scene in the late 17th century, they represented a practical form of seating that could accommodate the voluminous women's fashions of the time. The mid 19th century saw the arrival of loveseats with an S-shaped frame, featuring two seats facing in opposite directions. Today, the S-shaped loveseat still makes a striking statement, but is less practical in the home (likely to cause arguments between couples over who gets to face the TV, for a start). Meanwhile, the original design,…

Unfitted kitchens offer a flexible solution for the heart of the home. Jenny Oldaker extols their charms and shows how to create the look Life in the kitchen got easier in the 1950s, with the arrival of the washing machine and other appliances designed to make light work of previously gruelling tasks. To house, or maybe to hide these wonder gadgets, fitted cabinets became de rigueur and the concept has stuck: for decades, the kitchen has hardly changed from the built-in formula. But tastes are changing and the unfitted kitchen is back in vogue: think capacious freestanding pantry cupboards, sturdy work tables or painted dressers, mixed with a few fitted elements to create a joyfully versatile fusion of pieces. ‘The unfitted kitchen has the beauty of feeling much more atmospheric and unique…

WISHLIST…

Design Inspiration For William Morris, it was the riverbanks and meadows surrounding Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire that fuelled his creativity. His timeless Willow Bough pattern owes its design to the trees that grew along the waterways close to his garden. Meanwhile, Edward Bawden was drawn to British towns and cities, as well as the countryside, and his most famous works immortalise London's landmarks, especially its markets. The hills and vales of Dorset and Sussex were a constant source of inspiration for members of the Bloomsbury Group, so it's no surprise that some of Vanessa Bell's most significant paintings are of Studland Beach. For centuries, designers and artists have turned to the world around them as a source of inspiration for their work. What of today's artists and designers? Where do…

Decorative textile artist Helen Banzhaf's sense of colour is heavily influenced by her collections of early 20th-century Art Deco pottery and furniture, and her south London mid-Victorian terraced house provides the perfect place in which to display both these and her unique pieces of machineembroidered art. ‘My house, with all its carefully selected ‘clutter’, is at the root of my creativity,’ she says. Helen and her family moved to their home in Lee Green, south-east London, in 1982 to be near to their young children's childminder. ‘The house was unmodernised. We painted the walls, but it has been a slow work in progress ever since, and it's still evolving, still changing.’ Helen – whose creations include bags, earrings and framed embroidered textiles – works from her neatly organised attic studio,…

WHY I COLLECT Collecting “At university I really wanted to study Art, but my parents were not convinced. They didn't consider art a proper career. My siblings were all doing Science, so I ended up studying English, French and European Law. I absolutely hated it. After I'd graduated, I spotted a job in a newspaper and began working in a gallery that predominantly sold antique frames. It was supposed to be a stopgap, before taking my exams to qualify as a solicitor. That was over 30 years ago, so quite a long stopgap! Within a year of working at the gallery I was starting to buy frames for myself, rummaging around at Portobello Market and car boot sales, and going to French markets at five o'clock in the morning with a…

ANATOMY OF AN ANTIQUE The quaich (pronounced ‘quake’) is very much a unique part of Scotland's social history. A wellknown legend is that when Charles Edward Stuart, or Bonnie Prince Charlie as he was known, travelled from Edinburgh to Derby with the Scottish army in the mid 18th century, he carried with him a glass-bottomed quaich so that he and his regiment could keep an eye on their drinking companions. Tradition has it that at military dinners, the piper was given a dram of whisky in a quaich at the end of his performance. He would first toast the head table, followed by the company, then drink the dram, turn the quaich upside down and kiss the base, before marching out of the room. The ‘quaich’ – a translation of…

Hôtel d'Orsay When is a railway hotel not a railway hotel? In the case of Paris bolthole the Hôtel d'Orsay, it's when the Beaux-Arts station it was launched to serve has been brought into new use as an art gallery. Happily for art-loving guests, that gallery is the Musée d'Orsay, home to the world's largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works. Built in the late 18th century (it was once owned by Napoleon's surgeon), the building opened as the Hôtel de la Nouvelle Gare in 1897. Each of its 42 rooms is peppered with antique furniture and hung with carefully chosen pieces from the hotel's own impressive art collection. paris-hotel-orsay.com Canfranc Estación Looking like the backdrop to a lavish Jazz Age drama, Canfranc Estación is a monument to the ambitions…

