{"id":33165,"date":"2024-04-19T15:34:19","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T13:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/8968501b-ac07-44a3-8eeb-09c9a8986d8f"},"modified":"2024-04-19T16:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T14:36:38","slug":"a-vibrant-georgian-home-imbued-with-african-soul","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-vibrant-georgian-home-imbued-with-african-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"A vibrant Georgian home imbued with African soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paula Goodburn\u2019s South African childhood has left its mark, and the sights and sounds of the country inform all aspects of her design <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 19 April 2024 at 13:34 PM<\/p>

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If Paula Goodburn could bottle up the evocative aromas of South Africa, which she describes as \u2018the mix of red earth warmed by intense sunshine\u2019, she would. For now, the designer, who was born in Johannesburg but moved to Britain when she was five, transports \u2018African soul\u2019 into our homes via Porcupine Rocks, the textile design collective she founded in 2013. Specialising in work by contemporary South African designers, Porcupine Rocks showcases modern prints that are saturated with the vibrant colours of the southern continent.<\/p>

Not surprisingly, colour and print<\/a> play a key role in her vibrant Georgian home, a wide, red-brick rectory next to the village church and framed by smooth lawns and leaning trees \u2013 a vignette that might have come straight from the pages of EM Forster. <\/p>

But while others might have deferred to the history of the house, deploying blowsy chintzes<\/a> and a muted palette for a classic country-house effect, Paula saw the \u2018robust bone structure and wonderful light\u2019 of its Georgian architecture as an opportunity to let loose with \u2018a myriad\u2019 of colourful fabrics, wallpapers<\/a> and paints.<\/p>

\u2018We arrived in West Sussex from London with a treasure chest of belongings gathered from our travels, which sparked the warm, bold feel. It\u2019s a home peppered with our stories,\u2019 says Paula, a former TV producer, who lives here with her husband Damian and their teenagers, Scarlett and Luke. <\/p>

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\u2018We\u2019ve lived here for seven years and I\u2019m forever moving furniture and pictures around \u2013 adjusting the feel of each room, working out how best to use the space. But I do have a formula and a vision of how the house will look. Although the whole family has their say. It\u2019s a collaborative effort.\u2019<\/p>

Colour and print give the house its distinct character. In the kitchen<\/a>, which was converted by previous owners from a Victorian barn, the wallpaper is by Ardmore, a Cape Town-based \u2018discovery\u2019 now represented by Cole & Son. The multi-colourway inspired the \u2018zingy\u2019 lemon paint of the radiators. <\/p>

Yellow also brought the dark larder, which still has its 18th-century storage, to life. The boot room<\/a> is decorated in traditional \u2018back of the house\u2019 colours. \u2018I used three shades of green for the woodwork to trick the eye and soften that blocky feel,\u2019 says Paula.<\/p>

She often combines contrasting prints for upholstery<\/a>. The back of a chair is often overlooked, she explains. \u2018If you add a distinctive fabric it adds an element of surprise when you step into a room for the first time,\u2019 she says, singling out a pair of mid-century eBay chairs, reinvented with fabrics by South African collective Design Team, made using traditional screen-printing methods. <\/p>

She likes the way each has its own story. In one bedroom, the headboard<\/a> is covered with Fabricnation\u2019s version of a classic French toile. Instead of traditional pastoral motifs, Toile du Jozi (the local nickname for Johannesburg) teems with the capital\u2019s taxis, buses and skyscrapers.<\/p>

\u2018The South African design scene is incredibly diverse,\u2019 says Paula. \u2018That\u2019s why I find it so fascinating. On the one hand there are inspiring contemporary creatives \u2013 like Mash T Design Studio. But you still find villages devoted to traditional crafts, such as pottery, basket-making, weaving, wood-carving, using skills handed down over generations.\u2019 <\/p>

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The intricate Zulu beadwork necklaces, chest plates and anklets, which she has collected since she was a teenager, evolved from trading links with Europe. \u2018In the 19th century merchants would swap glass beads for local commodities,\u2019 she says. \u2018You can date the pieces by the beads, the later larger ones are made from plastic beads.\u2019<\/p>