CLASS ACT A retired couple learnt more than decorating skills when they moved into a former schoolhouse in London
Jean and Doug Hill found that a converted school was the perfect backdrop for their treasured collection of art, sculptures and one-off finds
Having spent much of their married life travelling the world in the antiques business, Jean and Doug hill have called a host of locations home. Their first place together was a Georgian house on Richmond hill, then they moved to Twickenham and Spain, before living in a chalet in Switzerland, a townhouse in the South of France, and finally this schoolhouse in southwest London.
The motivation for the hills’ decision to return to the UK was to allow them to spend more time with their grandchildren, Sebastian and Ben, sons of their younger daughter, Daisy. But, as the couple wanted something a little out of the ordinary, finding the right home was easier said than done.
‘For some time, we had our eye on a converted warehouse in Bermondsey, which was part of a leather factory,’ says Doug. ‘But there was little scope for us to stamp it with our own personality.’
Instead, they found their current home, which was built around 1890, either as a vast schoolroom or assembly hall. In recent times, it had been converted and, while it had not been done exactly as the hills would have chosen, it featured a lofty double-height open-plan living space that they found irresistible. ‘It felt like an airy studio or art gallery,’ says Jean.
‘When we moved in, we had just sold several items of furniture at the Battersea antiques Fair, so we camped on a mattress on the floor and dined off a metal bistro table,’ continues Jean. ‘We didn’t have any cooking equipment either and though we had been given a microwave, we’d never used one before. Luckily, our elder daughter Becky saved the day, arriving from the US with an australian boyfriend in tow, who was a whizz with the barbecue. That summer the weather was untypically dry and
sunny so we learnt how to cook all our favourite meals over an open flame.’
The couple’s first decorating job was to paint the walls of the living space white, closely followed by the orangy brown floor, capitalising on the light and airy feel. The kitchen, meanwhile, had been inherited from the previous owners and incorporated a huge island unit, which encroached awkwardly into the sitting area. Phase two was to strip it out and replace it with a new, streamlined scheme designed by Doug and finished with their prized La Cornue oven, which was shipped over from Switzerland. ‘The kitchen is permanently on display, so the cooker had to be good looking enough to fit in with our Swedish and French antiques,’ explains Jean.
Before moving, the pair had decided exactly where the furniture should go, but getting a painted Italian armoire in proved a headache – it had to be taken apart in the end. ‘We also had problems with a George Smith sofa,’ says Doug. ‘It’s a favourite piece and, thankfully, it just made it through the window.’
Jean’s subdued, muted and earthy colour schemes are complemented perfectly by touches of verdigris and aqua. Rustic, bleached effects on wellloved furniture, bring a tactile element and ensure this home is warm, characterful and decorative. Many of the pieces in the house tell a tale. The dining room pendant lights are thought to be converted military helmets; the Sicilian coffee table was once used for drying plaster mouldings; shelves came from a bakery, while vellum files were 18th-century legal folders.
With so many treasures on show, it can be a challenge to keep things tidy, but the wonderful light means the Douglas’s house never looks cluttered. ‘It’s fantastic to have a home again,’ concludes Jean.