{"id":18186,"date":"2023-01-22T09:30:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-22T08:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=38864"},"modified":"2023-01-22T10:36:38","modified_gmt":"2023-01-22T09:36:38","slug":"a-moody-victorian-house-filled-with-reclaimed-materials","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-moody-victorian-house-filled-with-reclaimed-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"A moody Victorian house filled with reclaimed materials"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Katie Pike\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 22 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Candles flicker against the darkest grey walls, chains of ivy are draped from exposed whitewashed brick and a handcrafted bird\u2019s nest decoration is suspended from the ceiling. Stepping into artist Jude Wisdom\u2019s home is a little like discovering another, far more magical world \u2013 the atmosphere more woodland idyll than Victorian terrace.<\/p>\n

What helps make the home so unique is Jude\u2019s preference for living \u2013 as much as possible \u2013 without natural light. For someone so warm, funny and self-effacing, this love of the dark is perhaps rather unexpected. \u2018I must be one of the five per cent of the population who seek out dark and cosy places,\u2019 she laughs.<\/p>\n

\u2018One of my friends jokes that we\u2019re troglodytes, but that\u2019s how we like it \u2013 my husband, Luther, is happy as long as he\u2019s warm, and our three children don\u2019t know any different. It sounds bonkers but living with the shutters closed means that I can imagine I\u2019m anywhere in the world. At the moment I like to fantasise that we\u2019re living above a cafe in Florence<\/a>!\u2019<\/p>\n

Jude, Luther and their son Jack moved to the Victorian house over two decades ago. Luther had visited it a couple of years before it came up for sale while buying a homeopathic remedy for Jude (who was pregnant with their daughter, Daisy) from the lady who lived there at the time.<\/p>\n

\u2018He\u2019s not normally one to pick up on the atmosphere of a place but he came home saying what a lovely feel it had. When it came on the market we managed to pull some pennies together to buy it because, although it isn\u2019t particularly beautiful, it has a good aura. Now I couldn\u2019t imagine living anywhere else. It\u2019s home.\u2019<\/p>\n

Since moving in, Jude and Luther\u2019s work on the house has been minimal. Although their structural survey told them that the kitchen was falling down, they decided instead to live with the dishevelled look and it\u2019s still standing today. Brick walls have been exposed here and there, the downstairs was opened up by removing a wall, shutters were fitted and walls painted in a soft palette \u2013 with subtle murals hinting at the owner\u2019s artistic talent.<\/p>\n

Jude describes her style with a chuckle: \u2018it\u2019s Amish gone rogue!\u2019 There\u2019s an emphasis on natural materials, furniture with excellent patina<\/a> and everywhere you look there\u2019s a curious item that begs questions. \u2018I wouldn\u2019t be happy living somewhere swanky or grandiose. Bling makes me feel slightly ill \u2013 I feel uncomfortable with it,\u2019 she says. When it comes to shopping for homewares, she keeps her eyes peeled for items that are \u2018quiet\u2019 and fit her favoured muted colour palette.<\/p>\n

\u2018I find reclamation yards<\/a> and many flea markets quite overwhelming. I much prefer to look at an edited selection of things. I tend to buy pieces on our travels to Marrakesh and Italy and from my friend Dawn\u2019s stall, The Curious Flea, at the Saturday flea market on Walcot Street, Bath. We go there every week with our badly behaved dog and I can guarantee that Dawn will have something that I love. Most of our homewares have been bought from her over the years.\u2019<\/p>\n

Jude\u2019s focused eye means that, while pieces span the centuries and continents, nothing jars. Her home is a lesson in creating an individual yet cohesive look. \u2018Visually, I could go off on one. I can completely see that temptation but I think that, as you get older, you realise what your limitations are and what works for you.\u2019 What also sets the interior apart is the mostly unframed artwork that is casually pinned to the walls and wedged into mirror frames.<\/p>\n

Aside from botanical prints<\/a> pulled from vintage books<\/a>, most of the art was created by Jude, who works in a na\u00efve style and favours folklore subjects \u2013 lions, boats and trees crop up a lot. \u2018Even though there are so many artworks that I see and really like, I tend not to display them as my brain can\u2019t settle. I find it too visually disturbing. In a way, leaves, twigs and branches from the garden are more calming than actual art to me \u2013 which is why I bring them inside,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

When the days are at their darkest, Jude\u2019s home comes alive. She admits that she doesn\u2019t go all out at Christmas<\/a> but instead dresses the house how she would for a party. \u2018I\u2019m basically a Victorian trapped in a modern woman\u2019s body \u2013 I like to gather ivy and berries and deck the halls with a load of greenery and candles. We try to replicate the seasons, which is what they did in Victorian times. I really like that aesthetic,\u2019 she says. \u2018The more greenery you have in the house, the better.\u2019<\/p>\n