TRANSPORTATION Experiment Analysis Group No. 2 Sean Burles Dustin Rose
W‘Add a little bravado,’ Anna Burles says. Mary wallpaper ... · “Maybe you’ll want to send...
1
HOME 24 / INTERIORS I s yours a dumping ground for dusty Swiss balls and ski kit, or a scented boudoir for event sex? Perhaps it’s a design lab where you test out your decorative ideas, or the place where you commune with your Hornby 00 gauge. Designers say a client’s true nature is revealed in the guest bedroom. As an interior that’s not in everyday use, it offers an opportunity for indulgence, which can take the form of a museum-style curation of wedding photos or a bracing animal-print wallpaper. Every homeowner must decide how heavily to stamp their personality on theirs, while still making guests feel welcome. So, as you spruce up for the season, it’s time to ask: what are the rules of guest-room decor? First, let us note the phenomenon of the sexy spare. It is a seductive option, especially if you feel you’ve had to downplay frivolity in the rest of the house — a confection of silk and lace to counterbalance the industrial-look kitchen. Sera Hersham-Loftus, an interior designer whose clients include Kate Moss, Courtney Love, Sadie Frost and Barbara Hulanicki, specialises in the look. “I often get asked to do guest boudoirs,” she says. “I call them ‘house jewels’. In them, I will create a most romantic haven that guests never want to leave.” Her boho-style interiors combine supreme comfort with honeymoon-suite styling. “The bedding is the softest linen trimmed with lace, and I make tons of cushions, stuffed with lavender, out of vintage satins and velvets.” Soon, we can all try this at home. Last month, Hersham-Loftus launched her Les Folies interiors collection, featuring cushions called Aroused Rose and Shell (from £480, gulp). “The room should be heavily perfumed with heady incenses,” she says. “The lighting is from low-level table lights, with lampshades made of lingerie lace, and I make shutters for the windows out of vintage Indian screens. I hear that owners sleep in the ‘house jewels’ on their ‘special nights’.” The concept of the sexy spare is almost irresistible — until one reflects that there isn’t a friend, family member or acquaintance who won’t find it awkward. Teenage daughter’s best friend? Granny? Parents-in- law? No, no, no. If we are compiling the rulebook for guest bedrooms, regulation number one must be: soft-pedal the sexy. Keep that for the third bedroom. Or the next house. The designer Jo Berryman, whose clients are mainly film, music and media types, has another perspective on the guest bedroom. She emphasises the importance of soundproofing. Not through fear that her clients’ “special nights” might disturb the neighbours, but because the spare often serves as what she calls “snorer’s exile”. “The way sound travels through a house with timber floors and open-plan living, you can Visitor attr Spare bedrooms are a space where you can let your your guests too comfortable — they may neve The guest bedroom offers a chance to be more adventurous. The interior designer Jo Berryman calls this one, in Gary Lineker’s London home, the Explorer’s Room Fashion-loving guests will adore the way this understated room has been jazzed up with pillows and a blanket by Missoni. The interior is by Maurizio Pellizzoni Sera Hersham-Loftus is the queen of the ‘sexy spare’. The cushions are from her Les Folies collection. seraoflondon.com Always wanted a valet stand, but no space in the master bedroom? Stick it in the spare. This one is by Jonah Takagi. £1,750; anothercountry.com Michael Hall; Maxine Paul 15.05.2016 / 25 W ‘Add a little bravado,’ Anna Burles says. Mary wallpaper, from Blackpop’s Elizabethan range, should fit the bill. £175 a roll; blackpop.co.uk hear everything that’s going on. You need to think about the acoustics of any bedroom space, and include carpet or layered rugs on the floor, or even fabric as cladding on the walls.” She sums up the reason she pays such close attention to guest-room acoustics: “Maybe you’ll want to send your husband there because he is snoring like a warthog.” Among Berryman’s favourite spares was one she designed for Gary Lineker’s home in Barnes, southwest London. She created a guest suite for the England footballer turned presenter at the top of the house, inspired by Pacific Ocean voyages of discovery. The Explorer’s Room has tropical colours, vintage-look textiles and a telescope. “If Captain James Cook ever took respite during his discovery of the Hawaiian islands, this bedroom would be a fanciful port of call,” she says. Her general advice for the guest room is: “Crank up the playful and show off a little. The spare room is where you can be a bit bolder. Often, it’s an opportunity to try out your craziest wallpaper.” In Lineker’s home, she contrasted a ractions imagination run riot. Just don’t make er leave. By Katrina Burroughs sunshine-yellow headboard with Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue wall paint, and added a knockout wall covering with a sharkskin print, La Peau de Chagrin, by Shagreen Art. “It’s a room the clients don’t live with every day, and which really packs a punch on occasions when the door is opened to welcome guests,” says Anna Burles, who has designed interiors for celebrities including the singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. She describes her spare bedrooms as “a bit wilder” than the rest of the house. “Adding a little bravado gives a hint about the clients’ creative alter ego.” Burles advises creating drama with dark, stormy colours such as Tempest, by Fired Earth. “Not just on walls, but keeping the skirtings and mouldings — and sometimes the ceilings — dark, too. We’ve used neon light installations to ‘rock’n’roll’ a subterranean guest room.” That rocking basement sounds rather fabulous, but what if your guests are more Classic FM? If your main concern is for the comfort of visitors, doesn’t the spare bedroom need to be designed with the aim of being “taste-neutral”? The decorators are unanimous in saying no. It seems there’s no need to expunge your character from the room to make visitors feel welcome. Your hospitality can show itself through the thoughtful provision of all the comforts. “I think one of the most important elements of designing a guest bedroom is not to scrimp on anything,” says Francis Sultana, whose first client was the singer Annie Lennox. He works with art collectors and philanthropists, including Yana Peel, of Intelligence Squared. “You want your guests to feel that they are being loved and cherished when they stay with you.” According to Sultana, the key area on which to lavish your budget is the bed: “You want to get a good-sized one — the biggest and best you can afford — with the same quality of sheets that you would expect on your own. Also, be sure to offer a selection of pillows — firm and soft — and throws, in case your guests are sensitive to temperature.” He goes on to address the hot-button issue of storage. “It’s important not to underestimate this. When people come to stay, they often overcompensate on their packing. So don’t give them just a couple of drawers and a cupboard half filled with your own stored-away clothes.” That said, in many households, finding even an empty drawer is striking gold. Realistically, it’s not practical for “plentiful empty storage” to feature in our guest-room rulebook. In any case, there are benefits to keeping storage provision sketchy, according to Mark Riese, the owner and creative director of Urban Living Interiors. His studio is on Great Portland Street, in central London, adjacent to Broadcasting House, and he recalls how one of his BBC clients made him rethink his approach to guest rooms. “She was fed up with her partner’s visiting relatives,” he says. “As a busy career woman with a demanding programme and celebrity events, she wanted to return home to the peace and quiet of her own space, and not find that another overseas guest had landed — or not yet departed.” Riese told the harassed woman to use storage as a subtle signal that visitors should keep their stay to one night only. “A guest bedroom should be an opportunity for some exuberance, fun and exotica — but not so comfortable that guests stay for ever.” Simply the guest DO n Use the spare room to unleash your creativity. This is the place for the Moroccan riad-themed decor that your other half banned from the master bedroom. n Make your guests feel spoilt with hotel-style goodies – break out the scented candles and luxury soaps you got for Christmas. n Invest in bed linen that’s as good as your own. The same goes for towels. Some sleepers need extra warmth, so lay on a store of throws. n Clear some storage space for clothes… but not too much. DON’T n Make your guest sleep in a single bed, unless space is really tight. Buy the biggest bed you can fit. n Force visitors to dwell on your, er, “special nights”. Boudoir-style decor is acceptable, up to a point, but don’t overdo it. n Expunge all evidence of the room’s everyday life. It probably has a day job as a library/home office/hobby room. A stack of books is always welcome, and visitors will find a small desk useful. Some guests will also enjoy your train set. n Impose niche hobbies. You might have developed an all-consuming passion for roadkill taxidermy, but your sister- in-law may have a phobia of badgers. ”Crank up the playful and show off a little. The spare room is where you can be a bit bolder” Never skimp on spare-room linen. Maurizio Pellizzoni has injected the glamour of the silver screen into this guest bedroom. The finishing touch is luxurious bedding from Ralph Lauren Home Wow factor on a roll: House of Hackney’s Pampas wallpaper, in tangerine/azalea, is not for shrinking violets. £128 a roll; houseofhackney.com
Transcript of W‘Add a little bravado,’ Anna Burles says. Mary wallpaper ... · “Maybe you’ll want to send...
