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BRINGING IDEAS HOME

Annabelle Hunt, Bridport Timber & Flooring

After being cooped up inside our homes for so long now, the thought of going to a favourite hotel or restaurant fills me with enormous anticipation as I know I will come home having enjoyed great food and inspired by beautiful interiors.

Hotels offer a masterclass in creating mood and atmosphere. Over the last few years, the stylish boutique hotel look has become a popular source of inspiration for many homes. My favourites are those with a relaxed, lived-in feel, as though you are staying in the home of an eccentric relative.

Pattern can be a great starting point when you are setting out to create a mood and define a room but, with so much choice, choosing from the multitude on offer can sometimes feel a little daunting. Curtains can be expensive so it’s important to get them right and the thought of using wallpaper on all four walls may seem like a big commitment. The answer is to look for designs that will stand the test of time, from small delicate motifs that add subtle interest to large-scale prints that bring drama.

The important thing is to choose a design you’ll love living with day after day and don’t be afraid to use a big pattern in a small space. A great way to experiment with pattern is to wallpaper a hallway or cloakroom. As rooms that we don’t tend to spend lots of time in, they’re perfect for a little playful experimentation.

When thinking about your colour palette, the best way to approach it is to choose patterns first and then paint colours. It’s so much easier to find a paint to match a fabric, wallpaper, or rug that you have already fallen in love with. Be bold and be prepared to take risks - are you aiming to complement or contrast with your chosen design? Walls and large pieces can be either patterned or plain, and in a beautiful colour or complementary neutral. That fabulous jewel bright sofa may look disappointingly lacklustre against a white wall but if the wall were painted in a bold colour it could elevate it to an entirely different level.

Mix up patterns and colours and play with scale and size of patterns as too many different designs in a similar size can feel overwhelming. For example, use large patterns on furniture and a smaller scale design on curtains or vice versa. Similarly, a mix of new and old pieces, and plenty of different textures with linen, velvet and woollens will bring interest and variety.

Finally, never underestimate the importance of small details as they create focal points within the room. Swapping a tired old lampshade for something more beautiful is one of the quickest transformations you can make. Arrange a small collection of objects on a shelf or consider a high contrast piping on an upholstered chair or cushion. Just go with your gut and try not to overthink it. Too much matchy-matchy can come across as a little contrived. Whether you are relaxing in the finest hotel or putting your feet up at home, the trick with any good interior is to make it feel like it isn’t trying too hard.

bridporttimber.co.uk

RETURNING HOME

Catherine Trotman, Owner, Elliscombe House

Situated atop a hill in Higher Holton, between Wincanton and Castle Cary, sits Elliscombe House. This Edwardian house, built in 1901, was formerly the residence of a member of the local Heathcote-Amory family and, after passing through other owners, became a nursing home.

In recent years Elliscombe House has sat empty, until my husband and I acquired it with a vision to transform it into a luxurious residential and nursing home. I have been able to draw on my interior design experience, both in the UK and abroad, to blend traditional design with modern style. As the home is currently unable to accept visitors, I’ll ask readers to take a virtual tour in their minds as I describe the significant restoration project which has taken place!

Externally the overgrown garden, with magnificent trees, has been tamed; whilst the area around the house has been landscaped with terraces, pathways and planting which will become a sensory feast during the spring and summer months.

A magnificent orangery, beloved of upper classes since the 17th century, has been added on the south side of the house, in a style which is sympathetic to the original building; alongside a ground floor extension.

Keen to retain as many original features as possible, the house still boasts a stunning, heavy, Spanish-style front door, with impressive iron hobnails; stunning fire places and a dramatic Edwardian panelled staircase.

Indeed this is one of the first things to meet the eye on entering the house. One arrives in a lofty hall painted in Farrow and Balls’s ‘Hay’ – the chalky yellow colour was chosen for its warmth and character, inviting visitors into the comforting feel of the house.

Leading off the hall is a passage housing a bar area for teas, coffees and nibbles by day, and a glass of whatever takes your fancy in the evening. Two impressive bow-fronted rooms house the Drawing Room and Dining Room, each with fabulous original fireplaces, sweeping views south over the garden and a blend of traditional and contemporary furniture, lighting and artwork.

There is a confident use of colour throughout the reception rooms, and great care has been taken to create spaces that are as energising and uplifting as possible without being too overwhelming or harsh. Every step of the way, our aim has been to create a nurturing environment with a homely feel, as far removed from ‘institutional design’ as is practically possible.

Wanting to imbue Elliscombe House with all the comfort, charm and personality it would have had as a noble country house in years gone by, the reception rooms have been furnished with antique items, teamed with comfortable upholstered furniture from premium care furniture specialists, Shackletons, in Dewsbury.

During the extensive decoration process, the peeling back of many layers off the walls revealed numerous wallpapers and paint colours which were original to the house when it was a family home. We have retained this in our branding – the logo colour was inspired by a paint shade discovered in the dining room; whilst a Spanish tile design has also provided inspiration.

The design of the shared spaces also incorporates as much flexibility as possible, with a palette of colours flowing throughout, so that furniture can be moved around, and spaces re-purposed as occasions demand. The newly built Orangery, for example, is designed for sitting or dining; but also contains an audio-visual system for film nights and is wired to accommodate a huge Christmas tree as a focal point during the festive season.

On the eastern side of the house is a large sitting room with generous windows and French doors leading to a large terrace. In years to come the home aims to recreate the kitchen gardens from a bygone age, with residents able to have their own plots. Linen-look curtains are given a lift with a burnt orange stripe, which, teamed with navy, is carried through the woven upholstery fabrics on the chairs.

The importance of blending modern sympathetically with traditional can also be seen in the heating system, so vital in an historic property. The panels for the state of the art low energy, infrared heating have been installed on ceilings, reducing the intrusion of contemporary fixtures in traditional spaces, and freeing up walls for furniture.

Upstairs throughout, bedrooms and bathrooms have been extensively re-configured to provide the new residents with more space and greatly improve facilities. Every bedroom boasts a stylish, en-suite wet room whilst the rooms themselves have been tastefully decorated in a neutral, homely and simple fashion, with block-printed Indian quilts, cushions and lampshades lending a splash of colour.

Two shared bathrooms have had a complete makeover. Traditional elements such as tongue and groove panelling and wallpaper from Morris & Co and Colefax & Fowler combine with the latest in modern luxury, including an assisted bath with an air-spa system and calming lights. Space for aromatherapy and massage has been created within an appealing and homely environment, as one might expect to find in a traditional country house.

The sunny salon boasts an enormous seascape artwork and woodwork picked out in indigo blue, purposefully decorated with a different vibe to provide a sense of ‘going to the hairdresser’.

Throughout the home, the aim has been to imbue each room with a sense of difference and personality whilst maintaining the feel of the ‘family home’ which Elliscombe House was for so many years. Even when life becomes smaller and perhaps largely restricted to immediate environs for the new inhabitants, there can still be a sense of ‘arrival’ and change – change which has, for Elliscombe House, meant a return to its beginnings.

"The peeling back of many layers off the walls revealed numerous wallpapers and paint colours which were original to the house when it was a family home."