Meet the client… Marian & Alan
What kind of home do you live in?
Marian: We live in a Grade II Listed building that has been in Alan’s family since 1876.
Alan: When we moved in, having lived across the road from the property for many years, everything needed to be redone; everything needed replastering, the roof needed attention, as did the plumbing and the windows. We wanted to turn it into a home we could pass on to our children to enjoy as we have done.
How did you find Kelling Designs?
M: A member of the family had used Kelling Designs’ staging division, KD2, to help sell an apartment in France. It was one apartment of 15 that were up for sale, and until Emma’s team arrived and worked their magic, all of the apartments looked the same. Emma doesn’t realise how golden she is. When she’s in her element, it’s impossible not to have faith in her. She helped sell the apartment in just a few days with stylish, beautiful staging.
What drew you to the Kelling Designs look?
M: Emma’s work on the French apartment really won us over. She came so highly recommended. I spent lots of time browsing the Kelling Designs website and found no other interior design studios that used colour in such exciting ways. I wear lots of colour and always like to stand out in a crowd, so I wanted to apply this to our home. I also love the way Emma and her team mix traditional and contemporary furniture, creating a flow between the design scheme and the architecture and between each of the rooms. All the rooms sit so well together, almost like a menu. Each course follows the next to tell a story.
I thought I might take on the project on my own after attending a couple of interior design courses with Sophie Robinson and Neptune, but I was so nervous. I needed Emma to come in and realise the vision I had for our home. Polly, one of the designers on the Kelling Designs team, was also instrumental in the project.
Was there anything you owned already that needed a place in the new design scheme (eg. pieces of art, family heirlooms, etc)?
A: The house and its contents were left to us with specific terms in place by my parents. One of these terms was that the entire contents - mostly brown furniture - were to be sold and the profits split amongst the grandchildren. We started the process with several valuers from Christie’s and Bonhams and various independent advisors who made it clear that brown furniture was not of specific interest at the moment, and that most pieces wouldn’t fetch much at all. There were also lots of large items, and of course, auction houses prefer to house smaller items of greater value. For example, our dining room table and the 16 dining chairs would only have fetched £300, but would have taken up lots of floor space at the auction room.
So, we bought the furniture back off the estate and brought it back for Emma to appraise and use in the design scheme. She saw potential in every piece, working wonders on some of the bits I would have cheerfully put on the bonfire.
M: Emma told us not to buy a thing, that we would use the lot from the estate, giving it a new life. A memorable item that we knew we wanted to play its part in one of the rooms was a quilt a good friend, Pru, made for me. I wanted one of the bedrooms to draw on its colours and tactility, and Emma ran with the idea. Every time I walk past that bedroom now, I smile. We call it Pru’s Room and are looking forward to her visit later this year.
What was the most exciting part of the project?
M: There were a couple of things that stand out in my memory as particularly exciting. The first is meeting Emma and Polly. They have transformed our lives.
A: And saved a marriage!
M: Yes, they won over my husband on day one. The second exciting memory was the moment I walked into our home after installation day. It was like a zillion birthday presents all at once. Our faith in these two talented people and their incredible team was spot on.
Any amusing anecdotes, hiccups or obstacles you remember?
A: Emma cannot bear visible thermostats or other unsightlies of the kind, coining them ‘wall acne.’ On the top floor, there is a hatch for access to the roof that required a new handle, so I fitted a grab bar that my parents had installed for help in bathrooms and up staircases. Emma, on discovering this new outbreak of ‘wall acne,’ loudly exclaimed what the “F*** is that?!”
Did anything in the final look surprise you?
M: My mother had a sofa and a couple of chairs in salmon pink with gold piping, and there is a photograph of us both sitting on the sofa where I’m wearing a christening gown. It’s been around for as long as I can remember. Anyway, now, it’s been reupholstered in emerald green with fuchsia piping for a contemporary spin on an old family classic. The surprise was that Emma had hung the original picture of my mother and I just next to it. It makes me smile every time I see it.
Tell us a story about one of the new pieces in your home…
A: All the beds are new and Emma insisted that we went down to the bed factory to try out the different styles and textures. I have a wonderful photograph of Marian and Emma sharing a bed!
M: The biggest new impact at home is the selection of curtains throughout the rooms. Each pair have their own charm and create such a warm, happy atmosphere.
What do you love most about your home?
A: The fact that the house itself has been brought back to life so we can continue to enjoy the surroundings and the ancient walled garden. The whole project was worthwhile to maintain this alone.
M: It just makes me so happy because it reflects my love of colour.
