{"id":12527,"date":"2022-07-04T09:30:48","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T07:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=32001"},"modified":"2022-07-04T10:01:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T08:01:12","slug":"a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"A 1930s home with a contrast of designs"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Jo Leevers\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 04 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Samantha and Dougie Bruce\u2019s home in Royal Tunbridge Wells is a masterclass in laid-back luxury. The house twinkles with super-sized fairground illuminations and pretty chandeliers; seating ranges from sleek mid-century chairs<\/a> to the enveloping comfort of a huge Togo sofa<\/a> from Ligne Roset; the walls are hung with contemporary art and, just to keep the mix happy and unpredictable, the odd piece of winsome taxidermy<\/a> peeps out from unexpected places.<\/p>\n

But Samantha resists the temptation to overcrowd her rooms. \u2018I prefer to display a few really good pieces, so they stand out and can be appreciated properly,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n

Samantha owns In House Junkie<\/a>, an antiques and interiors shop<\/a> in St Leonards on Sea, which specialises in quirky and glamorous pieces that she sources from antiques markets in Europe and the UK. \u2018I\u2019ve always been a rummager and I love it when I spot a diamond among the junk,\u2019 she says, gesturing to her latest find, a Sixties table lamp with a golden-orbed stem, \u2018definitely a keeper\u2019.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> the best brocantes in France<\/a><\/p>\n

Although most of what she buys is for her shop, she can never resist keeping a few of her favourite finds for herself. Which is not surprising, as shop and home share a similar aesthetic: beautiful pieces from previous eras mixed with canvases by contemporary artists that hint at a darker side.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m drawn to pieces with something unexpected beneath the surface,\u2019 she says, and her newest acquisition, a painting by Rachel Glittenberg that hangs in the dining area, is no exception. \u2018I love its dream-like atmosphere,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Buying art that\u2019s ahead of the curve chimes with Samantha\u2019s love of spotting gems at antiques markets<\/a>, although sometimes the antiques are hard won. On one bitterly cold trip to Saint-Ouen, Paris\u2019s famous flea market, her car was broken into. \u2018It was one of those winter mornings when it\u2019s almost too cold to think, and the market wasn\u2019t great,\u2019 she remembers.<\/p>\n

\u2018But I\u2019d found some good bits, including a French brass wall light and an ostrich egg lamp. I packed them in the car while I went on to the next area, then returned to find them gone. I was gutted.\u2019 The thieves had overlooked one of her best finds, though: some Italian Lucite resin lights. \u2018Maybe they thought they were plastic. I don\u2019t think they were very discerning,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
The knocked-through living space contains kitchen, dining and seating areas. The sleek island is made from Ikea kitchen carcasses with a Carrara marble worktop and doors from Superfront. Samantha had the Kimono floor tiles by Marrakech Design cut into the wooden flooring for a seamless finish. The seating area is defined by the spectacular, deep pink Ligne Roset sofa. \u2018Once you\u2019re enveloped in it, you never want to get up,\u2019 says Samantha. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
Samantha in front of a painting by Rachel Glittenberg, which is next to a French, Sixties brass palm leaf floor lamp. Samantha Bruce, who runs In House Junkie\n(inhousejunkie.com), lives her with her husband Dougie, Director of a global events company, and daughters Tippi-Rose (9) and Maddie (11).<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
Quirky details abound, including vintage shop signage and neon lights.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
Classic Eames DSR chairs surround the Saarinen-style table.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
\u00a0The sleek herringbone tiling on the chimney breast in the living room provides an unexpected contrast to an old French mirror.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
In the study, a pair of mid-century Italian chairs were reupholstered in a warm pink velvet, similar to the sumptuous Togo sofa in the living room.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSamantha\u2019s home, with its two-tone hallway and large kitchen-diner at the back of the house, is the perfect platform for the pieces she decides to keep. But the Thirties property has come a long way since the couple moved in. \u2018When we bought this place, it felt depressingly old-fashioned. There was an arched brickwork fireplace<\/a> and lots of wall-to-wall carpet, which hid parquet flooring in the hall,\u2019 she says. \u2018The parquet stayed, but not much else.\u2019\n

Samantha oversaw knocking through the skinny kitchen and living room at the back, adding an interesting detail at floor level, where the kitchen floor tiles meet the floorboards. \u2018I wanted a cut-in effect rather than a hard line slicing the room down the middle,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

In the hallway, however, there is crisp division at work. Walls are painted white above the dado rail and in Railings by Farrow & Ball<\/a> below, the effect flowing across doors and frames. \u2018I felt the need to do something radically different from the previous fusty decor,\u2019 she explains.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> a moody Victorian flat filled with art and antiques<\/a><\/p>\n

The dark mood of the hallway is balanced by brighter shades in the living spaces, most dramatically in the shape of a luxuriously quilted Togo sofa. \u2018We needed a shot of colour and this raspberry velvet is just the job,\u2019 she says. Samantha originally trained in fashion, but always did up houses on the side.<\/p>\n

She later switched to interiors, initially working for a design agency that specialised in fitting out hotels and restaurants before setting up on her own. These days, however, she concentrates on running her shop. \u2018I prefer to source things that will give people their own inspiration, rather than doing it all for them,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Her shop on Norman Road is a popular destination for set designers, as well as homeowners in search of something unusual. \u2018Whether people are buying for their own home or to provide authenticity to a film set, it\u2019s lovely to offer something a little bit special that captures their imagination.\u2019<\/p>\n

\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
An antique taxidermy deer sits at the foot of the stairs. It is one of several similar pieces placed in unexpected spots around the house. The walls below the dado rail are painted in Railings by Farrow & Ball.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
Marble tiles set into the floor, flush with the floorboards, create a \u2018mat\u2019 on which the spectacular copper bath sits. Samantha stores her shoes on an old ladder that leans against the wall. The neon sign is a favourite find from an antiques fair. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
The bathroom walls are tiled floor to ceiling, providing a retro-style backdrop for the vintage cosmetic display props. <\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
Vintage cosmetics are displayed in the bathroom.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
The vintage note in Tippi-Rose\u2019s bedroom came from a fellow antiques dealer. The bed is from Eras of Style and the pretty pink wallpaper is Rousseau by Cole & Son.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Sam's\"<\/picture><\/div>
One wall in the master bedroom is papered with a design by Deborah Bowness, the bed is Vivaldi by Stuart Jones, and the bedside tables were from a junk shop in Hastings.<\/span> <\/figcaption> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n
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By Jo Leevers Published: Monday, 04 July 2022 at 12:00 am Samantha and Dougie Bruce\u2019s home in Royal Tunbridge Wells is a masterclass in laid-back luxury. The house twinkles with super-sized fairground illuminations and pretty chandeliers; seating ranges from sleek mid-century chairs to the enveloping comfort of a huge Togo sofa from Ligne Roset; the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":12528,"template":"","categories":[1,41],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs.jpg",1600,1100,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs-300x206.jpg",300,206,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs-768x528.jpg",768,528,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs-1024x704.jpg",800,550,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs-1536x1056.jpg",1536,1056,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2022\/07\/a-1930s-home-with-a-contrast-of-designs.jpg",1600,1100,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 Jo Leevers Published: Monday, 04 July 2022 at 12:00 am Samantha and Dougie Bruce\u2019s home in Royal Tunbridge Wells is a masterclass in laid-back luxury. The house twinkles with super-sized fairground illuminations and pretty chandeliers; seating ranges from sleek mid-century chairs to the enveloping comfort of a huge Togo sofa from Ligne Roset; the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/12527"}],"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\/12528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}