8/8/2023 0 Comments De gournay flamingo wallpaperTwo very intense years in restoration mode followed – all the while working and developing de Gournay. She could see it had an amazing shell, and how it could be transformed and brought back to life. She believed there was a lot of potential in this house if you could just look beyond its slightly weird past renovation. The bedside lamps are repurposed porcelain de Gournay vases with shades made from saris. The Dedar-covered chair is an antique, as are the wall sconces. The rug is from Jennifer Manners and the bedspread from Once Milano. The cone vase is by Frances Palmer at Pentreath & Hall Right: The bed and footstool were both made by de Gournay, the latter upholstered in a Le Manach fabric. It’s flanked by chairs upholstered in a Dedar fabric. The sconces are antiques, as is the console table. I stress him out!” Left: The hall’s walls are covered in de Gournay’s hand-embroidered Moiré fabric by Alessandra Branca. It’s fun.” Harden, however, is the opposite, prefer-ring things to be “planned and calm – he likes to schedule. “Every morning for years I’d say ‘hi’ to the team of tradesmen – they felt like a constant fixture. “I grew up on a building site,” she recalls. Undaunted and undeterred, she pressed ahead. “What a mess,” was her first thought when she viewed it, quickly followed by “But I love it.” Her friends were less convinced, worried it was too much to take on. Gurney and her husband, Eddie Harden, were living in a small flat close by when this Victorian property came up for sale. The wall lights are by Balineum and candle sconces are by Urban Electric. The kitchen cabinetry is painted in a custom magenta from Papers & Paints, London, illuminated by antique orange pendants that once hung above a French billiards table. As one of the world’s leading wallpaper and fabric houses, de Gournay is prized for its bespoke designs these are in such high demand that, like the Birkin bags of Hermès, aficionados and designers can wait months to get their hands on them. She eventually signed up to de Gournay in 2012, joining Claud, her sister Rachel and their cousin Dominic, becoming company director and guiding the firm’s evolution from cult name to industry leader, overseeing seven global showrooms and raising three kids along the way. She studied physics, graduating with distinction, then entered the world of finance and chartered accountancy where, she admits, she was “miserable for years”. There was a showroom in our house when I was growing up and I was normalised to it, but then, eventually, when I was old enough, I stepped away.” The blind has the same Sans Soucis design as the walls Right: The walls of the kitchen-dining room are alive with de Gournay’s hand-painted silk Sans Soucis chinoiserie wallpaper, where chairs upholstered in Bennison’s Crewelwork surround an antique dining table.įor all that Gurney grew up in her father’s business and the captivating world of hand-painted wallcoverings, there was nevertheless a gap before she felt ready to join the company. Left: A corner of the dining room has an antique Italian sofa upholstered in a Dedar velvet. The beauty of craft and the power of colour were impressed upon her from a young age, and her home, where she lives with her husband, three children and two large dogs, is a tribute to the wonderful artistry of her childhood. This is a woman unafraid of decoration – no surprise, really, when you learn that her father, Claud, founded de Gournay, one of the world’s leading wallpaper and fabric houses (the only company, in fact, that still hand-paints and hand-embroiders all its designs). “It makes living in it all the more pleasurable.” “There’s so much character in a room with colour and detail,” says owner Hannah Cecil Gurney. Instead, it is a wholehearted celebration of deep jewel tones, lavish materials, gilded textural walls, rich pattern and texture. The fire basket is by Jamb and the rug is by Jennifer MannersĬan you imagine living in a house where every inch is embellished with sensual ornamentation – not in a garish or overpowering way, but so effortlessly and gracefully it feels completely natural? In this home, near London’s Battersea Park, there’s not the merest hint of taupe or beige or plain understatement. An antique high-backed sofa, upholstered in its original fabric, and a Carlo Scarpa chandelier add to the distinctive look. It and the blue silk sofa are both by de Gournay. With the world’s most beautiful hand-painted wallpapers as a backdrop, it’s no wonder this house is a generous, vibrant, maximalist masterpiece The fabulous hand-painted Coco Coromandel chinoiserie wallpaper makes a bold statement in the drawing room.
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