THE JOURNAL
absorb some of the sound and the echo.” Hampshire- based interior designer Lucy Cunningham, whose go-to showrooms
include Pierre Frey
and Tissus
d’Hélène, suggests combining different types of textiles together such as “needlepoint cushions with vintage linens, old saris made into lampshades and kantha quilts.” In
a sitting room, she puts well-upholstered
comfortable armchairs at the top of her list – as does interior designer and new father Bryan O’Sullivan, who has included one in his son’s nursery. “I believe in function above form; above all else, things need to be comfortable: bed and table heights, sofa back height and seat depth, all need to be tailored to a client. In our small nursery, we papered the walls and ceiling in the same print as the armchair so it feels enveloping.” The wrap-round trick is one that Plant, who has recently moved house, has also employed in the past although at the moment she is firmly focused on her new sofa, and the joy that will bring. “It’s a big, lying down sofa, really deep, with lots of down in the cushions so it’s a huge
indulgence,” she says. “My husband’s an upholsterer and he is covering it in silk damask, in an old-fashioned rose print.” Of course, there are certain rooms in the house
where comfort naturally seems easier to achieve than others. But what about those functional areas such as the kitchen, typically all hard surfaces and stainless- steel appliances? “Put fabrics in,” is Cunningham’s advice. “Add blinds, a tablecloth, lamps on countertops: all these add softness. I’ve just bought a long bench for my table which I’m going to upholster with a vintage kantha squab cushion. It’s harder perhaps in townhouses because of space but the ultimate luxury in a kitchen is some kind of soft seating. I’ve got an armchair which is comfy rather than precious: anyone goes on there, dogs, children, me with cup of tea in the morning.” Similarly, Childs believes that a lack of formality is the way forward: “most people don’t lead particularly formal lives at home. They don’t want everything super smart, crisp and ironed; a kind of worn, lived-in look is what the majority are after.”
A wave of new and refreshed places to stay are
embracing a relaxed, home-from-home feel too – from Cowley Manor Experimental in the Cotswolds, where Dorothée Meilichzon has infused the 17th-century mansion with her trademark use of bold colour and curved forms, to private member country club Estelle Manor in Oxfordshire, the joint vision of celebrated designers Roman and Williams, Olivia Weström and Ennismore Design Studio. In Paris, Le Bristol has collaborated with heritage textile house Schumacher whose sumptuous fabrics are part of a reimagining of the corridor leading to Le Jardin Français (the courtyard garden) as well as the alfresco furnishings themselves. Whether home or away, comfort, concludes Plant, is
being truly cared for. “If I have friends staying, I think, ‘what does this person need’: blankets, lovely sheets and a beautifully made bed are all wonderful things, plus a lamp to read by and a table for a book. When creating a room for someone, I’m always second guessing every eventuality and what they are going to want to make them feel comfortable.”
OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Devon’s Glebe House hotel, whose interiors by Studio Alexandra were inspired by the style of the Bloomsbury Group, with fabrics sourced from Sanderson and Colefax and Fowler; a cosy nook in a bedroom by Lucy Cunningham, encased in Pierre Frey’s ‘Kalamkar’ fabric. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Le Bristol hotel in Paris collaborated with Schumacher on
its courtyard garden, including this theatrical entrance transformed by ‘Royal Poppy Stripe’ fabric; Cowley Manor Experimental, designed by Dorothée Meilichzon, which features ‘Bastoni’ wallcovering by Cole & Son, a design of intertwined walking sticks that originated as a Fornasetti silk scarf in the 1940s
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© Vincent Leroux
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