ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
A career in fine art and antiques helped Elaine Kuwahara curate her Dundee property, taking it from a house to a home
The Dundee house that is a home and a gallery of artworks
Elaine Kuwahara’s Dundee home may have been her nemesis but after 17 years she has just about conquered it. No stranger to renovation and refurbishment, Elaine has done up nine houses at the last count but when she happened across the former home of acclaimed Scottish painter James McIntosh Patrick in 2000, her heart was very much ruling her head.
Running a fine art and antiques business, Elaine was based in London at the time. ‘I came back to Dundee to visit my dad regularly but aside from that I hadn’t really been in Scotland for about 25 years. On one of my visits to dad, I saw this house for sale.
‘Initially my thoughts were “it’s a lovely Georgian house,” but I had no intention of buying a house in Scotland. Then, as I realised dad was getting older and a bit frail, I thought I could renovate the house and move dad in here whilst I continued to work in London.’
However, the plans didn’t quite come to fruition mainly due to the amount of work required to bring the house back to a habitable standard. ‘The house was needing complete renovation when I bought it, and it came with the usual problems that old listed buildings do.
‘And whilst it was very dilapidated, to the extent that I didn’t even know where the back wall of the garden was, I really felt the atmosphere; to me it just felt like it was sleeping. It was built in 1817 so it has just turned 200 years old and I love that sense of history. When I found out it had been the home of McIntosh Patrick, that just made it even more special.’
For the first three years, Elaine commuted between London and Dundee while managing the renovations. ‘It took nearly four years to renew the plumbing, fix the roof and clear the garden. However, when the schedule for direct flights into Dundee changed, it prompted me to make a permanent move.’
Elaine chose to retire earlier than planned and moved into the house with her dad and the builders. ‘It was a really difficult time and for a
‘I really felt the atmosphere; to me it just felt like it was sleeping’
while, I really couldn’t see an end in sight to the building work. I did think about giving up, but I’d put so much into this that I realised I had to stay and I’m so glad I did, as now I’m enjoying the house and garden so much.’
It’s easy to see why Elaine had second thoughts. The changes she has made have brought a house that was on the brink back to a charming, comfortable and fascinating family home. Seeing herself very much a curator of the house, she forged friendships with McIntosh Patrick’s family to ensure that his legacy lives on. The upstairs study, which was formerly his studio, contains one of his original easels and several of the family’s artworks.
‘The family didn’t have space for the easel so I offered to babysit it. My last home was gothic Victorian and I did everything in keeping with the house but it was a bit more like a museum. Here, whilst I’ve wanted to retain the essence of McIntosh Patrick, I wanted this house to be a family home.
‘There are the oriental pieces and ceramics that I collected when I was living in Japan and the pieces from my life in London. Here I feel I’ve favoured a Gustavian look, not so much
pale colours, but greens, blues and gingham, especially in the kitchen and conservatory.’
The addition of the conservatory was one of the biggest changes to the property. ‘There was no window and door in the kitchen and it was just covered in mould and dry rot. However, the council’s brief was to step down into the conservatory, which I didn’t see the point of. I wanted to bring in the light, and eventually my plans were passed.’
The transformation of the kitchen is also impressive. Hand-crafted by Jonathan Avery, the individual cabinets provide plenty of storage, not that Elaine really needs it with her pantry-style fridge in the corner of the room, that one can only liken to a Doctor Who Tardis.
‘I found the fridge at a trade fair. It’s from Denmark and they’re usually made for hotels and B&Bs so this is the smallest model. It’s very clever, you can put anything in it and you can walk in and it’s at exactly the right temperature for whatever you want to store – wine, tins, fruit,’ she says.
Now that the major works have been carried out and the house is finally in a good state of repair, Elaine thinks it could be time for a refresh. ‘ When I closed my showroom in London, many of my Victorian paintings followed me up here but they are gradually going and being replaced with contemporary Scottish art.
I think it’s time to simplify and declutter but not downsize’
‘I’m also in the process of changing the dining room on the ground floor into my office. This is a Georgian house with deep steps and I’ve got wee legs. I think it’s time maybe to simplify and declutter, but not downsize,’ she explains.
‘I’m not one for downsizing. McIntosh Patrick was 92 and still living here on his own so if he can do it, I think I can as well. The house being 200 years old makes me feel quite proud. You’re only ever a curator of a house but I hope the changes I’ve made will help this house stay family-owned.’