Today’s house tour is a stunning Art Deco home, with amazing aqua coloured Crittall style windows, and the icing on the cake – it’s by the seaside! It’s a fabulous and fearless light filled family home, filled with vibrant color and attention to detail. Natalie lives in Poole, Dorset in an original 1930’s Art Deco home with her husband Mark and their 2 children, Sienna age 8 and Rudy age 7. Although the house is Art Deco, Natalie has chosen to decorate in her own style. A glamorous and decadent style, reminiscent of the Hollywood era, but with an eclectic vibe.
How would you sum up your style?
With regards to my interior style, color is everything. It makes me feel happy and my husband and I made a conscious decision to only have pieces that we absolutely love and that make us smile. Your home is an extension of your personality and your safe haven so it is vital for it to bring joy and feel like the place want to be most. I’ve gone for an eclectic style as where’s the fun in playing it safe.
What sort of condition did you buy the house in?
I originally bought the house 14 years ago while still working in London which is when we made some initial renovations as the rooms were small and rather austere. Once our children came along, I moved to the seaside permanently rather than weekends only and we realised that we needed to rethink the space to suit our needs as a family and the main object was open plan living. We wanted to create a home filled with warmth and plenty of space for all our family & friends. We embarked on a year long renovation ensuring we respected the 1930’s feel in terms of architecture. As the building is locally listed we are restricted in what we can change structurally, however we were told we could extend on the ground floor and roof terrace as long as it was in keeping.
One of the main features of the interior became the steel spiral staircase to accentuate the curves of the art deco era. We designed it together with a local company called Mortek Welding who did THE most fabulous job as it was quite a complicated process but we are so delighted with the result.
We’re obsessed with your aqua window frames and front door – are these original, or did you put them in?
When we recently renovated, an essential (and costly) change was removing the pvc windows in favour of Crittall style aqua coloured aluminum windows. I’ve always loved the windows in the Hoover building and wanted to be respectful to the 1930’s era.
You use color in unexpected places such as doorframes, is there anywhere else you think it works really well to do this?
Colour is so important to me as its mood enhancing so I filled my home with all the colours of the rainbow. When we started designing the interior we wanted mainly a blank canvas so that the furniture would incorporate color and make the statements. But I’m a huge fan of feature walls with wallpaper or a splash of neon in a doorway, that way it doesn’t detract from the other pieces in my home and rather compliments them.
What’s your best piece of advice for styling/curating a colourful and bold home?
My best piece of advice is be brave, trust your vision, surround yourself with things that bring joy and have fun.
What’s your favorite piece in your home?
I have so many favorite pieces in my home. The amazing Lily pad tiles from Ca Pietra on our doorstep make a dramatic entrance.
The Marilyn Monroe painting and the large abstract painting on the landing were commissioned by us and painted by a local artist that we went to school with called Ben Winters. We were very specific about what we wanted and the colours and Ben was so patient and professional. He is seriously talented.
The Harlequin sideboard was another discovery from instagram. I had seen the Prism wallpaper by Cole & Son and loved it but felt it would be a little too much for our home so when I found it on an upcycled solid vintage G plan sideboard I was over the moon. It originally came in black but the highly creative Zoe @mucknbrass kindly painted it aqua for us and it couldn’t fit better into our home.
The peacock chair on the first floor landing was painted in neon orange by Bristol Paint. I will never say no to a touch of neon!
Who’s your ultimate ‘house lust’ for inspiration?
My ultimate house lust is undoubtably Matthew Williamson. I find his use of color so uplifting and inspirational.
I’ve always been in love with Art Deco architecture, but the challenge is how to decorate. Do you remain true to the style or can you find a way to bring out the beauty of the house, but make it your own? You can see from the photos that Natalie has put her own stamp on this Art Deco house, and made a beautiful home for her family, with an exceptional eye for color and design, which comes out in her photography work. The house is also available to rent for location shoots.
Image credit: Natalie Orton