Page 81 - Homes & Antiques (February 2020)

HOMES Malthouse Conversion
Inspired by a visit to
a local historic house,
Esther painted the striking
wallpaper in the bedroom.
BELOW The rustic chair
was ‘grown’ in a local field
by designers Full Grown.
and the dining area on the other, where
new doors lead to a terrace.
‘Both of us love making things, so it
was important that our home re"ected
that,’ says Esther. In the kitchen,
framed by a canopy of oak beams, they
covered one wall in Venetian plaster to
contrast with the gleaming cooker
hood, made by layering copper leaf
over an inexpensive extractor. The
shelving came from an old mill, while
the cabinetry was salvaged from a
school science lab, with metalwork
forged by a local blacksmith.
Bare brick walls are the se$ing
for art by friends: ceramics by Anna
Colle$e Hunt, and paintings by Pat
Shenstone, Isabel Pugh Cordero and
Ian Groom. ‘We’ll do swaps for my
lighting – it’s a very symbiotic
arrangement,’ says Esther. The
striking mural in the dining room is
by Esther’s son, Gabriel, its brightness
o!set by the monochromatic painting
by Ben Lowe. An unusual organic
chair is by Full Grown, a company that
trains trees into the shape of furniture,
while fellow Derbyshire designers
Blackpop produced the painterly
fabrics on the mid-century seating.
In the bedroom, Esther painted the
emerald chinoiserie wallpaper. ‘My
mother is a painter and I had a creative
upbringing. I enjoy trying out di!erent
things.’ Her glass lights, which cascade
from beams like otherworldly planets,
are handblown so that no two shapes
are alike. ‘Designs pop into my head
and I’ll sketch them in my notebook.
Going for a walk, photographing leaves
or "owers can be the start of a new
piece. I’ll o#en design something for
myself and it’ll become part of the
collection.’ For her latest pieces, Esther
drew inspiration from her garden to
create the silk lanterns that add an
exotic touch to the si$ing room.
She made her %rst pieces when
she was studying decorative arts at
No$ingham Trent University. ‘I went
as a mature student in 2006. It was a
brilliant three years experimenting
with woodwork, ceramics and
printing.’ A chance encounter
February 2020 Homes & Antiques 81