It was the William Morris quote that, ‘You should have nothing in your home that is not beautiful or useful,’ that was owner Abi Adie’s real inspiration.
The Adie family was guided in its choices by Fife based interior designer, Terian Tilston. ‘We met Terian soon after we moved in May 2021 and clicked immediately,’ Abi shares. ‘She totally understood the sense of play and humour we wanted to inject, and that we wanted to make our home unique.’ The property was in reasonable condition when they bought it but was very bland. ‘We have included a lot of eclectic details throughout: common threads include spheres and bobbins and insects and wildlife. We have made a point of buying from independent creatives as much as possible,’ Abi shares. ‘Artworks figure prominently as well, I studied art history and curation, and I have always enjoyed collecting.’
I have enjoyed collecting art all my life, it is a great way to add colour to your home.
The first room that Terian tackled was the kitchen. It was a very simple upgrade and only took three weeks. The cabinetry was very good quality, it had been installed by the previous owner, who turned three small rooms into one large sociable space. ‘The limestone flooring is lovely, but the colour scheme in general was just a little too neutral, we wanted a room that was fun and lively,’ Abi shares. Terian’s team wallpapered and painted the walls, replaced the handles on the cabinetry and spray painted the existing cabinetry. By choosing a hot paint palette to accompany a William Morris wallpaper from the Archive collection that had been excitingly updated with contemporary colours, the results are very dramatic.
‘My late mother loved William Morris, so his work is loaded with memories for me, and I have used some of my favourites as starting points for the colour schemes for most of the rooms in the house,’ Abi explains. They moved here to be near family and had a party for everyone to celebrate once the kitchen was complete.
The playroom and sitting-room were the second instalment, once the kitchen was complete, a much bigger project. ‘We removed a wall between the sitting-room and playroom and installed a steel beam, so it was quite a major undertaking and needed a lot more planning,’ Abi explains. ‘The resulting space is exactly what we wanted though, somewhere we could enjoy spending time as a family, it is a great daytime space.’
They painted the walls and woodwork in the sitting-room a mouth-watering soft salmon pink, chose a fuchsia radiator and matching stove but when they ordered the gorgeous colourful woodburning stove, they were very surprised to realise that they were the first customers to order one in pink. ‘The company phoned to double check that we wanted it. That might not be the case now we have been re-educated on colour by the Warner Bros film!’ Abi quips.
Terian assured Abi that wallpapering the ceiling would break up the effect of the full saturation pink and ensure that the space never feels predictable. They added a touch of luxury with a beautiful Murano glass chandelier and wall lights, and mixed things up further with cushions covered in a mid-century graphic patterned velvet called Neo Omega by Linwood. ‘The playroom is open to the sitting-room, so needs to be kept tidy,’ Abi shares, ‘So we had a bespoke storage unit made by Terian and her team. The storage unit has pull out desks, concealed lighting, and beautiful beading.’
In the living-room the obvious question was, ‘Why have one colour when you can have three or four?’. They use this room in the evenings mainly as a snug, either for watching TV or for reading and are delighted with the Samsung Frame TV that doubles as an artwork. ‘It makes the fireplace wonderfully inviting,’ Abi shares. ‘The darker tones in here are immediately enveloping, and the patterns we have layered with the colours are beautifully uplifting, I find.’ Installing a gorgeous floral mural in the alcove felt right, adding matching floral wallpaper to the panelled door cleverly echoes this choice creating a pleasing continuous thread throughout the room. ‘Adding a gallery wall is the perfect solution for indecisive art collectors,’ Abi explains.
Good design will last a lifetime; beautiful pieces will give you wonderful memories as the years go by.
When Terian starts a project she asks her clients how they want to feel in a space. ‘I found this to be a really valuable exercise,’ Abi shares. She wanted to feel relaxed and feminine in her bedroom and the results are extremely tranquil and soothing. She has added panelling to the walls to add a feeling of history and character. She wanted some touches of Art Deco elegance as well, which the bespoke teal velvet bed offers thanks to its elegant lines. ‘Art Nouveau and Art Deco styling is all about looking at nature and using organic forms as the basis for decorating, so introducing both styles felt very natural for our home,’ Abi reflects.
The house was a team project, Abi asked her daughters to fill in a client form for their bedrooms as well and Margot and Iris both gave a very specific brief which Terian delivered. The next project is the family bathroom and plans are underway, so watch this space!
Terian Tilston teriantilston.com
