A mid-Victorian terraced house filled with inherited antiques

Inherited antique pieces and a love of art and textiles, passed down to Posy Gentles from her mother and grandmother, play a vital role in her welcoming home. Feature Francine Raymond; photographs Jody Stewart

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Published: Friday, 16 February 2024 at 12:11 PM

When garden designer Posy Gentles arrived at her mid-Victorian terraced house in Faversham in 2008, with four children between the ages of eight and 15, plus a vanload of inherited furniture, she entered a different world: a well-mannered interior of stripped pine woodwork and a kitchen embellished with pale blue and yellow paintwork.

She could have let sleeping dogs lie and settled in with her family but, instead, she decided to shake things up. ‘I love my surroundings to have an edge and a sense of humour with splashes of surprising colour,’ she says. ‘I needed to imprint my personality, so I immediately bought masses more vintage furniture and accessories on impulse.’

Posy has always loved interior design and has written books on quick and easy upholstery, table settings and unearthing flea-market finds. All of her children are creative, too, and have contributed to the house’s character. They helped Posy with the renovations, including decorating the circular window above the dining table – a clever replacement for a leaking roof, painted with gold-leaf embellishment by Posy’s daughter, Minna, and her friend, Max Candeland.

Items are regularly bought and sold. Some are distributed among Posy’s children, who in turn deliver their own artworks. ‘I’m a maximalist,’ Posy says. ‘I started young, as a child, and I buy a lot: online, from Faversham markets, from local dealers, from friends… But I buy too much, and I never seem to have time to edit. I’ve also inherited furniture from both my parents and it’s impossible not to integrate these memories, too.’

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Posy inherited a love of fabrics from her grandmother, who was a decorator and lived surrounded by vibrant colour and astonishing pattern in nearby Broadstairs. She encouraged Posy to collect embroidered cushion covers, quilts, vintage curtains and clothing. From her mother, who bought and commissioned the stunning figure paintings by David Lloyd RA that now hang in nearly every room of Posy’s house, Posy inherited a love of art.

‘Pattern, texture and colour, especially colour, are all important elements in my home,’ says Posy. ‘Those particular shades of 1930s pink and leaf green, with Farrow & Ball’s Tanner’s Brown, look good with antique furniture. And I like to use Farrow & Ball’s Fowler Pink, a shade favoured by decorator John Fowler, which has an orangey, terracotta tone. But I don’t like anything too tasteful. I like to surprise as well.’

Her eye-catching use of mosaic mirror tiles on the stairs up to the attic probably fits into this category. She was inspired by her creative plumber and kitchen designer, Nick Kenny, who worked on the bright orange bathroom and used zinc panels recycled from Parisian rooftops on the side of the bath, and geometric patchwork tiling to spell out her children’s names in Morse Code along the top edge of the wall. These creative touches also encouraged Posy to venture on her own tiling journey in the kitchen, using cheap tiles arranged in a patchwork.

On close inspection, there are collections to be found on almost every surface and shelf. Posy collects animal decorations and is often given stuffed, china and wooden animals, as well as fabrics and cushions featuring animals. ‘I feel I need to rescue them,’ she says. She also has a collection of old postcards featuring volcanoes that she had framed and then hung on the landing, and she always buys cheap round mirrors if she spots one at a car boot sale.

Floors, meanwhile, are covered with old rugs, a lifetime of books are piled around – and read – and chairs are fat and comfy: everything in the house creates a restful backdrop. This backdrop also gives Posy the perfect opportunity to be as creative inside as she is outside, at work in her clients’ gardens. posygentles.co.uk

Posy Gentles’ pretty sitting room is dominated by a fire surround in painted slate. The mirror above was bought at an antiques fair. The Arts and Crafts chairs and desk belonged to Posy’s father, and the fireside chairs and bookcase belonged to her grandmother. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace sitting room sofa
On the sofa at the back of the sitting room, Posy has covered a cushion with a fabulous seaside-print fabric from her grandmother’s collection. The other cushions are made from an old coat. The painting by David Lloyd is of Posy’s son, Edmund, and his dog, Charlie. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace music room
The latex artwork above the piano in the music room is by Posy’s son, William. It sits next to a case of frogs’ legs in test tubes from a science lab and a signed photo of Vita Sackville-West. The Jacobean chest belonged to Posy’s great-uncle. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace landing
Posy used mirror tiles to cover the stairs up to the attic. The painting on the left-hand wall is by her daughter, Minna, and the series of images above the bookcase on the landing are from a collection of postcards featuring volcanoes. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace kitchen
Posy has used her imagination to transform her kitchen as cheaply as possible, preparing the carcasses with Zinsser primer before painting. The handles are from eBay and the cooker was found on a building site. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace dining table
The dining room features a fabulous circular window above the table, which is covered with a Zoffany fabric. The Ercol dining chairs were found on eBay and the Royal Crown Derby Olde Avesbury china belonged to Posy’s mother. The painting of Daphne, a water nymph in Greek mythology, is by David Lloyd and the fish painting is by Christopher Oldfield. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace chinese plates display
Posy’s mother’s collection of Chinese plates is displayed on the dining room wall. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace entrance hall
Victorian terrace master bedroom
The large 1930s bed was painted with chalk paint. The hanging and cushions were made from a Zoffany fabric bought on eBay. The quilt was a present from a friend, the lamp came from Posy’s father and the gown is from India. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace bathroom
Victorian terrace owner Posy Gentles
Posy in her garden. – Jody Stewart –
Victorian terrace exterior

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