{"id":106,"date":"2021-11-18T15:36:21","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T14:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=22779"},"modified":"2021-11-18T15:56:20","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T14:56:20","slug":"a-sustainable-christmas-in-trevor-picketts-suffolk-cottage","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-sustainable-christmas-in-trevor-picketts-suffolk-cottage\/","title":{"rendered":"A sustainable Christmas in Trevor Pickett\u2019s Suffolk cottage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Molly Malsom\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 18 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Trevor Pickett, the \u00e9minence grise behind Pickett, London\u2019s tiniest, most stylish accessory shops, fully deserves a relaxing Christmas break. \u2018Both shops stay open until the afternoon on Christmas Eve,\u2019 he says, adding that they\u2019re usually busy until closing time. \u2018All those lovely customers who leave things to the last minute, or realise they\u2019ve forgotten to find a gift for their Christmas hostess.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, once the \u2018Closed\u2019 sign is on the door, Trevor makes tracks for his country retreat in Suffolk. \u2018Once I\u2019m on the road I breathe a huge sigh of relief.\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s nowhere else I\u2019d rather be at Christmas.\u2019 Trevor has known the area since he was a boy, when his parents had a place in the village of Sizewell, where the family would spend weekends and school holidays. \u2018My mother, my sister and I would ride around on our bikes all day, roaming far and wide; there are few corners of Suffolk I haven\u2019t explored. It\u2019s a unique and lovely part of England.\u2019<\/p>\n

Trevor bought the cottage three years ago, having sold his previous weekend home in favour of a smaller property that would require less upkeep. \u2018I love seeing my friends but the days of inviting 12 people for Sunday lunch are over for me; six people around the table are quite enough; I can hear what everyone is saying.\u2019 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Internal walls were demolished to create the spacious sitting room in the oldest part of the cottage. A palette of grey, brown and jewel-like blue combined with subtle textures creates a cosily sophisticated take on the country look. Books and Trevor\u2019s latest finds from his forays to local antiques shops fill the shelves. The 19th-century fauteuil armchairs are from Green Square in Copenhagen.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Trevor\u2019s talent for design and decoration extends in many directions.\u00a0 <\/span>He designs much of the beautifully made Pickett merchandise himself and the homes he creates are as stylish and individual as his shops. The same can also be said of the splendid decorative schemes he dreams up for Christmas. Planning starts during the autumn and, for a number of years, Trevor has used natural materials wherever possible to minimise the ecological cost. \u2018There isn\u2019t a speck of glitter anywhere,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

But there is nothing minimal about the decorative effect, which is gorgeously over the top. Pine cones and pheasant feathers are gathered on long country walks, and these are stored in the garden shed until just before Christmas. To these Trevor adds sliced oranges for their \u2018sensational scent\u2019. Seasonal sparkle is provided by crystal decanters, pewter candlesticks and coloured glasses, all of which gleam in the firelight.<\/p>\n

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A set of handsome Hepplewhite-style dining chairs with serpentine top rails and broad pierced splayed backs surrounds the circular table, which makes for convivial gatherings throughout the year.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

This year, instead of a traditional tree, Trevor has grouped half a dozen birch saplings (destined for his garden in the new year) in a corner of the sitting room. \u2018Festooned with lights and hung with traditional ornaments made from off-cuts of wood they look suitably festive but won\u2019t end up as woodchip, unlike most Christmas trees,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

When Trevor was sent details of the cottage it wasn\u2019t love at first sight.\u00a0 <\/span>Nevertheless, he asked his trusted builder Russell (who has sadly since passed away) to give it the once over. \u2018Russell had a good look around and, having clambered up on the roof, he told me that I\u2019d regret it if I didn\u2019t buy it.<\/p>\n

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Foliage, pine cones and crackers tumble out of the fireplace in the kitchen\/dining room. The dried slices of orange fill the air with a delicious aromatic scent.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

He was absolutely right \u2013 every time I walk through the front door I know I did the right thing.\u2019 While not remote, being situated in a hamlet about a five-minute drive from the nearest town, the cottage came with a secluded garden shielded by trees from the houses on either side.<\/p>\n

\u2018The building dates from around 1750 but had been extended over the years.\u2019 With Russell\u2019s help, Trevor drew up plans for alterations to the house, garage and conservatory.\u00a0<\/span>What were once four poky rooms is now a well-proportioned space for fireside reading, relaxing and entertaining. The garage became a third bedroom and the conservatory can be used throughout the year.<\/p>\n

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The guest bedroom in the newer part of the house is painted a luminous shade of pale blue\/grey, In the Shadows by Valspar. The curtains are vintage Laura Ashley and Trevor picked them up at a shop in Cirencester, they provide a pretty contrast to the gingham bed linen.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Trevor has long been a collector. \u2018I began when I was 12,\u2019 he says, adding that it was a silver-plated fluted sugar bowl that caught his eye. \u2018I go through phases \u2013 basketry, carved wooden objects, paintings, china, painted furniture, pewter, glass\u2026 I can\u2019t possibly keep it all so, as soon as I\u2019m over that particular period or genre, I sell everything at Marlesford Mill, where I have a stand,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

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