An abundance of William Morris designs, colourful textiles and all shades of inexperienced make for a comfortable Christmas celebration on this characterful house.
Arts and crafts play an enormous function within the lives of house owners Lizzie Houghton and her husband Dave Puddifoot. So once they left their London house of 40 years for the quiet of Penzance, in Cornwall, it was inevitable that their new house can be a artistic form of place, match for one of many worlds finest properties.
The house was constructed within the mid-18th century, then remodelled in 1820, and its kitchen is filled with inspiration for these searching for kitchen concepts. William Morris wallpapers and materials characteristic in virtually each room, together with shades of inexperienced, piles of Lizzie’s hand-embroidered cushions and do-it-yourself rag rugs, and Dave’s distinctive authentic work and sculptures.
The couple had agreed that they’d solely transfer to Cornwall if they may discover a home they beloved greater than their house in London. Over time, and after many viewings, they finally got here throughout the home that was to change into their Cornwall house.
‘We beloved its Regency structure, spacious rooms and exquisite backyard,’ says Lizzie. The truth that it additionally has six bedrooms, together with a studio every and a music room, each for taking part in and listening, and loads of house for household and associates to come back and keep, was a fantastic bonus.
Kitchen
The home comes into its personal at Christmas when prolonged household and associates fill the home for a festive meal across the kitchen desk on Christmas Eve. There’s an outdated Aga and a Lacanche vary cooker in right here, so it is simple to cater for all events – together with large Christmases.
A sublime chandelier above the kitchen desk provides additional sparkle – a good way of getting a interval search for these excited by classic kitchen concepts. This elegant instance was one of many many particular fixtures and fittings inherited with the home. The eating chairs got here from a junk store in Penzance and the desk is laden with vintage crockery, often saved within the dresser that got here with the home. Certainly one of Lizzie’s embroidered footage, based mostly on Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst Fort Backyard, takes pleasure of place on the mantelpiece.
Particulars like these create a heat, welcoming mixture of outdated and even older – household heirlooms becoming in alongside antiques purchased through the years, with layers of craft work, pottery and work including a vibrant reminder of Lizzie and Dave’s creative abilities. Dave nonetheless paints and Lizzie continues to create garments, rag rugs and exquisite cushions, which give their house its distinctive character.
Entrance corridor
The gathering of ornamental china and crockery is so in depth that it overflows onto a second dresser within the entrance corridor. Lizzie loves ornamental particulars of all types, however her actual ardour is for William Morris prints. The wallpaper right here is William Morris’ Fowl and Pomegranate design, one in all Lizzie’s favourites.
Front room
Dave and Lizzie have been frequent guests to the William Morris Gallery in east London. When the gallery was refurbished it bought off a number of the carpet. Lizzie purchased the carpet and once they moved to Cornwall, the native carpet store tailored it for the lounge and stairs. It was fairly a duty however the couple are delighted with the outcomes and the carpet is Lizzie’s pleasure and pleasure, together with the William Morris Fruit wallpaper that covers the lounge partitions, and different prints elsewhere in the home. The designs mirror her different nice ardour in life, flowers and greenery, and the home as a complete is a good showcase for conventional adorning concepts, with inspiring schemes for followers of basic wallpaper and cloth designs.
Bed room
The rooms the place the couple spend most time all face the backyard, so there’s a direct hyperlink between the view open air and the inside décor. One of many enviable bed room concepts right here, is the Victorian chaise longue reupholstered in William Morris woven Dove and Rose cloth, with needlepoint cushions from a charity retailer. Positioned proper by the elegant Georgian sash home windows to benefit from the backyard and sea views, the chaise enhances the Morris Fowl and Pomegranate wallpaper and Liberty carpet purchased from a home clearance.
The curtains are additionally a William Morris design, and have been repurposed from the couple’s London house together with the Indian quilts on the vintage French mattress, all purchased a few years in the past in London.
Lavatory
The normal-style roll-top bathtub and bathe encompass have been already right here, however the partitions have been given a coat of wealthy inexperienced paint and the travertine flooring softened with colourful Indian scatter rugs.
Because of a forest of various greens and layer upon layer of William Morris prints all spherical the home, the interiors are stuffed with coloration and sample. It is a house the place extra is most undoubtedly extra.
Phrases/ Heather Dixon
Pictures/ Mark Bolton
This home is taken from H&G’s sister model, Interval Dwelling journal
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