{"id":10827,"date":"2022-05-09T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T08:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=29777"},"modified":"2022-05-09T10:31:12","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T08:31:12","slug":"a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent\/","title":{"rendered":"A coastal Georgian villa in Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Published: Monday, 09 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Not many people can successfully pair quirky Fornasetti<\/a> with 18th-century Chinese lacquerwork, or Georgian prints with British surrealist art, but after a career as a set designer and director, Tony has honed his ability to create intriguing tableaux out of the most disparate items.<\/p>\n

An architect father and two vastly contrasting childhood homes perhaps explain his surprising ability to mesh classic period pieces with mid-century shapes. \u2018We lived in a 17th-century Queen Anne house that seemed untouched by time,\u2019 says Tony. \u2018But that was followed by a home designed by my father \u2013 a 1950s bungalow with a Canadian-style cedar roof.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Georgian villa that he now shares with his wife, Nerine, in a pretty seaside village near Folkestone is a reflection of that diversity. When the couple first came across it after moving here from Lincolnshire in 2011, they were won over by its two-storey extension and generous roof deck, as well as the potential to house an artist\u2019s studio in the garden. \u2018It was decorated in a faux-marine style, which wasn\u2019t to our taste, but we loved the fact that it was just paces from the sea,\u2019 says Tony. \u2018We could play with the building\u2019s layout and adjust it to suit our needs.\u2019<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> a writer\u2019s Georgian red brick home in Dorset<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the four bedrooms was turned into a bathroom<\/a>, out of another the pair created a book-lined office, while a third has become a dining room. \u2018The place had good bones, but we reinstated details such as tongue-and-groove panelling, as well as restoring fireplaces<\/a>,\u2019 Tony explains. With his design experience, he also drew up plans for a clapboard artist\u2019s studio, accessed via the garden, whose generous vertical windows channel plenty of light.<\/p>\n

The maverick layout of this home is the perfect foil for the couple\u2019s carefully curated antiques<\/a>, foraged in local shops and at fairs<\/a>, including Sunbury, Ardingly and Newark. Convex mirrors and Vauxhall glass coexist peacefully with mid-century classics, including the Paul Frankl coffee table in the living room. While 1970s film art, such as the Jean-Pierre Melville lobby card in the breakfast room, lives easily with Tony\u2019s collection of Blue John marble.<\/p>\n

But this is a couple who are not precious about these much-loved pieces. \u2018I call it junking,\u2019 says Tony. \u2018The thrill is in finding a bargain, such as the 18th-century console table in the sitting room that I picked up for a very reasonable price. It was missing its original marble top, but I created a faux replica using marbled MDF. I like to save and restore, but only to a certain level so as not to wreck the integrity of a piece.\u2019<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> the UK\u2019s best antiques and vintage shops<\/a><\/p>\n

The couple have amassed some interesting collections over the years, including several works by the 20th-century British surrealist John Banting, about whom Tony is currently producing a film. \u2018I like a clean, pared-back aesthetic,\u2019 he reflects, \u2018so I am naturally drawn to unfussy Georgian and Regency pieces, as well as the fluid shapes of mid-century furniture<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Several of the couple\u2019s belongings are collected purely for pleasure rather than display. A set of architect\u2019s drawing instruments from 1720 are squirreled out of sight in their original shagreen leather cases, while another of Tony\u2019s penchants is for Pierre Cardin watches<\/a> from the 1970s. But, mostly, it\u2019s the visual appeal of treasured finds that keeps this home\u2019s landscape fresh and interesting. \u2018Shape, size and colour have always been integral,\u2019 says Tony. \u2018Often one large item, such as an overscaled mirror or even a picture frame, can really anchor a scheme.\u2019<\/p>\n

The couple love living by the coast and Tony notes that \u2018some days, the sea is like a calm mill pond, with gulls sitting on its surface like ducks; other days there are raging storms.\u2019 That elemental appeal is very much reflected in the eclectic yet deeply comforting nature of this seaside home, whose myriad contents prove to be so much more than the sum of their parts.<\/p>\n

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In the living room, an ornate 1840s mirror and artworks sit charmingly against walls painted in Farrow & Ball\u2019s Green Blue.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Favourite finds, including a marble bust of Caesar, a collection of Blue John, and Parian figures, are arranged on a baroque Irish carved wooden console table. The 1970s lamps were picked up at Newark International Antiques & Collectors Fair. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The coffee table in the living room is a classic piece by Viennese designer and Californian \u00e9migr\u00e9, Paul Frankl, c1950.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Tony found this 18th-century lacquer chest of drawers at Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair. Surrounding it are special artworks, including paintings by John Banting<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A wooden sculpture by Brian Willsher, c1965, sits on a plinth. Tony bought it from Myerscough & Mairs in Hastings<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A Regency glazed cabinet accommodates a collection of 18th-century Chinese teapots and blue and white pottery<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A marble-topped 1970s table sourced from Laurence Shaw Antiques in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, and Hans Wegner\u2019s classic Wishbone chairs, bought at auction, create a mid-century feel in this room, which doubles as occasional guest sleeping quarters. Atop the table sits a 1970s sculpture of a Lucite obelisk by Alessio Tasca.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Painted cabinetry and tongue-and-groove walls create a classic country feel in the kitchen<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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This room, which leads on to the couple\u2019s courtyard garden, is a relaxed space. The table is made up of a 1970s base and a painted faux-marble top, complemented by Hans Wegner\u2019s Wishbone chairs. An original poster for French film Le Cercle Rouge, bought in Paris, adds drama to the scheme. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A collection of Fornasetti ceramic pots lends a whimsical air to the kitchen.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The couple turned one of the bedrooms into a book-lined office. They bought the original Charles Eames Lounge chair and footstool at Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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A vibrant blue wall, the paint hue mixed by Tony, is the perfect anchor for a selection of paintings depicting animals<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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The portrait is a Georgian oil painting, c1810. It\u2019s of an unknown gentleman in his library, bought at Newark fair. The chair was bought at a fair in Lincoln for \u00a310 and re-rushed and painted by Tony.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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Tony designed the art studio to include generous vertical windows for maximum light. He also incorporated a 1930s shop door, with cast-iron glazing bars.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n
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By Molly Malsom Published: Monday, 09 May 2022 at 12:00 am Not many people can successfully pair quirky Fornasetti with 18th-century Chinese lacquerwork, or Georgian prints with British surrealist art, but after a career as a set designer and director, Tony has honed his ability to create intriguing tableaux out of the most disparate items. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":10828,"template":"","categories":[1,41],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent.jpg",1600,1199,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent-1024x767.jpg",800,599,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent-1536x1151.jpg",1536,1151,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/05\/a-coastal-georgian-villa-in-kent.jpg",1600,1199,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Molly Malsom Published: Monday, 09 May 2022 at 12:00 am Not many people can successfully pair quirky Fornasetti with 18th-century Chinese lacquerwork, or Georgian prints with British surrealist art, but after a career as a set designer and director, Tony has honed his ability to create intriguing tableaux out of the most disparate items.…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/10827"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}