The Johnston Collection 2010 – The Kitchen

The Kitchen:

The applied wall shelving was highlighted dark green and gold, from memory. We suggested to re paint to blend with the existing wall colour.
Bridget Evans and Suzi Mann, cut back and re painted them, while the furniture was being placed. I had such a wonderful team back in 2010.
Having the best suited assistance is imperative when running a specialist business.
As you can see how nice they now blend in, rather than fighting for attention with ceramics.
We were very proud of this change.

Bridget also placed the Staffordshire figures throughout. Truly gifted✨

2010 I was invited to re-arrange the entire contents of The Johnston Collection, to create my own interpretation and to give visitors to the house a fresh experience.

Visually for me sometimes less is more and my initial reaction was to lighten the content.

Thus began a process as an example, I placed one painting where previously there had been two, lots of subtle changes. I certainly don’t appreciate minimalism but on the other hand, I don’t like a cluttered appearance.

Most people have a preference for a certain style, whether decorative 18th -19th Century French or Victorian furniture, Deco or my particular love for the 16th – 19th Century English and Continental

country furniture also art, treen, ceramics and pewter from the same periods. When decorating a very important point is to be patient and thereby hopefully avoiding any future mistakes and regrets.

Consult with your favourite dealer or decorator who are usually happy to share their knowledge and contacts. It’s often helpful to look through magazines to get ideas of a certain style you prefer.

There are several exceptional pieces in the collection, I would say the 18th Century English walnut longcase clock is my favourite. It was traditionally in the narrow hallway where it could be shown to it’s full potential. I decided to move it to the drawing room, where it has ample wall space framing it and is immediately visible when entering the room. When you enter a house or foyer of a building I love to be bowled over by the immediate impact of that special piece, that first impression is so important.

Keep in mind you can mix antiques and modern pieces very effectively in either a contempory or traditional setting.

I much appreciated the talented assistance of Bridget Evans, placing many of the ceramics throughout, especially in the “Serpentine Room” & Kitchen.