truly lavish lairs
Forget the humble shed — try one of these swish modern hideaways, says
NOT so long ago the only outbuilding you were likely to find in the average garden was a shed, used for storing gardening equipment or as a refuge for dads seeking some peace and quiet.
Times have changed. In recent years, largely thanks to TV series such as George Clarke’s popular Amazing Spaces on Channel 4, every street, or so it seems, has a house with a homebuilt man (or woman) cave, bar, disco or children’s den in the garden.
At Binham Cottage in Dittisham, Devon, Catherine Wardlow’s son Ben built a treehouse in the orchard nine years ago when he was only 13. ‘It was a holiday project,’ says Catherine, 51. ‘ Ben has two brothers and a sister and they have all used it for mock battles, sleep-outs and camps. It was somewhere away from adults, their own private space.’
Binham Cottage, which has six bedrooms and overlooks the River Dart, is for sale for £1.1 million with marchand petit.co.uk.
For those who don’t have young Ben’s handyman skills, there are now companies selling bespoke ‘amazing spaces’ to the owner’s specifications.
Echo Living ( echoliving.co.uk), for example, has produced everything from a bothy to a yurt with a sedum roof.
‘Our buyers are part of a kind of mini-movement,’ says Echo Living’s owner, Sam Booth. ‘ They want sustainable, alternative-style structures, which also look good.’
The Posh Shed Company ( theposhshedcompany.co.
uk) creates potting sheds that are a world away from the traditional sort.
‘Our sheds are particularly popular with women,’ says the company’s Jessica Pritchard.
‘They are secure, well-insulated and finished in Farrow & Ball paint but the owners decorate the interiors themselves. They are often used as art studios or craft rooms — places to have some time to yourself.’
It would be wrong to assume that an imaginative extra outbuilding automatically adds value to a property and makes it more saleable.
‘True, they can add wowfactor,’ says Carol Peett, of West Wales Property Finders. ‘ But some of these structures require planning permission and, if that’s not in place, then a sale may stall. Also, it’s a mistake to over-personalise these buildings. That can be off-putting to buyers.’
tony Hogger, 59, built twin outbuildings two years ago in the garden of Keepers Cottage, Manuden, Essex, both designed in a neutral Scandinavian style.
One is a summer house with a barbecue, decking and Sky TV. This is where cricket fan Tony watches Test matches. On the other side of the house, there is a similar structure with air conditioning, where he writes historical novels.
‘They are far enough apart that I’m not too tempted to watch the cricket when I should be working,’ he says.
Keepers Cottage, with its three bedrooms and views over the countryside, is on the market for £625,000 with mullucks.co.uk.
Although man- caves are considered a modern phenomenon, Tom Williams of YOUhome estate agency in Bournemouth believes they’re nothing but a new spin on an old theme.
‘In Edwardian times, the head of the household would have retired to the drawing room with a cigar and brandy,’ he says. ‘ Today’s stressed dads go to their man-cave with their iPads.’
To illustrate the point, he refers to a five- bedroom Edwardian pile in Fitzharris Avenue, Bournemouth, which is for sale for £598,000 ( youhome.co.uk). Half hidden amid the greenery is a modern, cedar- built outbuilding — the perfect hideaway.
Perhaps, however, the charm of a man-cave can be summed up more simply — they’re a bit of fun. In the case of David Barlow at Penson Farm, near Totnes, Devon (£ 1.5 million with
marchandpetit.co.uk), this has meant the creation of a man-cave of Cheddar Gorge proportions.
In the corner of an American-style barn there is a gym, while on the top floor is his office. Downstairs is his collection of classic cars. The showroom is surrounded by old enamel signage — another of his enthusiasms.
‘I spend more time in here than in the house,’ says David, 52.
THERE is a sense of wild abandon in the interiors world this season. And joyous explosions of colour are leading the charge.
Drawing on the influence of midcentury Abstract Expressionism — Jackson Pollock’s paint flicks and drips and Mark Rothko’s rectangular blurs of bold hues — the emphasis is on energy and vitality, action and movement.
For Blackpop designer Maxine Hall, whose Homage fabric and wallpaper collection, inspired by the Fifties’ New York Abstract Expressionist movement, is a riot of paint squiggles and splatters, this approach gives her the freedom to create. ‘I try not to think about why I’m doing it, but just let it flow. I think of walls as empty canvases waiting to be brought to life,’ she says.
She was inspired to name the new wallpaper and fabric designs after New York Jazz clubs Blue Note and The Vanguard.
‘Jackson Pollock’s paintings at Tate Modern resonated with me, and he was a big jazz fan, inspired by the abstract rhythms of the music.’
It’s a theme echoed throughout the Royal Academy of Arts’ Abstract Expressionism exhibition (on until January 2, 2017, royalacademy.org.uk), a glorious celebration of works by not just Pollock and Rothko, but the likes of Willem de Kooning and Arshile Gorky, featuring over 150 paintings, sculptures and photographs by the masters of this vivid American artistic movement.
‘In the Forties and Fifties, this new movement made New York the focus of the art world, characterised by large, abstract, emotionally charged oil paintings,’ says the exhibition’s curator Edith Devaney.
At Habitat this season, Pollock’s signature paint flicking resonates throughout the Splatter collection of ceramics, textiles and rugs. For creative director Polly Dickens and her team, it was a chance to ‘celebrate the creativity, colour and artistic spirit of such an emotive paint technique’.
‘For the Odela collection, we worked with a small Sicilian workshop who specialise in hand-painting ( multi- coloured ceramic trophy ornament, £ 100, habitat.co.uk).
A similar feel can be found in pieces such as the House of Rym’s Pollock saucer, £14.95, at Liberty of London ( liberty. co. uk) and 1882 Ltd’s Jenny by Deborah M. Allen tableware, prices from £18 for a mug, £23 for a plate, 1882ltd.com.
Amy Kent’s collaboration with her sister, Lucy, a landscape artist, was inspired by the demand for rugs that make a bold statement and brighten the neutral palette of pale greys, off- whites and wooden floors that are so popular at the moment.
‘A dramatic rug provides a focal point and draws things together,’ says Amy of the new rug designs, which use Nepalese hand knotted techniques (150 knots/sq in, from £780/sq m, amykent.co.uk).
For something similar, try the Aston tufted rug at Heal’s (£ 750, heals. co.uk).
For a more monochrome but still vibrant effect, there is Emma Bridgewater for Sanderson’s blue and white Splatter wallpaper (£49 per 10m roll, johnlewis.com), to match her same-named tableware collection.
Cushions are an ideal way to play with this artwork effect — Susi Bellamy’s abstract velvet cushions at L. Maison (£ 115 each, lmaison.london), hail from her time in Florence where she was entranced by the palazzo walls. Textile designer Amy Sia, whose work has been sold at Anthropologie, Selfridges and Urban Outfitters, starts her designs by painting, ‘usually working with watercolours and inks’, she says. ‘ Then they’re scanned and digitally tidied up before printing onto fabric.’ For Sia, ‘ it’s always nice to see a touch of art in today’s pared-back, contemporary spaces’. A few of her cushions will immediately personalise a space (£70 each, amysia.com). ‘Sometimes my prints make me feel happy, sometimes they’re calming, sometimes they’re a bit crazy!’ she laughs. ‘All I hope is that they make others smile.’