Colour and fun, with a splash of the unexpected and a sprinkling of economy are the tenets that underpin Natasha Redcliffe’s pragmatic approach to decorating. When she and her husband Ben moved to their home in Tunbridge Wells four years ago, they had little sense of the scale of the task ahead.
‘It was our first house and we were inexperienced,’ she explains. ‘We fell in love with it, bought it, then realised that – like most old houses – there was a huge amount of work to do.’
The house that captured their hearts was built in 1870 for the stationmaster at Tunbridge Wells. Set over four floors, it has a kitchen, dining room and snug in the basement, a hallway, living room and a studio room on the floor above, with bedrooms and bathrooms on the top two floors and a cloakroom on every level.
Sitting in the centre of a curved terrace, the property was unlike any of the adjacent houses (where other station employees once lived) and its location, close to the town’s Pantiles and Common, was instantly appealing. ‘But we mainly fell in love with it for the hallway and stairs,’ says Natasha. ‘Being on the curve, one side wall runs diagonally, so the stairs are on an angle and they go all the way up through the house.’
Soon after moving in the couple realised how much needed to be done. ‘It was a real mess, and the previous owners who had lived here for 30 years had done very little to it. Paint was peeling off, there was woodchip everywhere, and murky brown carpet up the stairs. We started with the hall and basement, trying to get them to a place where they sparked joy rather than dread when we came home,’ Natasha recalls.
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the family to eat when they’re
not entertaining. The ornate stained glass in the back door is original to the house, which dates to 1870. - James French -
High ceilings and large windows reflect a hybrid Georgian/Victorian style, and the couple felt a bold approach was called for. ‘This house loves colour, and it’s such a mood enhancer,’ says Natasha.
In keeping with her style, which she describes as having ‘a country house vibe but more fun and theatrical than faded elegance’, she painted the hallway in Farrow & Ball’s Incarnadine, and the kitchen in a vivid Ultra Marine Blue, but chose softer shades for the bedrooms. The decoration of the cloakrooms on each floor introduces contrast: ‘They were in a very bad state but were the most fun to decorate.’
When it came to choosing furniture, the couple adopted an eclectic approach, with both drawn to vintage pieces. ‘As we always have space, we’ve become a family museum for cast-off bits of furniture that don’t fit in other people’s houses.’
Among Natasha’s most treasured possessions are a longcase clock made for her grandfather in the US in the 1990s, which stands in the hallway, and a Louis XIV-style fauteuil in the living room, from his home in the South of France.
Other favourite pieces have come from local auction houses Gorringe’s and Burstow & Hewett, as well as antiques fairs at nearby Ardingly and her local antiques shops in the Pantiles. ‘One of my favourite places is YiJu Antiques – if I’m searching for something in particular it seems to turn up in their shop. I was looking for a little runner for our hallway and found one there for £10.’
Similarly, when she wanted to find a way of housing the TV in the living room, it was there she found a Chinese lacquer cabinet. ‘It isn’t very old, but I love it and it fits our TV with millimetres to spare.’
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Blue-and-white ceramics are another of Natasha’s many collecting passions. ‘I don’t mind if it’s transfer-printed, I’m not snobby. It doesn’t have to be Ming or 18th century. You don’t have
to spend a bomb to have beautiful things. I find quite a lot in charity shops tucked away in the back.’
An Edwardian chiffonier bought from a local dealer stands in the hallway and provides space to display an assortment of her finds. In the studio there’s a large secretaire, bought from Gorringe’s and now repurposed as ‘a cupboard of madness, filled with anything related to the house, whether it’s sewing or painting’.
The soft furnishings reflect a penchant for vintage textiles. Chintz curtains hang in the bedrooms, many bought from eBay and other second-hand sources, though Natasha has also taught herself to make her own home textiles. ‘My mother and grandmother were great sewers,’ she says. ‘When we bought this house I was shocked by the cost of things – it started with cushions. I couldn’t find what I liked in the right fabric and they were so expensive.’
After cushions she moved on to making cafe curtains, skirted lampshades and relaxed blinds. She pored over vintage books on soft furnishings to teach herself and, thinking that others might be interested in the techniques, she started posting about her creations. It turns out they were, and she now has over 37,000 followers.
True to form, the sewing machine Natasha uses was once owned by her mother, and a second back-up machine was donated by her mother-in-law. Recently a third has been presented to her by Ben’s grandmother. Doubtless all three will be put to good use. @thejollytownhouse
