The perfect hideaway
The perfect hideaway
A recently completed project, my photographer has finally released the images for me to share with you!
Chocolate box pretty describes this wonderful cottage hidden up a long driveway in a village in Rutland. Its owners, busy travellers and keen sports people, longed for a retreat offering total escape, somewhere to unwind and relax. I set about creating a calm yet fresh colour palette to revive the rooms, create a warm and a welcoming feel. Each room, as you enter, exudes its own personality, uneven walls, aged beams, deep window reveals, uneven floors led me to give each room its own identity.
Beautiful patterned and embroidered fabrics on linen backgrounds were used extensively at windows and for cushions for its naturally soft and timeless appeal. My clients requested I incorporate some much loved inherited pieces of period furniture to be placed sympathetically alongside new pieces to blend and harmonise. A galleried wall of very old photographs loved and adored by my clients required framing by specialists giving the dining room charm and a talking point for guests. Window seats were given a new lease of life with deep upholstered cushions, dramatic upholstered headboards designed to create impact. The result is a charming, inviting, home with a homely “put your feet” feeling, a place you never want to leave!
De Le Cuona, fabrics that tell a story…
De Le Cuona, fabrics that tell a story…
I am really excited to be able to showcase De Le Cuona fabrics in the showroom. A wonderful company to deal with, I felt compelled to share with you the stories behind their collections.
Known for their signature Wool and Cotton Paisleys, Stone washed linens, Embossed Linens and Embroideries using superb quality linen base made by international master weavers is the last word in luxury and refinement.
You can’t help be drawn and taken in by the stories behind each collection. I am continually seduced by the passion and great lengths the legendary team at De Le Cuona go to, to produce the ultimate fabric using mind blowing artisanal techniques. One such example being De Le Cuona’s Phantom Mist, a 100% linen, described by founder Bernie as “A celebration of craftsmanship. This deconstructed linen sheer is woven, then cut into strips. The strips are attached to paper, embroidered together & then washed to dissolve away the paper. Each piece has its own unique, irregular character & beau”. I have personally added this one to my list of ‘One’s to Use’.
There is something so comforting about soft wools, a yarn most appreciated for its warmth, softness and cosiness. Wool I find brings a wonderful dimension to an interior, the ability to change the feel of a room, offsetting echoey rings, taking the chill off a cold space make this a go to evertime when I’m scheming for a new project.
De Le Cuona’s iconic wools and signature designs are some of the best I have been fortunate to work with. The colour selection is sublime and the designs are intricate, sophisticated and timeless. On past projects I’ve used wools for swedish blinds, luxurious curtaining and bespoke bed throws. Examples of De Le Cuonas Dragon Fly Sapphire can be seen below, wild with colour and drama and fully reversible negating the need for lining is a lightweight fluid window treatment is preferred.
Glorious linens, my preferred fabric base for schemes is undeniably chic, sophisticated and effortless. De Le Cuonas Buffalo stone washed linen is stone washed to the extreme with the use of pumice stones in the wash cycle! The fabrics structure is broken down giving a wonderful aged quality to the fabric creating a very individual look and aged appeal.
To see the complete collection of De Le Cuona pop into the showroom.
And so we begin...
And so we begin...
A much-anticipated project, this beautiful country house dated early C1900 with a wonderfully patinated aged ashland stone front, coursed rubble stone set under a welsh slate roof with moulder stone end stacks, is a wonderful property.
This lovely family home with its two storeys, delicate sash windows, central 4-panelled door with overlight, lintels with keystones and stone sills is a dreamy Grade 11 listed Georgian farmhouse nestled in beautiful English countryside. The house will undergo a full refurbishment and #clairesimpsoninteriors is very proud and privileged to have been chosen to oversee the interior design.
Having worked with the owners before on a new build project, I have an insight into the clients preferred tastes and preferences. The interior is set to be anything but bland, use of pattern and texture encouraged, this promises to be a perfect blend of modern and traditional design resulting in a richly coloured, eclectic interior.
I’ll be posting periodical updates with snippets and insights as the project unfolds………the journey begins.