Floral FAIRY TALE
Emily and Spencer brought their historic home back to life by introducing plenty of bold colour, painterly patterns and a healthy dose of pizzazz
Emily and Spencer gave their Georgian gem a fantastical revamp with swathes of bold, colourful pattern
This house is steeped in stories. Like a grand matriarch keeping a watchful eye over the events of each generation, it has been privy to nearly two centuries of life. And just 18 months ago, the Green family took up the gauntlet for the next instalment when they moved in after falling for its giant, airy rooms, oversized windows and idiosyncratic Greek-revival style (think columns and ornate embellishment) that became popular in homes during the 1800s.
‘I love the fact this house has a past,’ says owner Emily, smiling. ‘And some of it is pretty naughty. In the Fifties, it was used as a base for nurses working the night shift and in the Seventies, it was a renowned party house. There are rumours that Jimi Hendrix turned up here to join the fun! Some people might think a house this old would be spooky, but as soon as I walked in, I loved its energy. It feels like a solid and safe home for our family.’
Because it’s a Grade-ii listed building, renovations are restricted, but Emily has given her home its own unique slant with her inventive decorating ideas. In-your-face floral wallpaper is used as a feature in the living room alcoves and she hasn’t balked at introducing striking Seventies lighting to a house that originally would have relied on oil lamps to animate its shadowy corners.
It’s obvious that Emily is a stickler for colour. In fact, the main thing she didn’t like when first viewing the property was the subdued colour palette of the previous owner. ‘It was beautifully decorated,’ she says. ‘But it was all in typical Georgian neutral shades – beige, cream, white. Not my thing. I was desperate to add colour and we’ve since redecorated nearly every room. I approached Kevin Davies from the London (King’s Road) interiors team at Designers Guild for guidance. We’d previously worked on another project together and he knows I like bold colours and textures. He came to the house, we discussed ideas and he gave me tons of advice on schemes for each room.’
The result is a rainbow of shades, cleverly mixed to clash but collaborate; a mash-up that shouldn’t work, but does – and quite spectacularly so. In every room, there is an explosion of tones, with more than a smattering of punchy floral and feminine glamour. ‘My poor husband…’ says Emily, smiling. ‘He is very supportive of the girlie element in this house and he gives me free rein with the interiors. But he does keep his golf clubs in the bedroom, often practising his swing in there, and he did pick the black and white photos of the Stones in the living room.’ She laughs. ‘Okay, so it’s not much, but honestly, he’s fine with all this femininity.’
Emily admits it does take courage to be this daring with colour. ‘Especially when you combine so many patterns and bright shades,’ she says. ‘We included a lot of purple and lilac in the house, so there’s some kind of flow from room to room. It helps to have a semblance of unity.’
And when you’ve got a Greek-influenced Georgian home as a starting point, there are always going to be foibles. Emily says the vestibule at the entrance is still a work in progress, because she just ‘hasn’t got the feeling right’ and some of the other rooms were so dark and old-fashioned that ‘adding tons of colour was the only way to give them a lift’.
With a house this historic, it was always going to be a challenge to give it a contemporary update without losing its opulent and distinctive essence. ‘While I wanted to preserve its character and respect its heritage, I also wanted somewhere that felt it belonged to us,’ says Emily. ‘And I think we’ve achieved that. It’s a big, beautiful, friendly family home. I couldn’t be happier.’
See Emily’s jewellery at ububoo.com. For more info about Designers Guild, check out designersguild.com