{"id":17491,"date":"2022-12-06T09:30:56","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T08:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=37642"},"modified":"2022-12-06T10:13:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T09:13:46","slug":"a-maximalist-home-in-east-sussex","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-maximalist-home-in-east-sussex\/","title":{"rendered":"A maximalist home in East Sussex"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Published: Tuesday, 06 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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For designer Anna Hayman, pattern is a way of life. In the 1920s home that she shares with her husband Henry and their two sons, virtually every surface is covered with decorative embellishments. All of the designs are her own and most of them take inspiration from centuries-old motifs. Both Anna\u2019s work and home style are rooted in her fascination with the way patterns emerge and re-emerge from era to era, in slightly different forms and on varying surfaces \u2013 painted onto ceramics<\/a>, woven into rugs or drawn freehand.<\/p>\n

\u2018I became interested in how certain motifs, such as stylised florals, are perennially popular, but reworked to suit the mood of their time,\u2019 she says. She cites the way the designs of William Morris<\/a> (who, in turn, had drawn on influences such as ancient Islamic art) fed into the fluid motifs of art nouveau<\/a>, which then reappeared in other forms in the 1960s and 1970s, notably in Barbara Hulanicki\u2019s shop, Biba. \u2018I can\u2019t imagine a time when there won\u2019t be a place for pattern in our lives,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Anna\u2019s first experience of maximalist interiors was as a teenager, when she visited the home of the late antiques expert Martin Miller (co-founder of Miller\u2019s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide), who was a school friend\u2019s godfather. \u2018His house was like nothing I\u2019d ever seen \u2013 absolutely full of antiques<\/a> and layers of fabrics and pattern. It gave me a taste for the magic of decoration,\u2019 she remembers.<\/p>\n

Anna grew up in a creative family (her father was a woodturner), but she didn\u2019t receive any formal art training. She left school at 16 and worked in the clothes shop Monsoon, which fed her love of fashion but didn\u2019t allow her to express her own creativity. On the side, Anna began customising and selling shoes. \u2018I learned a lot of first-time business mistakes,\u2019 she smiles.<\/p>\n

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It was several years later, after having a family, that Anna realised she missed working. \u2018Having looked after our boys in their early years, my husband said he\u2019d support me while I tried out different artistic media and worked out what I wanted to do.\u2019<\/p>\n

A renowned local crafter and ceramicist, the late Ralph Levy, became her mentor. \u2018He could see that after years of being at home and parenting I needed a creative outlet, so he gave me a studio space and lots of encouragement,\u2019 she says. Printing was one of the first things Anna tried and, from the start, the act of cutting into lino \u2018felt very natural\u2019, she recalls.<\/p>\n

Anna\u2019s style, which began with kitchen textiles and mugs in bold, mid-century colours, soon matured and she began experimenting with more sophisticated motifs and a deeper palette. She now designs clothes, lampshades, cushions and encaustic tiles, and is stocked by Rockett St George, Liberty London and Bergdorf Goodman in New York.<\/p>\n

Anna\u2019s home in East Sussex is not far from Charleston Farmhouse, and she cites the Bloomsbury Group as a key influence on her work, along with Aubrey Beardsley, Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark. Then there\u2019s the house itself, built in 1926, which not only reflects her love of that era but continues to inspire her. \u2018I was instantly drawn to the house: it has history and it\u2019s solid and well-built and works for family life,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

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Anna\u2019s creative hand can be seen in every corner of her home, where the walls are either painted in shades of gold, blue and black, or covered with Biba-style wallpaper. Meanwhile, fringed lampshades and richly patterned textiles are combined with Utility furniture from the 1940s to create a surprisingly exotic mood. Local vintage shops<\/a>, charity shops and car boot fairs have provided much of the furniture and, to these, Anna invariably adds her own twist.<\/p>\n

\u2018There is a fine line between referencing something that gives you inspiration, and pastiche,\u2019 she says. So while the rooms retain their somewhat quaintly crafted, 1920s feel, here and there walls have been painted peacock blue with free-flowing, visible strokes. The kitchen is a glossy black and, at every turn, door frames and skirtings have been scored with gold detailing. In the dining room, a mural creeps across one wall, \u2018the Bloomsbury influence\u2019, she says. \u2018I admire their extravagant approach to decorating.\u2019<\/p>\n

Initially, Anna\u2019s home was her \u2018creative playground\u2019, where she tried out new wallpapers and colours, but now she has a separate studio. \u2018The repainting of walls has slowed down a bit now,\u2019 she laughs, though a recent round of redecoration saw the dining room switch from dark and moody to almost monastic white. \u2018When the children couldn\u2019t see their homework, or the food on their plates, I realised it was time to rethink the black walls\u2026\u2019 she smiles.<\/p>\n