PERIOD STYLE

Article by Tara de la Motte

It is of great interest to me how the interiors of houses have developed through centuries, how styles have changed, and how we might adapt those styles from the past into our modern way of life.

To me ‘Period Style’ is not just for stately homes, museums and other grand places. This is a style that can be translated into our own homes.

These days the desire to decorate homes in the most authentic way has never been stronger.

By mixing old and new, authentic with reproduction, and by using the wealth of new wallpaper, fabric and flooring that is available today, the task of creating a period style home can be much less daunting.

This is a style that can be achieved with confidence in a cost effective way, and still evoke the atmosphere of grandeur. In my own home the distressed and the recycled, share space with the more elegant and superior. This mix of old and new is both pleasing to the eye.

If you are thinking of adding a period touch to your home – a few points worthwhile considering:

Colour

Colour can change the character of a house from one era to another. I have a great fondness for the latter Georgian period, I love their pallet of muted colours soft grey, pale green, pale pink, and ‘dead’ white.

In the past the colours were kept for the walls and white was mainly used for the mouldings, but in a modern room if you have dark wood furniture, this is lightened, and brightened by using white on walls. With so many shades of ‘white’ to choose from, you will find the white that suits your home the best. (Farrow and Ball have a wide selection of period colours.)

Fabric

The great furnishing fabrics of the past were sumptuous and expensive, but similar effects can be achieved today at a rather more moderate cost.

Certain shops, such as Ikea, have some great linen – you can mix fabrics and floor length muslin and lace curtains. For me curtains have to be long, sweeping the floor and elegant.

I once read about a designer who used builders ‘dust’ sheets for curtains! They really do make beautiful curtains as I too have them hanging in my house. You will be amazed, I promise! Remember to wash them on a delicate wash as they will shrink a little.

Furniture

Furniture can be either painted or polished however if you’re lucky enough to have in your possession a piece of antique furniture do not attempt to paint it as this would be a sin!

Woods do not have to match but should complement each other. You can pick up some

amazing period pieces from some of the larger charity shops.

Almost all of my bedroom furniture, except my sleigh bed, come from second-hand shops and are worth much more than I paid for them. I love these pieces for their age, beauty and patina, and would never part with them.

Lighting

I have a great passion for candles and nothing evokes like the flicker of candlelight, however today we cannot live under candlelight alone, so for me the crowning glory in any room is the graceful chandelier.

A lone chandelier even in a room that has nothing else can lift and enhance the whole space. There are many reproduction French style chandeliers that can be bought locally for a fraction of the cost of an original one, so it’s worthwhile looking around.

Art

No period home is complete without pictures. A picture or a painting is what makes a statement in a room, it is an essential ingredient in a period home. A piece of artwork can be bought at little cost. When you have the time browse through second-hand shops and car boot sales – you may just be lucky enough to come across an unexpected treasure! We are also very lucky to have great artists living right here in Sussex and most exhibit their work in local galleries.

If you want to start collecting paintings or pictures, it makes sense to collect ones that share a theme. So for the kitchen you may want pictures of food whereas nudes are better suited for the bedroom or bathroom. Portraits on the other hand look good in the lounge, but really there is no right or wrong – just go with whatever appeals to you.

Accessories

Many of today’s modern or minimalist spaces lack soul and are devoid of accessories, they are more like a hotel than a home, stark and formal. Beautifully mismatched accessories play a great part in a period home.

The only advice I can give here is always choose accessories that are pleasing to the eye and

have special meaning to you.

China sits well in a period house as do all kinds of silverware and I am an avid collector of both! home is where you use your best china, and silver.

No matter how your home comes together it should always contain the essence of comfort and style.

Warm regards

Tara X