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As co-founders of luxurious furnishings enterprise Maker&Son, Alex Willcock and his eldest son, Felix Conran, use the gorgeous historic residence they lease in West Sussex as their firm’s showroom. Kemps Home, because it’s identified, is a Grade II-listed, countryside home in South East England relationship again to the 1660s. “It was a type of issues the place you immediately fall in love with the home the second you see it,” says Willcock of the six-bedroom residence. “I walked in and simply knew I needed to stay there. I beloved the sunshine and the areas.”
His design mission from the beginning was to create a house his household would take pleasure in spending time in. “Over the previous 16 years of dwelling right here, the areas have proved extraordinarily versatile, and every room is consistently evolving,” he provides, explaining that they’ve used the house as a photograph studio for the enterprise. One room specifically that has modified through the years is the kitchen. “Once we first moved in, the kitchen was probably not a kitchen — it was a second front room after which a small scullery kitchen,” Willcock says of his picture-perfect cooking area. Now, the eat-in kitchen is way bigger — and even holds a protracted eating desk good for his huge household — together with 5 youngsters.
Impressed by the house’s magnificence and Willcock’s private mission, we took the tour, and located three design classes price stealing! Come alongside, and let’s take a peek!
1. Repurpose outdated furnishings in a stunning means.
Right here’s a tip straight out of Willcock’s playbook: Purchase an outdated piece of furnishings and repurpose it for use in a brand new means. He explains, “Take it out of its unique context and take a look at placing issues within it the place they might not often go.”
Take, for example, Willcock’s reply to kitchen storage. The massive, paneled cupboard (proven above) was made by Willcock himself from vintage shutters and a reclaimed kitchen countertop. The cabinets are painted in Breakfast Room Inexperienced by Farrow&Ball. “It appears to be like prefer it has been there eternally, however actually within the grand scheme of the home, it is vitally new,” he says.
2. Have a good time objects which were made by hand.
Simply as he handcrafts his personal furnishings line with pure and sustainable supplies, Willcock says he tends to understand objects which can be handmade as a result of it provides a lot character to the house. “Select objects which have clearly been made by somebody, a craftsperson, as a result of you’ll be able to actually really feel that in a room — the story it tells is mirrored in a roundabout way,” he says, pointing to the eating desk he made himself. “When objects are made with love and care and a focus to element, one thing adjustments the best way the room feels.”
His most prized handcrafted possession in his kitchen is a portrait of a younger boy from the Russian Constructivism interval hanging on the wall of his kitchen cupboard and surrounded by his assortment of ceramics. “It’s very calming to have a look at,” he says.
3. Don’t be afraid to vary issues up.
Willcock strives to present his residence a lived-in really feel, in order that it’s not solely stunning, but additionally useful. “You see, we’re all the time doing one thing new — in a humorous means, the juxtaposition of an outdated home and many newness appears to actually work,” he says of his residence’s fashionable rustic vibe.
As a result of Kemps Home can also be his firm’s showroom, Willcock is consistently changing sofas and colour palettes on the common. “These days, a room can change its complete look from one week to the following as we do completely different staging for our numerous photoshoots,” he says. “Generally it’s fairly odd,” he explains of the shuffle of furnishings. “Notebooks and instruments that I can’t discover flip up a couple of weeks later.” Nonetheless, Willcock loves that the house is all the time evolving because it adjustments to swimsuit the household’s wants.
In fact, you don’t have to vary issues up as usually as Willcock does, however the enchantment is identical. Taking part in with completely different vignettes in your house means that you can have the liberty to be inventive and to really feel impressed. Don’t be afraid to combine and match and work out what actually works — and, extra importantly, uncover what you actually like.
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