Home Style: Bright & Beautiful

This 19th-century Hastings villa has been imbued with brilliant colour, fascinating collections and unique pieces, all of which reflect the lives and interests of its creative owners

"I suppose I would describe my approach to decorating as slightly haphazard,” laughed Susan as she sums up the bold, eclectic and creative décor of the unique Victorian villa in Hastings which she shares with her husband, Julian. 

Haphazard or not, it works: every room of their stylish four-storey house is a tapestry of colour and pattern, clever combinations and unexpected elements, all of which illustrate a lifetime of travel, creativity and influences. 

“I’ve always had strong opinions on style, be it fashion or interiors,” Susan admitted. “When I was a student in London more than 50 years’ ago, I loved vintage clothing from the 1920s to the 1950s and would seek out authentic pieces in places like Portobello Market. Not only were they cheap back then, but they were also unique: I’ve always liked things that are a bit different, and I loved imagining the ‘lives’ of those clothes before they belonged to me.” 

Her love for vintage clothing gradually extended to ‘bits and pieces’ for the home, too. “My career in the music business saw me living in Hamburg for a time, and one evening every month any household that wanted to get rid of items would put them on the street so people could help themselves,” she recalled. “Sometimes, I’d come across wonderful vintage pieces that were often overlooked. While I was in Germany, I also started to collect lovely little pieces of delicately coloured crystal glassware, that would have been on a dressing table for trinkets back in the day. I thought they were beautiful, even if nobody else was particularly interested!” 

Living in Germany also helped establish Susan’s individual design aesthetic. “In the main, the décor there was so beige and restrained at that time,” she recalled. “It didn’t suit my sensibilities at all, so I went in the opposite direction altogether – I think we call it maximalism now!” 

Luckily, Julian is also an advocate of the ‘more is more’ approach to decor, and over the years the couple have picked up much-loved pieces in far-flung spots all over the world, from flea markets and brocantes to antique emporiums and auctions, souks, junk shops, car boot sales and more. 

“We tend to buy what we fancy rather than adhere to a particular look – it’s more about choosing items and souvenirs that evoke memories and a sense of place,” explained Susan. 

“Over the years, we have gradually collected or inherited certain items that all mean something: even now, my favourite pieceis a crocodile made from snakeskin that my father brought back from his time in West Africa during the second World War. It sitson the mantelpiece with various other pieces we love. Somehow, all these items and colours seem to work together...” 

They do indeed, threading beautifully through the 19th-century villa in Hastings which the couple moved to having decided it was time to relocate from London. 

“When we were looking for a property, Julian kept driving past this house thinking how nice it was, but we never thought we’d have the chance to live in it,” Susan remembered. “But one day when we were on holiday, a friend let us know it was up for sale, and we didn’t hesitate: a few months later, it was ours.” 

Their new home, they quickly discovered, had a fascinating past. “The family who built it had originally lived in the smaller house attached to one side,” Susan explained. “They had an extensive plant nursery and were market gardeners; the business became so successful, they built this much bigger property next to it. In fact, there was once a door connecting both houses – you can still see the outline in the one next door.” 

The front of the property with its encaustic tiled pathway and classic architecture is elegant and restrained, but the back elevation is surprisingly different. Here a vision has been created; with charming verandas, steps and storeys rambling from a lower floor to attic rooms and even a wood-clad potting shed tucked in to one side. At one time, the garden was given over to greenhouses that ran all the way down to the River Bourne which once supplied all the water for the town. Today, it still retains the rustic brick pathways and raised beds that the original owners created. 

Susan and Julian are only the third owners of the house, and have approached its renovation with care and consideration, living in it for a year before any major work took place. “The bones were good with lovely big rooms and many original features still intact, but we wanted to make the overall space work better for the way we live,” said Susan. 

They eventually decided to reconfigure some of the layout, most notably relocating the kitchen which originally led off the entrance hall, to the villa’s lower floor. “We decided that as this floor didn’t have any original features, we wouldn’t force it,” Susan explained. Indeed, the contemporary kitchen design in a Mondrian-inspired colour palette of blue, green, red and yellow is in striking contrast to the rest of the house. The scheme is harnessed by Susan’s bold display of vintage Poole Pottery on the wall, which she was first introduced to by her mother-in-law. “I love their bright colours and patterns. It’s always a thrill when I come across a piece unexpectedly!” 

The couple’s confident approach to decor has served both them – and the house – well. “Of course, it’s important to respect a property’s heritage and original features, but that doesn’t mean you have to conform to a particular style or existing layout,” Susan said. “We’ve made this our own home, and no doubt the people who live here in the future will do exactly the same. I just hope they don’t paint it beige!” 

Photography: Richard Gadsby/Living4media 

Words: Sharon Parsons/Living4media