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GEORGIAN SPLENDOUR
Just weeks after Stephanie and Steven Cole finished renovating their Grade II-listed house in Bristol, Steven found himself with ten minutes to spare before a dentist's appointment in Bath. Casually glancing at property details in an estate agent's window, he noticed a house for sale in Royal Crescent.
Built in the 1770s, the Crescent, a magnificent sweeping terrace of Palladian houses, is recognised as one of the architectural masterpieces of Europe. And the thought of owning one of the Grade-I listed houses proved irresistible to the Coles. There are only four or five family homes in the Crescent; other properties include a hotel and a museum. “Steven and I still find it hard to believe we were fortunate enough to buy one of the most coveted and beautiful houses in Bath,” says Stephanie.
The property, which had been owned by an 80-year-old couple who had lived there for 30 to 40 years, needed major restoration. As work on listed buildings is strictly controlled by both the council and English Heritage, Stephanie and Steven found a local architect with experience of restoring listed buildings and who was also happy to become involved with the interior design. Enter Alexander Wright, who has overseen work on the house since the Coles moved in during 1999 with their children, Cameron, six, and Jodie, four.
“Although the house had been previously partitioned off into three separate maisonettes, the original structure and Georgian features – such as elegant panelled doors, the exquisite plasterwork cornices and the ceiling roses – remained intact,” says Alexander.
He set about removing the recent alterations and the Coles moved around from floor to floor during the four years the builders worked on the house. The inconvenience of “living on site” was worthwhile. “We wanted to get a real feel for the house,” says Stephanie, “Although we'd learned a lot by doing up our Bristol home, our ideas didn't turn out to be perfect. This time we were determined to get everything exactly right and the results are certainly just what we'd hoped for.”
Despite Steven and Stephanie's determination to preserve or restore the Georgian features, a traditional look for the finished house was never an option as they both prefer modern fabrics and furniture. “Our aim was to make the house look stunning but also to be comfortable. We decided to have virtually all the furniture custom-made to get the look we wanted.”
Alexander wisely steered away from cutting-edge interior design in glass and steel and instead concentrated on natural materials, such as wood, marble and limestone for the flooring, and cotton, linen and silk for furnishings. Lesley Higgins, who was responsible for the furnishings in the Coles' Bristol home, advised Stephanie on the fabrics and made the curtains and soft furnishings for every room, which was no mean feat in a five-storey house with vast floor-to-ceiling windows.
Most of the colours chosen for the walls of the graceful, high-ceilinged rooms are muted, neutral shades that emphasise the feeling of space and light and provide a calm backdrop to the clean lines and subtle colours of the furniture. Just how well this design philosophy works is apparent in the first-floor sitting room, where pale lilac-grey washed walls and a pale-lilac carpet act as a foil to the lavender and deep aubergine fabrics on the sofas and armchairs.
Both self-confessed impulse buyers and keen travellers, Stephanie and Steven developed their love of modern American furniture during two happy years living in New York. This influenced their choice of the beautifully crafted sycamore and maple furniture, with echoes of Art Deco style, in the main bedroom. Its warm tones complement the room's autumnal colours, making it Stephanie's favourite room and proving that, with vision and respect, there can be a successful marriage between Georgian architectural features and contemporary interiors.
The kitchen on the ground floor, the first-floor sitting room and the main bedroom on the second floor are all positioned at the front of the south-facing house, so are gloriously light with ravishing views across swathes of green parkland to the River Avon. But then you'd expect nothing less from such an exqusite landmark house.
WORDS IOLA BRENARD
PHOTOGRAPHS DAVID PARMITER
STYLING KATRIN CARGILL
APRIL 2004
Built in the 1770s, the Crescent, a magnificent sweeping terrace of Palladian houses, is recognised as one of the architectural masterpieces of Europe. And the thought of owning one of the Grade-I listed houses proved irresistible to the Coles. There are only four or five family homes in the Crescent; other properties include a hotel and a museum. “Steven and I still find it hard to believe we were fortunate enough to buy one of the most coveted and beautiful houses in Bath,” says Stephanie.
The property, which had been owned by an 80-year-old couple who had lived there for 30 to 40 years, needed major restoration. As work on listed buildings is strictly controlled by both the council and English Heritage, Stephanie and Steven found a local architect with experience of restoring listed buildings and who was also happy to become involved with the interior design. Enter Alexander Wright, who has overseen work on the house since the Coles moved in during 1999 with their children, Cameron, six, and Jodie, four.
“Although the house had been previously partitioned off into three separate maisonettes, the original structure and Georgian features – such as elegant panelled doors, the exquisite plasterwork cornices and the ceiling roses – remained intact,” says Alexander.
He set about removing the recent alterations and the Coles moved around from floor to floor during the four years the builders worked on the house. The inconvenience of “living on site” was worthwhile. “We wanted to get a real feel for the house,” says Stephanie, “Although we'd learned a lot by doing up our Bristol home, our ideas didn't turn out to be perfect. This time we were determined to get everything exactly right and the results are certainly just what we'd hoped for.”
Despite Steven and Stephanie's determination to preserve or restore the Georgian features, a traditional look for the finished house was never an option as they both prefer modern fabrics and furniture. “Our aim was to make the house look stunning but also to be comfortable. We decided to have virtually all the furniture custom-made to get the look we wanted.”
Alexander wisely steered away from cutting-edge interior design in glass and steel and instead concentrated on natural materials, such as wood, marble and limestone for the flooring, and cotton, linen and silk for furnishings. Lesley Higgins, who was responsible for the furnishings in the Coles' Bristol home, advised Stephanie on the fabrics and made the curtains and soft furnishings for every room, which was no mean feat in a five-storey house with vast floor-to-ceiling windows.
Most of the colours chosen for the walls of the graceful, high-ceilinged rooms are muted, neutral shades that emphasise the feeling of space and light and provide a calm backdrop to the clean lines and subtle colours of the furniture. Just how well this design philosophy works is apparent in the first-floor sitting room, where pale lilac-grey washed walls and a pale-lilac carpet act as a foil to the lavender and deep aubergine fabrics on the sofas and armchairs.
Both self-confessed impulse buyers and keen travellers, Stephanie and Steven developed their love of modern American furniture during two happy years living in New York. This influenced their choice of the beautifully crafted sycamore and maple furniture, with echoes of Art Deco style, in the main bedroom. Its warm tones complement the room's autumnal colours, making it Stephanie's favourite room and proving that, with vision and respect, there can be a successful marriage between Georgian architectural features and contemporary interiors.
The kitchen on the ground floor, the first-floor sitting room and the main bedroom on the second floor are all positioned at the front of the south-facing house, so are gloriously light with ravishing views across swathes of green parkland to the River Avon. But then you'd expect nothing less from such an exqusite landmark house.
WORDS IOLA BRENARD
PHOTOGRAPHS DAVID PARMITER
STYLING KATRIN CARGILL
APRIL 2004
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