The William Morris Gallery

A few weeks ago I went on a trip to the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow. In the middle of Lloyd Park sits a beautiful a grand Georgian house, and is entirely dedicated to the celebration of the Arts and Crafts designer. The house, the work and the atmosphere all make it well worth a trip; here are some of my highlights.

Illustrated Book by William Morris

The gallery is filled with William’s best and brightest work, from the beginning and end of his life, and continuing after his death as his company Morris & Co. lived on, and still continues today. The tapestry below was a rather unique piece in the collection, and although it was made in 1885, it has a very medieval quality to it, and is an ode to Morris’s love of storytelling.

Tapestry by William Morris

Cray Block Printed Cotton by William Morris

This intricate, floral design was created using natural vegetable dyes and needed thirty-four different woodblocks to complete the finished look; showing the dedication that Morris and his team put into their work.

There are all sorts of different pieces on display at the gallery, including this fireplace surround, which is beautifully decorated with Longden tiles in a sunny yellow, which have been attributed to Philip Webb who worked closely alongside William throughout his career.

Longden Tiles by Philip Webb

If you know William Morris, you’re probably aware of his ideologies that contributed to his style of work, and his return to art forms prior to the Victorian era. Morris created his work in protest to the industrial revolution, and the way it treated the workers as well as the quality of the work that was produced. Here, Morris designed this chair for his lodgings in London, and its style reflects a medieval style with painted panels; which was an era that Morris much admired.

Medieval Style Chair by William Morris

The gallery also featured a segment from William Morris’s first wallpaper design, Trellis, which also reflected his love for medieval art once again, and was based on a medieval style walled garden he had created at his home, Red house.

Trellis Wallpaper Design by William Morris

This Flowerpot embroidery, was an affordable design which proved very popular, and was made by May Morris, Morris’s very talented daughter; the design looks like it was perfectly made for a feature cushion.

Flowerpot Embroidery by William Morris

Another wallpaper design that really caught my eye was the Lily and Pomegranate design. It’s meticulous detail shows the craftsmanship that went into each and every piece; the background is made up of dots, which is intricate work and Morris is quoted as saying on the design “after taking all the trouble to draw it, do you think I’d be such a fool as not to do the dots?”

Lily and Pomegranate Wallpaper design by William Morris

May Morris, William’s daughter also had her own career as a designer and an embroiderer; and had an exhibition at the gallery as well. Her work was absolutely glorious, full of light and elegance.

Work by May Morris

This piece is absolutely luminous; there’s a delicacy it is and softness that is different to her father’s work.

Work by May Morris

This design was by far my favourite thing in the whole gallery. Intricate embroidery on a sheer silk background, shows off not only style but skill. The golden thread still shimmers today, holding all of its life even after all this time; it’s a truly breath-taking piece.

Detailing of Work by May Morris

Written on the wall in May Morris’ exhibition is a quote by her in her later life saying “I’m a remarkable woman – always was, though none of you seemed to think so”, which I thought was rather brilliant. Under the shadow of her father and his company, May Morris shined, although not in her own name, but today she get the celebration she deserves, and she truly does deserve it.

 

For more information on the William Morris Gallery visit their website www.wmgallery.org.uk/

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48 Storey’s Way

One of the beautiful things about living in Cambridge is that in most parts of the city, there is always a stunning property or building that catches your eye. Or sometimes a whole street can do this, especially if you take stroll down Storey’s Way. I tend to move at somewhat of a snail’s pace when I’m driving through the road, deciding which lovely property is today’s favourite. With a love of interiors, exteriors and a general urge for snooping I always like to have a little look on Rightmove every now and then, which is where I came across this stunning house on Storey’s Way which was already know here at Angel + Blume, and trust us it’s even more beautiful in person. It’s such a lovely property that I just had to write a little blog about it.

The house was built during the Arts and Crafts period and follows a Sussex style, Mock-Tudor design. Interestingly the exterior from the front entrance looks cottage-like with small windows and sloping roof, which were made from lime washed pebbledash-rendered brick, a material that has aged gracefully, whereas the back view of the house looks more regal, following a typical Arts and Crafts motif.

The famous, and well respected architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott designed the house in 1912-13 for Herbert Ainslie Roberts, who was the Secretary of the University Appointments Board. In 1991 the house was completely restored, which allowed for modern living, but still kept the integrity of the original designs. Here you can see the plaster frieze ceiling work, which was done by J.C. Pocock.

It has some absolutely gorgeous original features, many of which can be seen in the photo above; from the lovely wood panelling, to the decorative ceiling to the stunning framework on the windows.

Often with period properties there’s a constant battle between the old and the new. Whether to keep the running period theme throughout the house, or to contrast the heritage structure with modern interiors. I think that the elegance of the exterior and the architectural details of this house, smoothly transcends into the décor inside. A simple and fresh design that lets the character of the house do all the talking.

This bathroom is the perfect mix between contemporary and traditional styling. The modern design of the shower, sink and bath as well as the sophisticated slate work contrasted with the traditional window, original fireplace and the traditional chair creates a wonderfully unique blend. The free standing cylindrical shower is a particularly great inclusion in this fusion-style bathroom.

The gardens, which were also designed by Baillie Scott follow the same ideas and approach to design as the house. It appears that Baillie Scott’s vision was to create a design the flowed from the inside to the outside with ease, creating a unity between the two.

There is an overwhelming loveliness that surrounds this property, it manages to keep the essence of the era in which it was built while still being a practical place to live in the modern world. There is the perfect balance between the original features and contemporary decoration that brings out the best of both worlds.

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Arts and Crafts in the Heart of L.A.

A guilt pleasure of mine is to play a game of make believe on real estate websites in America, hit the ‘price: high to low’ setting and scroll through some amazing properties, pretending I can afford them. This is exactly how I found this masterpiece of a house in Los Angeles, currently for sale via themls.com.

