Rockett St George: Extraordinary Interiors E-Book

Jane Rockett

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Self-acknowledged 'design junkies' Lucy St George and Jane Rockett launched their online interiors store in 2007. Ten years on, Rockett St George has revitalized the interiors market with their quirky, glamorous and distinctive collections.

Leseprobe

ROCKETT ST GEORGE

EXTRAORDINARY

interiors

ROCKETT ST GEORGE

EXTRAORDINARY

interiors

Show-stopping looks for beautiful rooms

JANE ROCKETT LUCY ST GEORGE

Photography by Debi Treloar

Senior designer Toni Kay •Senior commissioning editor Annabel Morgan

Location research Jess Walton •Production manager Gordana Simakovic

Art director Leslie Harrington •Editorial director Julia Charles

Publisher Cindy Richards

First published in 2017 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields,

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 East 116th Street

New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

Text copyright © Jane Rockett

and Lucy St George 2017

Design and photographs copyright

© Ryland Peters & Small 2017

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 978-1-84975-869-7

E-ISBN 978-1-78879-390-2

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress CIP data has been applied for.

Printed and bound in China

CONTENTS

Introduction

It’s all about you

Take inspiration (from everywhere!)

Walls and ceilings

Styling your space (a little bit at a time)

Lighten up

Collect, curate and display

Make a statement

Work in progress

Sources

Picture and business credits

Index

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION

We founded Rockett St George in 2007 but first met years before that at a fancy dress party in the late 1990s. Lucy was dressed in over-the-knee white boots, a white mini dress and wig (a sexy fairy), while Jane was wearing a red sequinned dress, a blond wig and a sash reading ‘Miss Leading’. It was love at first sight, and our friendship was sealed when we discovered our shared passion for black clothes, flea markets, Manchego cheese, travel, Tom Hardy and (of course) interiors.

After spending hours trailing around antique fairs and flea markets, rearranging our furniture at home and generally driving our partners and children mad by continually redecorating, we realized that it might be a good idea to join forces and make a career out of our passion. We combined our savings, bought a Websites for Dummies book, and Rockett St George was born.

Ten years down the line, we are still best friends and still love a good car boot sale but we have also learnt a huge amount about how to create show-stopping interiors. In this book, we share our decorating mistakes along with our triumphs, we guide you through tricky decision making, and offer top tips on how to achieve magical, surprising and inviting homes.

We have made this book personal with the goal of motivating you to be adventurous and plan properly so you can achieve an interior that dreams are made of. In between each chapter, you will find interior inspiration from beautifully photographed houses and apartments owned by our friends and colleagues, as well as our own homes.

We hope you enjoy this book and that it provides the inspiration for your own decorating journey. Make it personal, be brave, style one step at a time, and enjoy every minute!

1 IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

MAKE IT Personal

There is nothing we enjoy more than poring over interiors books, glossy magazines, Pinterest, Instagram and so on, and admiring gorgeous heart-stopping interiors in a hundred different styles. In fact, this is how the two of us first became such good friends, sharing a passion for interior design, treasure hunting, musicians and vodka (we’ll come onto the treasure hunting, musicians and vodka later… well, maybe not the musicians and vodka bit). Never before has there been a time when consumers have had such easy accessibility to home decor products and interiors inspiration. We can indulge ourselves with all the beautiful colours, furniture, art, antiques and textiles that we adore, and are able to access an infinite number of exciting images at just the click of a button.

By keeping the walls dark and understated and covering walls and shelves with quirky accessories and striking art, Cowboy Kate has created a sense of continuity throughout her Cumbrian home without detracting from the unique personality of each room. Mounted antlers, lush greenery and statement artwork are recurring motifs.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

With so many fabulous options available to us nowadays, choice can be a bit of a challenge. Even a visit to the local supermarket is fraught with decision-making as we are bombarded with hundreds of different brands and packaging, all designed to appeal to us. There is even the choice of which supermarket to visit before you have left the house! It sounds great, but too many alternatives can actually be a hindrance as it makes reaching decisions difficult and time-consuming. And when it comes to making choices about how to decorate our home, we all want to get it right first time round.

Some people spend hours deliberating over colours, styles and textures while others find it easy to reach a resolution. Regardless of which category you fall into, we believe that making decorative choices should be fun; a pleasurable process that fulfils your creative needs and leads to a satisfying conclusion. The result should be a home that creates a sense of well-being and rooms that makes you smile every time you walk through the door. This, my friends, is why ‘Make it Personal’ is the first chapter in this book. Get things wrong and you could spend a long time regretting your decorating decisions.

Indeed, Jane once had her entire bedroom wallpapered at great expense only to arrive home and absolutely hate the result. The wallpaper was patterned, colourful and gorgeous, but Jane didn’t feel comfortable in the room. In fact, she felt irritated and edgy; exactly how you don’t want to feel in your place of rest. If only Jane had asked herself a few simple questions, she could have avoided making an expensive mistake. In fact, she ended up having to pay to have the whole room done again.