What sparked your interest in antiques? I must have been six or seven years old when my parents decided to buy a sideboard from the Louis Philippe era. We went along the River Seine, between Rouen and Le Havre, where antiques dealers are legion. My mother spotted the one she liked in cherry wood. I was very impressed they could be made using different kinds of wood and that something 150 years old was still available to buy. We have it in our house in Normandy. I also remember the dealer's showroom. It looked like a cottage and was full of ‘things’: clocks, dishes, glasses, pots and candelabras. Although they weren't toys, they had the same impact on me. I was fortunate enough to grow up in houses filled with…

Jolly jute Interior designer Laura Stephens has teamed up with rug brand Bombay Sprout on a collection of jute rugs. Handwoven in India, the designs include decorations inspired by 19thcentury antique ribbons. From £255. bombaysprout.com Glorious glaze Tan-Tan, the new Zellige-style tiles from Claybrook, are perfect for kitchen splashbacks or to use floor-to-ceiling in the bathroom. There are eight colourways, including Kaftan, a fresh pale blue shown here. £72 per sq m. claybrookstudio.co.uk MILANESE MARVEL Heritage Italian tableware brand, Ginori 1735, has produced an illustrative dot collection with Milanese store 10 Corso Como, which has future collector's piece written all over it. From £78. 10corsocomo.com STRICTLY STRIPES Known for her signature box-pleat lampshades, Alice Palmer has released a new collection, Tangier Stripe, which comes as lampshades and wallpaper, as well…

WISHLIST…

The pantry cupboard has seen a huge surge in popularity and is fast becoming a staple of the modern kitchen; a large, versatile space for storing almost anything. ‘Larder cabinets are arguably one of the most useful components of a well-designed kitchen,’ says Simon Temprell, interior design lead at Neptune. ‘They can be standalone pieces, or picked out in a contrasting colour to create a focal point.’ Homeowners are drawn to the dual appeal of this useful and aesthetically pleasing kitchen companion. And they're not just for storing dried goods – these cupboards can be used for almost any purpose: ‘You can create your own cocktail bar, adding a small fridge alongside,’ suggests Simon. ‘Or the larder could become a hot-drinks station with an integrated coffee machine and blender.’…

1. Amphibious Grace Estimate £25,000-£35,000 Sold £100,200 Lyon & Turnbull's dedicated Lalique glass sales happen twice a year and are run by specialist Joy McCall, ex-Christie's, who taps into her wide network of collectors and buyers to make each auction a very special event. The last one, back in October, yielded three rare Lalique vases, all made using the cire perdue or lost-wax process. It's a method that is more commonly used for casting bronze, but can be adapted for glass, as celebrated French maker René Lalique did from the 1890s onwards, collaborating with sculptor Maurice Bergelin. A model for the object would be created in wax, then covered in plaster, after which it was heated so that the wax could be poured off and replaced with molten glass. For…

H&A Review Hôtel de la Boétie, Paris If Hôtel de la Boétie's playfully grownup interiors look a little familiar, it's because they're the work of Londonbased Swedish-born designer Beata Heuman. Opened last September in Paris's glitzy eighth arrondissement, Heuman's first hotel project uses block colour and a sharp focus on detail to add quirky charm to an elegant but inconspicuous 19th-century building tucked behind the Champs-Élysées. Owned by French hotel group Touriste, whose seven intimate Parisian hotels champion a crop of distinctive designers, from Luke Edward Hall and Chloé Nègre to Dorothée Meilichzon, Hôtel de la Boétie is low on traditional frills (there's no room service, no restaurant and only a tiny, historic lift to transport guests up to rooms) but big on imagination. Arrive before your room is ready?…