Ryde House
Ryde House is a Grade II listed early 19th Century Georgian stuccoed villa with walled garden, situated in the picturesque market town of Petworth, West Sussex. Our client’s brief was to provide a comfortable and relaxing retreat with an elegant English country house feel. Most importantly, the scheme had to be sensitive to the building and its surroundings.
Approached through a discreet door in an old wall, the courtyard garden is hidden gem away from the bustle of the town. We chose appropriate, traditional lighting from Jim Lawrence for the gate and front door. The house itself, painted a soft yellow, catches the light, and we wanted to carry this overall sense of calm outside into the house itself.
The colour palette chosen for Ryde House included warm cream tones, soft burnt coppers and golds. Rich antique Oriental rugs were used to add colour and warmth to the principal receptions rooms. The large windows were dressed with heavily lined, full-length curtains, in intricately embroidered fabrics by Chelsea Textiles to suit the scheme. Each room was decorated with a mix of 18th and 19th Century antique items and modern furnishings, chosen to create a home from home experience.
The drawing room is an inviting and relaxing space, with a pair of large linen covered Chesterfield sofas, accessorised with kilim design cushions; and a pair of bespoke armchairs also in a natural colour. In the centre of the room is a large bespoke brass coffee table, its glass top with an acid-etched floral design created specifically for the project. A 19th Century Florentine Baroque style carved gilt wood mirror was chosen as a beautiful, eye-catching feature above the fire place. For cold evenings, a log burner has been fitted to the hearth. The niche to the right of the fireplace was filled with hand-block accessories from Yateley Papers to add pops of colour in bold designs. Another wall has a Georgian mahogany side board upon which sit a pair of large gilt wood lamps.
The dining room has large windows on two walls. The main feature is one of our bespoke Swedish Rococo style oak dining tables with chairs that seats eight, painted in soft tones to suit the scheme and to keep the airy feeling of the room. A late 18th Century Belgian carved and painted cupboard was carefully chosen to compliment the dining furniture, and provides useful display space and storage; in this instance, we filled it with a collection of blue and white ceramics.
The entrance hall is decorated with a large antique French mirror and a large Flemish verdure tapestry hangs on the stairs. Next to the window overlooking the courtyard, we placed an 18th Century Swedish mirror and a small painted table. The upstairs corridor has a series of French mirrors to reflect light and add interest.
Upstairs are three tranquil, large double bedrooms. We continued the floor-length curtains with pelmets as downstairs, using Linwood soft floral fabrics. The most comfortable of beds were supplied by Robert Langford. Headboards, pouffes and cushions were made by our workshop for each room, in contrasting fabrics from Colefax & Fowler and Linwood. Colourful lamps from Oka and Ralph Lauren were added for shots of more intense colour. To finish the rooms, we added hand-painted gilt-wood mirrors and antique chairs, again in natural tones.
The artwork chosen for Ryde House features botanical prints to add colour to the soft tones throughout and remains in keeping with the country house theme.
