Home Style: Natural History

Thursday, 29 August 2024 16:24

A luminous seaside house is a showcase for a collection of fabrics and wallpapers highlighting the decorative qualities of flora and fauna

When Suki Showering decided to move home in 2019, she concentrated her search on Hove, the slightly more tranquil residential area adjoining the lively coastal resort of Brighton. “I was born in Hove and lived here until I was 11 and had many happy memories of spending days by the sea or going for long walks across the South Downs. Whilst Hove has plenty to offer, the bright lights of Brighton are just down the road, so I knew I’d never be short of things to do and see. I searched on the internet to see what was on the market and made arrangements to view several properties.ˮ

With three grown-up children and a growing phalanx of grandchildren, Suki required spacious accommodation for their weekend visits. “This was one of the first houses I saw. It had six bedrooms, as well as a generous garden, but it felt like a house in the country, although the beach is just across the road and it’s a five-minute walk to the shops. Whilst the estate agent was showing me around, I’d noticed framed photographs of somebody I’d met whilst doing my Masters. It turned out that the house was indeed hers so later that same evening I gave her a call and said I’d love to buy the house if we could complete the deal within five weeks as I had to be out of my flat. Five weeks later I moved in.ˮ Suki recalled.

Part of the property’s appeal was that Suki’s erstwhile friend had modernised and extended it sensitively without destroying the character of the detached 1930s property. “Unusually for a house of that period it had a distinct Arts & Crafts style with a beamed sitting room and hall, but it felt light, spacious and airy with doors into the garden from both the dining room and kitchen. The sitting room with wood- burning stove at one end is open to the adjoining kitchen, giving the main living area a contemporary open plan look which I really liked.ˮ

At the far end of the garden there is a useful home office that Suki envisaged being an occasional retreat from the high-spirited antics of small children. It has proved to be a welcome sanctuary over the years, especially during the pandemic, it got a lot of use.

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Having found her Sussex home, Suki set about sourcing decorative pieces in the antique shops and galleries from one end of the county to the other. “It is a beautiful county, and the towns are without doubt some of the most picturesque so I always look forward to my expeditions. Hastings is a treasure trove of quirky, characterful shops and galleries and it’s only another few miles on to Rye, where I often continue on to see what’s new there. Arundel is always worth a visit, a treasure trove of antique and independent shops and I love Lewes for a Sunday morning stroll; I start by browsing around the various dealers in Cliffe High Street and then I might have a look in the shops in the High Street. Even nearer to home I’m spoilt for choice!ˮ

Suki’s daughter Eloise is a designer of wallpapers and fabrics so designs from the Eloise Home collections have been incorporated into the decorative scheme. Suki explained, “Some parts of the house – such as the hall with the striking black and white painted floor have remained largely unchanged. The walls of the kitchen were pale pink when I moved in, and I simply repainted them in the same colour because it suited the room so well. Similarly, the blue sitting room and the study next door have stayed the same, but Eloise’s ‘Pinecone’ fabric design adds pattern and interest to the sofas in both rooms. I chose ‘Foxglove’, which is also from Eloise’s collection to soften the look in the kitchen, with the pink and green colourway linking the inside with the garden beyond. What had been a games room for my friend’s sons is now my dining room with walls papered in a striking design called ‘Pumpkin.’ My talented daughter designed it especially for the room and its now part of her collection. I’ve always made a feature of colour and pattern in my homes, which is maybe how both have come to play such an important part in Eloise’s life.ˮ

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As a child, Eloise spent hours mixing paints to make vibrant colours, a skill set put to good use in her designs today. Later, instead of studying for A Levels she did a two-year BTEC in Art & Design. Eloise recalled, “It was hard persuading my parents to let me give up on A Levels but all twelve students on my course are still good friends and we all work in art or design, so it got us off to a good start. I went on to do a degree in Marketing & Advertising and later a Masters in Art Curation at Chelsea College of Art after which I worked for a top end furniture design company.

When lockdown came along, I seized the opportunity to create a collection of designs of fabrics and wallpapers. Stanley my Tibetan terrier and I came down here to Hove, where I worked on the collection in the garden room. We went for endless walks along the seashore and up on the Downs and those aspects of nature that I came across every day such as shells, flowers, birds and pinecones inspired the designs. Then came the process
of sourcing the best materials, finding the right people to print it and then expert makers to transform the fabric into lampshades, quilts, headboards, cushions or whatever clients want. It’s full-on running my own business but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else except maybe getting started
on the next collection – there’s no shortage of natural history to provide inspiration!ˮ

www.eloisehome.com

Photography: Andreas von Einsiedel/Living4media

Words: Amanda Harling/Living4media

Home Style: Natural History

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