At home with
Kelly Stevens-McLaughlan This artist’s country home may be quirky and eclectic, but it is also a lesson in tranquillity, informed by the natural world Words by Ali Howard Photography by Andy Davies
If you had to imagine, based on her work, the kind of home Kelly has, you’d likely picture a quirky abode filled with found treasures and nature-inspired curiosities, and you would not be wrong. But there’s quirky interiors, and then there’s quirky architecture. “The house is really quite unusual,” she admits. “From the front you can see straight away that something’s different because it looks a little like a bungalow with a second storey turret and a sunken garage. In fact, the house is built on a hill and so you enter onto the first floor and don’t realise there’s a floor underneath until you’re inside. Most of the rooms are hexagonal at one end, and the kitchen/diner, main bedroom and living room are double height ceilings. And then we have the conservatory, which is triple height in the middle of the house.” Kelly has always painted but it wasn’t until the age of 46 that her hobby became a full-time pursuit. A prolific artist, she has created literally thousands of works, some of which now feature in film and TV, and can be seen in some of the world’s finest homes and hotels, thanks to her affiliation with top interior designers. Working under her studio name, FabFunky, she sells lampshades and cushions, alongside a truly comprehensive collection of art prints, all of which are delightfully whimsical, featuring bold botanicals and eccentric animalia. I wonder if Kelly’s immediate surrounds in rural Devon inspire her fantastical imagery? “Oh yes!” She says. “Where we live, we have 64 | FABRIC MAGAZINE | December 2023
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nature on our doorstep. Every morning we sit on the balcony with a coffee and watch the bunnies and pheasants in the field behind us. We have a couple of squirrels who use our back fence like a motorway and are backwards and forwards all day long, collecting hazelnuts and heading off and hiding them. We also regularly see deer, hares, and the occasional fox. Plus, a huge number of birds, from tiny wrens to big buzzards. Every night an army of owls seems to descend into every tree around us, and bats whizz around the house at dusk. We’ve even seen an otter in the field behind our house.” Kelly shares the property with her husband Gordon and their two “lovely geriatric girl dogs”. She says, “living with animals lets you see how different they all are to each other and how they all have their own quirks and personalities. One of our girls is like a delicate little prima donna, whereas the other is like a large shaggy tank who just steams into obstacles rather than walk around them.” Kelly describes her interiors style as “eclectic with a capital E”. And while there may be obstacles for elderly dogs around, the maximalist look is countered with a sense of open space and serenity. The property’s showpiece, the magnificent triple-height conservatory, is filled with an abundance of houseplants and features a striking natural wood staircase, while the imposing internal wall in Farrow & Ball’s Calke Green (“the only colour I would consider”), provides a nature-inspired backdrop for Kelly’s LUXURY LONDON LIVING
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