HOM
E
2 4 / INTER IORS
Is yours a dumping ground for dustySwiss balls and ski kit, or a scentedboudoir for event sex? Perhaps it’s adesign lab where you test out yourdecorative ideas, or the place where youcommune with your Hornby 00 gauge.Designers say a client’s true nature is
revealed in the guest bedroom. As aninterior that’s not in everyday use, itoffers an opportunity for indulgence,which can take the form of amuseum-style curation of weddingphotos or a bracing animal-printwallpaper. Every homeowner mustdecide how heavily to stamp theirpersonality on theirs, while still makingguests feel welcome. So, as you spruce upfor the season, it’s time to ask: what arethe rules of guest-room decor?First, let us note the phenomenon of
the sexy spare. It is a seductive option,especially if you feel you’ve had todownplay frivolity in the rest of thehouse — a confection of silk and lace tocounterbalance the industrial-lookkitchen. Sera Hersham-Loftus, an interiordesigner whose clients include Kate Moss,Courtney Love, Sadie Frost and BarbaraHulanicki, specialises in the look.“I often get asked to do guest boudoirs,”she says. “I call them ‘house jewels’. Inthem, I will create a most romantic haventhat guests never want to leave.”Her boho-style interiors combine
supreme comfort with honeymoon-suitestyling. “The bedding is the softest linentrimmed with lace, and I make tons ofcushions, stuffed with lavender,out of vintage satins and velvets.”Soon, we can all try this at home.
Last month, Hersham-Loftus launchedher Les Folies interiors collection,featuring cushions called Aroused Roseand Shell (from £480, gulp). “The roomshould be heavily perfumed with headyincenses,” she says. “The lighting isfrom low-level table lights, withlampshades made of lingerie lace, and Imake shutters for the windows out ofvintage Indian screens. I hear thatowners sleep in the ‘house jewels’ ontheir ‘special nights’.”The concept of the sexy spare is almost
irresistible — until one reflects that there
isn’t a friend, family member oracquaintance who won’t find itawkward. Teenage daughter’sbest friend? Granny? Parents-in-law? No, no, no. If we arecompiling the rulebook for guestbedrooms, regulation number onemust be: soft-pedal the sexy. Keepthat for the third bedroom. Or thenext house.The designer Jo Berryman, whose
clients are mainly film, music andmedia types, has another perspectiveon the guest bedroom. Sheemphasises the importance ofsoundproofing. Not through fear thather clients’ “special nights” mightdisturb the neighbours, but becausethe spare often serves as what she calls“snorer’s exile”. “The way soundtravels through a house with timberfloors and open-plan living, you can
Visitor attrSpare bedrooms are a space where you can let your
your guests too comfortable — they may neve
The guest bedroom offers a chance to be more adventurous.The interior designer Jo Berryman calls this one, in GaryLineker’s London home, the Explorer’s Room
Fashion-loving guestswill adore the way thisunderstated room hasbeen jazzed up withpillows and a blanket byMissoni. The interior isby Maurizio Pellizzoni
Sera Hersham-Loftus is the queenof the ‘sexy spare’. The cushionsare from her Les Folies collection.seraoflondon.com
Always wanteda valet stand, but nospace in the masterbedroom? Stick it inthe spare. This one isby Jonah Takagi.£1,750;anothercountry.com
Michael Hall; Maxine Paul
15 . 05 . 2016 / 25
W ‘Add a little bravado,’ Anna Burlessays. Mary wallpaper, from Blackpop’sElizabethan range, should fit the bill.
