{"id":20980,"date":"2023-05-04T09:30:02","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T07:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=42781"},"modified":"2023-05-04T09:36:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T07:36:42","slug":"a-victorian-home-in-bristol-filled-with-art-and-antiques","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-victorian-home-in-bristol-filled-with-art-and-antiques\/","title":{"rendered":"A Victorian home in Bristol filled with art and antiques"},"content":{"rendered":"

Otto Martin has always been inspired by the atmospheric interiors of historic houses, which his own home, filled with a lifetime\u2019s worth of antiques and art, shows. Photographs Huntley Hedworth <\/p>

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

Published: Thursday, 04 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Not many people could say that, on moving into a new home, they could bring with them and incorporate a 19th-century fireplace surround, exterior door complete with stained glass panelling from the same period, and a set of old French bathroom<\/a> tiles.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s even less likely that, once in situ, these items would fit and also look as if they had always belonged. But Otto Martin, who bought these pieces years before moving into his 1900s home in Bristol, felt certain that they would come in handy one day. \u2018I\u2019m always buying second-hand pieces. My rule is, if you like something, and it\u2019s a good price \u2013 buy it.\u2019<\/p>\n

These aren\u2019t Otto\u2019s only criteria for buying though. Over the years he\u2019s discovered what he likes, and what he doesn\u2019t; his eye honed by trips to Britain\u2019s most intriguing properties, from A la Ronde<\/a> in Devon to Calke Abbey in Derbyshire.<\/p>\n

\u2018I love the eccentric and eclectic mix of objects at A la Ronde and was inspired by its muted paint tones. And, on a grander scale, I also admire Calke Abbey \u2013 it was taken over by the National Trust when it was in a semi-derelict state and, although the Trust made it watertight, it has been kept largely as it was found. I love its \u201csettled in\u201d look. Here, rather than buying things especially for certain rooms, objects tend to just arrive. I\u2019ve always liked the shabby, slightly lived-in look.\u2019<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> a quirky, theatrical home in Bristol<\/a><\/p>\n

Photographs of historic interiors have provided decorating pointers, too. The blue hue on the kitchen walls, for example, was commonly used in 19th-century kitchens<\/a>, as it was believed to discourage flies. \u2018I can tell you that it\u2019s not true,\u2019 laughs Otto.<\/p>\n

Throughout his home, he\u2019s been committed to keeping things as close to how they would have been when the house was built as possible. The kitchen is unfitted (\u2018I\u2019ve got a thing about cupboards in kitchens and avoid them as much as possible\u2019), the old scullery \u2013 with its original floor tiles<\/a> \u2013 is still in use and Otto even managed to replace the 1930s fireplace in the back room with a period design that came from one of the other houses on the street.<\/p>\n

So acute is his attention to detail \u2013 and flair for creative embellishment \u2013 that even the books in the front room have been re-covered in jackets designed and printed by Otto himself.<\/p>\n

It was the building\u2019s \u2018bones\u2019 that initially attracted Otto to this house, which he viewed after several years of what sometimes felt like a futile search. \u2018They say that you know within seconds if it\u2019s the right place for you. That happened here. I spotted the stained glass in the front hallway as soon as I walked through the door and thought \u201cI like this place\u201d.<\/p>\n

It also had its original layout and, although it needed work, it wouldn\u2019t involve undoing modernisations.\u2019 It helped that the house had only had five owners since it was sold in 1900 for \u00a3120, and the last owners prior to Otto had been two sisters who had spent very little on it.<\/p>\n

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Otto has always been drawn to period properties and, while his parents were marvelling over mid-century<\/a> Scandinavian furniture, he was fascinated by dark Victorian interiors. \u2018In a way, I reacted against the popular styles of the 1950s and 60s. I didn\u2019t dislike it, but there was something else that I wanted instead. I remember going to a neighbour\u2019s grandparents\u2019 home and it being dark and filled with Victorian furniture. It fascinated me and I always wanted to recreate that look.\u2019<\/p>\n

As a result, he gradually started acquiring pieces, many of which he still has on display in his home today. On the mantelpiece in the back sitting room is a Victorian Staffordshire figure<\/a> that he bought at a jumble sale when he was seven years old, while the Morris & Co rush-seat chairs were purchased when he was a student in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Other pieces, such as the Second World War Utility kitchen table and early to mid 19th-century plates hanging in the back sitting room, belonged to his parents and his grandmother respectively.<\/p>\n

Otto never likes to spend much on pieces, seeking out items from charity and junk shops. His house is testament to the adage that you don\u2019t need to spend a great deal to create an individual home, filled with character and intrigue.<\/p>\n

This could well be thanks to his belief that you shouldn\u2019t buy pieces because you think that they\u2019ll retain their value, but simply, \u2018because you love them and think that you\u2019ll have them forever.\u2019 Which seems like sound advice to follow indeed.<\/p>\n

\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
In Otto\u2019s back sitting room, he\u2019s suspended pictures from the picture rail using chains to achieve a stately home feel. The three early to mid 19th-century plates on the wall belonged to his grandmother, while the silk from the same era, originating from Macclesfield, belonged to his mother.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Otto found the fireplace sitting outside one of the houses on his street. He recently created the marbling effect on it. The papier m\u00e2ch\u00e9 shells are thought to be bonbon dishes from the 19th century and the chair is a William Morris & Co design. Otto\u2019s first-ever antique purchase \u2013 a Staffordshire sheep \u2013 has pride of place on the mantelpiece.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
\u2018The Chinese figures are gravestone rubbings \u2013 they would be given to relatives who were unable to visit the graves of the deceased. The graves could be a few hundred years old but the rubbings date from the 1930s,\u2019 says Otto.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Otto Martin lives here with his partner Simon. Otto works as a freelance interior designer and consultant. He moved into this 1900s house in north Bristol in 1985. Downstairs there are two sitting rooms, a kitchen with scullery and a conservatory. Upstairs there\u2019s a guest bedroom, office and bathroom with the master bedroom in a loft extension above.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The late 17th or early 18th-century monochrome engravings in the front sitting room depict historic events, such as the beheading of Charles I. They were bought for a song from an antiques shop. The sofa was bought from David Peterkin at Focus on the Past in Bristol, while the 19th-century chairs were all bought inexpensively over the years.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Otto painted the kitchen and scullery in a vibrant shade of blue that he mixed himself. The table is wartime Utility and was owned by his parents. The artwork hanging above it was painted by his father while Otto made the shelves. A collection of lustreware is displayed over the door.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Otto found the sink in the scullery at a reclamation yard, and the shelves were here when he moved in. The drainer was bought from David Peterkin at Focus on the Past.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The shell mirror in the bathroom was inspired by the Shell Gallery at A la Ronde and was actually found in two pieces in a dustbin.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The early 20th-century bedstead in the guest bedroom is one of Otto\u2019s bargains \u2013 bought for just \u00a325 at Wot Not. The bedspread was made from a pair of 19th-century French linen curtains, bought in a charity shop.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The fireplace is original to the house while most of the prints surrounding the mirror are 18th-century and are by Angelica Kauffman. The lower two are 19th-century and are by George Morland. The chair is by Morris & Co.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Huntley Hedworth<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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