Welcome to Abigail’s Journal
APRIL EDITORIAL
Introducing Lansdown
On the north slopes of Bath, you achieve a low golden hour sunlight quite unique in the British Isles.
Thanks to the effective qualities of the Bath stone facades and the steep gradient of the hill, as it slopes up from the river edge of the Roman city, Georgian and Victorian-built rooms, are flooded with a soft, warm glow.
The Inspiration
John Fowler and Sybil Colfax, the iconic British designers famous for their 20th-century revival and fresh articulation of English country charm, inspired this, like many of my schemes, with the frills, the piping, and the detailing across the scheme.
Dorothy Draper calls for comfort in any successful scheme - and this room is not short of places to flop, snuggle or repose!
The Elements
The gentle muted tones of Penny Morrison's soft, repeating geometric wallpaper softened the room's walls, while the creamy nuttiness of Warner Houses New Mills paint colour drenched the opposing walls and woodwork, making for good bedfellows.
The soft, earthy notes let us layer the space with pops of powdered pink without feeling infantile. Off-white backgrounded ditsy prints, blousy florals, and geometric prints kept the scheme feeling soft and gentle despite the clashes in the bold pattern.
Layering florals and geometrics brings me dopamine- and this design process didn’t leave me hanging!
Shop The Look
If you were inspired by this month's scheme and want to help to curate your own similar asterisk in your own home, my team and I have put together an editorial of components, some from the scheme itself and others that you can grab straight from the UK high street.
This month's shop's look is jam-packed with delicious scolloping, florals, and soft, curvy forms…
On a Final Note
In June 2023, House and Gardens magazine described the iconic country home designer John Fowler's look as
“…essentially a creative response to limited resources: repurposing, renewing and reworking.”
This scheme is heavily influenced by Fowler, who embraces his love of Georgian detailing and trim in the fashion of the times and his knack for combining existing elements.
Using components already in the room and either recolouring them with paint or upholstering them with a new fabric enables us to curate a scheme that feels fresh but familiar, gentle yet sophisticated.