£175 a roll; blackpop.co.uk
hear everything that’s going on. Youneed to think about the acoustics ofany bedroom space, and include carpetor layered rugs on the floor, or evenfabric as cladding on the walls.” Shesums up the reason she pays such closeattention to guest-room acoustics:“Maybe you’ll want to send yourhusband there because he is snoringlike a warthog.”Among Berryman’s favourite spares
was one she designed for Gary Lineker’shome in Barnes, southwest London.She created a guest suite for the Englandfootballer turned presenter at the topof the house, inspired by Pacific Oceanvoyages of discovery. The Explorer’sRoom has tropical colours, vintage-looktextiles and a telescope. “If CaptainJames Cook ever took respite duringhis discovery of the Hawaiian islands,this bedroom would be a fanciful portof call,” she says.Her general advice for the guest room
is: “Crank up the playful and show off alittle. The spare room is where you canbe a bit bolder. Often, it’s an opportunityto try out your craziest wallpaper.” InLineker’s home, she contrasted a
ractionsimagination run riot. Just don’t makeer leave. By Katrina Burroughs
sunshine-yellow headboard with Farrow& Ball Stiffkey Blue wall paint, andadded a knockout wall covering with asharkskin print, La Peau de Chagrin,by Shagreen Art.“It’s a room the clients don’t live
with every day, and which really packsa punch on occasions when the door isopened to welcome guests,” saysAnna Burles, who has designedinteriors for celebrities including thesinger-songwriter Ellie Goulding.She describes her spare bedrooms as“a bit wilder” than the rest of the house.“Adding a little bravado gives a hintabout the clients’ creative alter ego.”Burles advises creating drama with
dark, stormy colours such as Tempest,by Fired Earth. “Not just on walls,but keeping the skirtings andmouldings — and sometimes theceilings — dark, too. We’ve used neonlight installations to ‘rock’n’roll’ asubterranean guest room.”That rocking basement sounds rather
fabulous, but what if your guests aremore Classic FM? If your main concernis for the comfort of visitors, doesn’tthe spare bedroom need to be designedwith the aim of being “taste-neutral”?The decorators are unanimous in sayingno. It seems there’s no need to expungeyour character from the room to makevisitors feel welcome. Your hospitalitycan show itself through the thoughtfulprovision of all the comforts.“I think one of the most important
elements of designing a guest bedroomis not to scrimp on anything,” saysFrancis Sultana, whose first client wasthe singer Annie Lennox. He workswith art collectors and philanthropists,including Yana Peel, of IntelligenceSquared. “You want your guests to feelthat they are being loved and cherishedwhen they stay with you.”According to Sultana, the key area on
which to lavish your budget is the bed:“You want to get a good-sized one —the biggest and best you can afford —with the same quality of sheets that youwould expect on your own. Also, be sureto offer a selection of pillows — firm andsoft — and throws, in case your guestsare sensitive to temperature.”He goes on to address the hot-button
issue of storage. “It’s important not tounderestimate this. When people cometo stay, they often overcompensate ontheir packing. So don’t give them justa couple of drawers and a cupboard halffilled with your own stored-awayclothes.” That said, in many households,finding even an empty drawer is strikinggold. Realistically, it’s not practical for“plentiful empty storage” to feature inour guest-room rulebook.In any case, there are benefits to
keeping storage provision sketchy,according to Mark Riese, the ownerand creative director of Urban LivingInteriors. His studio is on Great PortlandStreet, in central London, adjacent toBroadcasting House, and he recallshow one of his BBC clients made himrethink his approach to guest rooms.“She was fed up with her partner’svisiting relatives,” he says. “As a busycareer woman with a demandingprogramme and celebrity events, shewanted to return home to the peaceand quiet of her own space, and notfind that another overseas guest hadlanded — or not yet departed.”Riese told the harassed woman to
use storage as a subtle signal thatvisitors should keep their stay to onenight only. “A guest bedroom should bean opportunity for some exuberance,fun and exotica — but not so comfortablethat guests stay for ever.”
Simply the guestDOnUse the spare room to unleashyour creativity. This is the place forthe Moroccan riad-themed decorthat your other half banned from themaster bedroom.
nMake your guests feel spoilt withhotel-style goodies – break out thescented candles and luxury soaps yougot for Christmas.
n Invest in bed linen that’s as good asyour own. The same goes for towels.Some sleepers need extra warmth, solay on a store of throws.
nClear some storage space forclothes… but not too much.
DON’T
nMake your guest sleep in a singlebed, unless space is really tight. Buythe biggest bed you can fit.
n Force visitors to dwell on your, er,“special nights”. Boudoir-style decoris acceptable, up to a point, but don’toverdo it.
n Expunge all evidence of the room’severyday life. It probably has a day jobas a library/home office/hobby room.A stack of books is always welcome,and visitors will find a small deskuseful. Some guests will also enjoyyour train set.
n Impose niche hobbies. You might havedeveloped an all-consuming passionfor roadkill taxidermy, but your sister-in-law may have a phobia of badgers.
”Crank up the playful andshow off a little. The spareroom is where you can bea bit bolder”
Never skimp on spare-room linen.Maurizio Pellizzoni has injectedthe glamour of the silver screeninto this guest bedroom. Thefinishing touch is luxuriousbedding from Ralph Lauren Home
Wow factor on a roll: House of Hackney’sPampas wallpaper, in tangerine/azalea,is not for shrinking violets.£128 a roll; houseofhackney.com