The house was built in 1913 by Frederick E. Engstrum and designed by Frank A. Brown, following an Arts and Crafts style design, and has been dubbed the one of the finest and largest Craftsmen houses in America. The exterior is absolutely mesmerising as the house is almost lost in the surrounding overgrown woodland. With so many small and unusual features this house would have you exploring for days on end.

The house was named ‘Artemesia’ and is still full of its original features including tiles, stained glass, panelling and light fixtures. It’s truly a house of character, with a story to tell.

It easy to see that a lot of the permanent interior details have been kept in tact, which is quite a feat considering Los Angeles has modern, contemporary homes by the bucket load. The interiors of the Artemesia home are almost frozen in time and there’s something really magical and graceful about this.

The design of the house takes influence from the Tudor-revival architectural movement that surfaced in America in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, as well as the American take on the Arts and Crafts movement. Here you can see the beautiful detail of an original fireplace that is in keeping with the Arts and Crafts motif of the house.

There is a sense of grandeur and magnificence in the interiors that has been sewn into the house, at its very core. The large ballroom with its beautifully wide columns indicates a rich history the house may have had, tales of old Hollywood-esque parties thrown and the company kept, the house exudes a vibrant, well-lived, old Hollywood atmosphere, even in the bathrooms…

The shower is beautifully hidden away with steps leading down to it from the bathroom.

It even features a historic pipe organ, built by Murray Harris, a world renowned organ builder, and it’s on of his largest remaining creations. Having a residential pipe organ during the late 19^th and early 20^th century would have been considered a rather fashionable addition to a home and played by a hired professional, the organ would have been the source of entertainment and music during a social gathering at the house.

Console details of the Pipe Organ

Sound Screen feature of the Pipe Organ

A feature like this is in a home is almost unheard of nowadays, making the house seem even more out of this world and extraordinary.

There is a true romantic, fairy-tale like nature to this house; from the woodland areas surrounding the property, to the deliciously outlandish pipe organ, to the intricate, well-preserved detailing of the interiors. In a place like Los Angeles which is so full of splendour and outrageousness especially in terms of property, it seems upsettingly easy for charming homes such as this one to get somehow lost between mansions. But there is something so pure and special about this house and the way it’s been transported from another era without appearing dated or fairly useless in a modern world, that there is a magical sense about it and a hope that it will be an everlasting triumph in the world of design.

For more information: www.artemesia.us

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A Passion for Panelling

Panelling is a wonderful and practical way to add character to a room and can transform a plain wall into a beautiful backdrop for your furnishings.

Some homes have the great advantage of still having their original panelling but if you haven’t inherited any with the house, there is no reason that it can’t be added. If you choose the right style of panelling for your home and get the colour and the execution right, it will look as if it has always been there.

The wonderful wooden panelling at Sawston Hall would have originally been installed to help insulate rooms from the cold stone walls. It also adds a lovely depth of colour to the rooms.

Painted panelling makes a room lighter which can be easier to live with. It also offers endless colour options so you aren’t restricted by a backdrop of wood. This lovely room is painted in Farrow and Ball French Grey and the colour has been applied to the walls, cornicing, skirting boards, door and door frame – everywhere other than floor and ceiling – which creates a calm, unified look.

This beautiful hallway in a Victorian country house was given some detail with simple panelling framing the wall areas below the picture rails, which were painted in with the colour of the walls.

Bathrooms can benefit hugely from panelling and is especially useful when incorporating a roll top bath as a simple ledge can be created on the top of the panelling for your soap dish, shampoo and cup of tea.

The style that you choose for your panelling is really important and will alter the feeling of the room. This lovely panelling from the Painted Wall Panelling Company has a distinct Arts and Crafts feel to it and creates a wonderful ledge to display accessories.

You can make a really bold statement if you choose contrasting colours above and below your panelling. Your eye is naturally drawn to where the colour changes so the height of your panelling needs to be considered carefully. If you choose a dark colour for your panelling, make sure your skirting boards are in the same colour as the panelling or you will end up with a white stripe at the base of your panels.

It is fine to panel around your windows if they fall below the height of the panelling that you choose. This delightful bathroom makes a feature out of a pretty window by painting it the same colour as the panelling. Panelling by The English Panelling Company.

Finally artwork looks great on panelling and if your pictures are larger than the panels , it can still work to hang them across the panels. These pictures work really well against the panelling as they have been centred across the panels. Panelling by The Wall Panelling Company.

All the rooms featured here have a traditional feel. However, panelling can look just as wonderful in contemporary settings – we will be bringing you a feature on this soon, watch this space!

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In love with Arts and Crafts

William Morris once said “If I were asked to say what is at once the most important production of Art and the thing most longed for, I should answer ‘a beautiful house’ ” 

Here, at Angel + Blume we are obviously in full agreement with this!

At the moment, we are in the midst of a very exciting project.  This is the renovation of a charming Art and Crafts house designed by the architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott 1865-1945. Having assimilated the styles and ideals of John Ruskin and  William Morris, Baillie Scott developed his own unique Arts and Crafts style which relied on truth to materials and function with great attention to craftsmanship. His gravestone is engraved with the words – Nature he loved and next to nature art.

This has given us the opportunity to look again at the Morris Archives (below are a few pictures from their website) and some of the beautiful fabrics and wallpapers and we are loving it!

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Crayford collection from Bakers

The new Crayford collection of fabrics and wallpapers from G P and J Baker draws on it’s archive of designs from the 20s and 30s. The influence of the Arts and Crafts designers is prevalent throughout the collection giving it a comforting familiar feel with new colourways keeping it fresh and up to date. I think this is a delightful collection, highly useable and one that will last the test of time.  

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