{"id":12483,"date":"2022-06-24T11:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-06-24T09:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2022-06-24T11:16:12","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T09:16:12","slug":"an-18th-century-townhouse-decorated-with-old-and-new","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/an-18th-century-townhouse-decorated-with-old-and-new\/","title":{"rendered":"An 18th-century townhouse decorated with old and new"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Joe Feehily\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 24 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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\u2018Can we keep it?\u2019 <\/span>asks John Hall of the rather handsome late 17th-century Welsh oak table that sits in his and partner Robert Hirschhorn\u2019s sitting room. The table is one of their favourite pieces in their home but, alas, as Robert and John are dealers in antique country furniture, it is not for keeps.<\/p>\n

The couple deal from home, which \u2013 despite the occasional heartache of having to sell a beloved piece \u2013 is not without its perks. The commute consists of travelling up three flights of stairs (\u2018I don\u2019t need to get any other exercise,\u2019 jokes John) and they have the pleasure of living with pieces that they\u2019re both so passionate about.<\/p>\n

After running an antiques shop<\/a> in London for 10 years, Robert decided to go it alone in 1989, with John joining him in the business. Robert is from New Jersey and John from Christchurch, New Zealand. Robert moved to England in 1975 to study art history, while John decided to move here in 1980, drawn to the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

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Initially, they regularly exhibited at antiques fairs<\/a> but they never wanted to own their own shop, preferring instead to display their pieces by appointment in their home. Commuting jokes aside, you can see why. It would be hard to walk into the space and not crave a slice of its quiet elegance for yourself.<\/p>\n

The four-floor, 18th-century town house was originally owned, says John, by a Huguenot family. \u2018Middling people would have lived here. It was never grand but always comfortable,\u2019 he says. \u2018I\u2019ve traced the entire lifecycle of a family who lived here in the early to mid 19th century. It gives the feeling of connectedness. We\u2019re all temporary in these places. All we can do is add our own layer to the history and then someone new can take over.\u2019<\/p>\n

John and Robert\u2019s \u2018layer\u2019 involved removing the \u2018whiff of 1980s bling\u2019 that had crept in, sorting out the dodgy cabling and pipes that wound their way throughout the interior, and introducing a soothing paint scheme of varying shades of off-white. \u2018When we decorated, it wasn\u2019t about recreating an authentic 18th-century interior by using the vivid colours of that era,\u2019 says Robert. \u2018Instead, we wanted to create a contemporary scheme that would respect the house. The background has to complement the objects within it and we find that this palette does just that.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The objects in question \u2013 country pieces dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, cheery folk art<\/a>, spongeware and simple pottery \u2013 were always going to take centre stage in their home. While formal antiques can be tricky to pull off outside of the context of a grand pad, the items favoured by John and Robert are of a different ilk. There are no elaborate carvings or fussy ornamentation here.<\/p>\n

\u2018Country furniture is the easiest furniture to live with,\u2019 says John. \u2018Being craftsman-designed, you can see the maker\u2019s hand at work and it\u2019s robust, having already lasted 250 years.\u2019 There are surprises, too. The couple don\u2019t shy away from contemporary pieces and love teaming works by new designer-makers with items 200 years their senior. \u2018It leavens the antiques,\u2019 says Robert. \u2018Instead of a traditional, static look, mixing in new pieces creates a tension between the modern and the old. It makes the overall look much more interesting.\u2019<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t sound like there are many disputes over what to buy in this household but, when that does happen, they have an agreement. \u2018If one of us says \u201cthat\u2019s not quite right for us\u201d, the other will accept that straight away. If you have to convince the other, you shouldn\u2019t be having it,\u2019 says John.<\/p>\n

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When asked if they have any further plans for the house, there is talk of extending into the garden<\/a> but there\u2019s the sense that, for Robert and John, living here isn\u2019t about creating more space or improving on value. The connection goes much deeper. \u2018Someone once said to me, \u201cWe\u2019re just custodians of our homes,\u201d and I feel that with this house,\u2019 says Robert. \u2018What we\u2019ve tried to do is to bring it back to its original state, respect its integrity and conserve it for the future. It\u2019s 240 years old this year. I hope it\u2019ll still be here in another 240 years.\u2019<\/p>\n