Making a home a true reflection of oneself takes patience and vision, says designer and maker Kathy Crisp. And her home, a pretty Victorian redbrick villa in Sussex, which she shares with her partner Russell Sherry, is testament to their creativity and dedication.

The 1940s sideboard came from Kathy’s childhood family home and the drawers are used to store random, yet interesting, items such as bottles of ink and compasses. The Bush Valve Radio, which belongs to Russell, suggests simpler times, and the painted lampshade is one of Kathy’s designs. - Tamsyn Morgans -

The house was in a sorry state when they first saw it back in 2003, yet the building’s sense of history really appealed to the couple. They found themselves drawn to the stories of the previous occupants, in particular Mr Charles Mathews, who established a small nursery business that he ran from the house and the surrounding land.

He later founded a chapel from which Kathy’s business, Chapel House Studio, takes its name. ‘We have some wonderful old photographs of Edwardian workers picking asters here,’ says Kathy, who is a keen gardener and passionate dahlia grower. She particularly delights in the fact that the double cellar beneath her home was once used to store dahlia tubers.

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From the outset, Kathy and Russell were determined to tackle the restoration of their home slowly and thoughtfully, in order to preserve the period details and honour its history. ‘We’ve shown respect for its original features, all of which have been left in situ,’ says Kathy, of the work they have done.

When it came to furnishing their home, the couple, who are not fans of buying new, preferred to trawl auctions and antiques shops for pieces to complement furniture passed down from their families. The kitchen cupboards are a case in point. Spotted on eBay, Kathy revamped them with a fresh coat of paint and a new worktop, which she commissioned from Earthy Timber, a local company.

She describes their approach as being ‘resourceful and sustainable’, and their goal was to create ‘a space that has character and provides the perfect backdrop’ to objects amassed over a lifetime of collecting – an interest that began in earnest during her student days in Brighton, when she studied textile design. Kathy has a special passion for colour and pattern, and this is evident in the collections that fill the house.

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The walls are hung with old floral paintings and landscapes, which are displayed alongside works by their daughter, Freyja Crisp. Meanwhile, shelves and mantelpieces throughout the house are home to extensive collections of ceramics, which include pieces by Quentin Bell.

Textiles are also much in evidence, from lovely kantha-stitch throws and vintage blankets on chairs and beds, to the Bloomsbury fabrics, such as Duncan Grant’s West Wind, which has been used to reupholster an armchair in the sitting room. In Kathy’s studio, more vintage fabrics peep out from the glass-fronted drawers of an old haberdashery cabinet, which is neatly tucked into a chimney breast.

These smaller pieces – paired with interesting vintage frames sourced from charity shops – are used for making pretty lampshades for Chapel House Studio. Both her work and her home are inspired by Bloomsbury design and decoration and the interiors at nearby Charleston, the former home and studio of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, where she works as a conservation cleaner.

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The open-plan kitchen diner — The open-plan kitchen/diner is a mix of freestanding furniture and solid wood fitted kitchen units, which the couple found on eBay. - Tamsyn Morgans -

Kathy’s relationship with Charleston – and indeed Bloomsbury style – goes back to the 1990s when, as a graduate textile designer, she visited the area on a walking holiday. That first visit to Charleston made a deep impression.

‘I loved how it was so unapologetically full of colour and pattern, and perfectly reflected those who lived in it,’ she says. ‘Creativity was a way of life there.’ Which could just as easily be said of her own home, where Kathy and Russell’s handiwork can be seen at every turn, alongside the subtle influence of the Bloomsbury Group.

The house functions as a never-to-be-finished canvas on which there is always more to do and more to add, as Kathy explains: ‘The house still provides us with plenty of stimulating challenges, such as the restoration of the long front path. Eighty per cent of the Minton tiles are now cleaned, and a base laid to restore the original geometric patterns.’

For a house that has taken up a substantial amount of their adult life, the couple feel a great sense of satisfaction in the ongoing project, because, as Kathy says, ‘it’s the most complete realisation of the vision we had of our home.’

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