We now know exactly where she went wrong. Jane rushed her decision, listened to other people’s opinions and was influenced by a trend that was splashed all over magazines and blogs at the time. Although she loved the design she had picked, she didn’t take into account her personal style, the way she used her bedroom, or the atmosphere that she was hoping to create.

If Jane had analyzed her personal style and the ways in which she spends time in her room before making her choice, it would have been obvious where the whole thing was heading. Here’s what she should have focused on:

She loves a calm, gentle environment

She doesn’t wear colour or bold pattern

She likes a rock ’n’ roll twist, whether it be zips on her clothes, stars on her jacket or snakeskin on her boots.

In summary, you could say that Jane is drawn to a clean, tailored look with a dash of punk thrown in. Her bedroom is a place she likes to indulge herself – somewhere to escape during the weekend for an hour or two in order to read, relax or grab a sneaky snooze. It was never going to be the right place for high-energy patterns and colours.

The good news is that there was a happy ending. Jane’s second choice of a subtle snakeskin wallpaper in natural hues created the tranquil atmosphere that she craved but it has a cool twist that makes her smile. The Moroccan cushions and wedding blanket draped over the bed head provide a gently exotic and modern ethnic feel that’s luxurious and calming. So she got there in the end!

We hope our first piece of advice will prevent you from making the same mistake that Jane did. Our objective is to help you understand exactly who you are and the environment that is right for you. Now this may all sound a little bit deep and serious and, to be honest, it is a bit of a process, but we won’t be asking you to meditate just yet. What we are suggesting is that you have a good long think about who you are, what makes you happy and how you live your life. We will be encouraging you to ask yourself some questions about your personality and unique individual style. Don’t worry – there are no wrong answers here, this is not a test. The questions are just a tool to help you analyze your tastes and needs so you can make the right decisions when it comes to designing your home. But remember – you need to be honest with yourself in order to get the home that you really want.

In Jane’s bedroom, snakeskin wallpaper, a feather Juju hat and a Moroccan wedding blanket draped over the bed head create a laid-back rock-chic vibe that is true to her sense of style. The simple white bedding and neutral throw prevent the room from looking too busy and create a calm, low-key backdrop that contrasts with the unusual wallpaper.

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

Find a pen or pencil and a large piece of paper, pour yourself a glass of wine, relax and write down the answers to the following questions. If you share your home with a partner, you should answer the questions together. Although your individual answers may be different, a common ground can be found (you’ve ended up together, after all, so you must have something in common!). Your aim is to end up with a sheet of paper covered with words that describe your individual interior style.

1 Write down five words that describe your personality, e.g. organized, eccentric, energetic, naughty, serious, sporty, thoughtful, musical, quiet, etc.

2 Write down five words that describe the way you dress, e.g. slick, colourful, monochrome, tailored, boho, rock ’n’ roll, seductive, suited and booted, etc.

3Write down five things that make you happy. This could be anything at all, from the obvious things such as spending time with family and friends to more subtle concepts such as particular smells or feeling the sand between your toes.

ROOM FOR CHANGE

Now you have the key words that describe your personality down on paper, it is time to consider the room you wish to decorate. The way we spend time in the various rooms in our homes varies enormously. The atmosphere we want in the kitchen, for instance, will be very different to the aesthetic required in the bedroom. So there are just a couple more questions to answer.

1 Write down five activities that you would like to do in this room (ok, this may be quite hard for the bathroom but give it a go!).

2 Think of five words that describe the way you want to feel in this room. For example, you might want to feel indulgent, relaxed, peaceful and sexy in your bedroom or sociable, organized and cheerful in the kitchen.

READY FOR ACTION

So there you have it. A whole page (or more) of words that describe you and your taste and the function of the room that you want to decorate. You can use these words to determine the right decorative style both for your personality and for your lifestyle. The combination of different styles might be surprising, but they will be right for you. They will provide you with a style template for your home and you can combine them with your room results to achieve exactly the right look for each space.

The decor of Tina B’s apartment in Hove, East Sussex, reflects her theatrical spirit, even in the kitchen. The wall shelves are filled with mismatched glassware, kitsch figurines and even the odd piece of religious memorabilia, while the distressed metal table echoes the rusty red of the brick wall.

We really loved this genius lighting idea for a family home. Alexandra and Nicholas Valla brought a playful twist to this modern fitting by placing a wooden bear inside. When the lights are turned on, the bear creates abstract shadows that dance across the walls.

Michael Minns’ Victorian house in Hull is all about traditional architectural features given an unexpected modern twist. In the sitting room, an embroidered ‘Fetch the Valium’ artwork stands out against the glossy black wall to create an attention-grabbing feature. If you look closely, you can see the structure and detail of the original Victorian panelling.

In this book, you’ll hear us talk a lot about ‘style spots’, or creating focal points (both big and small) that make a statement. This is a perfect example. On an ornate marble fireplace in the home of Niki Jones in Tunbridge Wells, hot pink candles leap out against an antique gold-framed mirror. The old photograph that is propped up against the mirror adds a touching sentimental detail.

Jane’s kitchen is an eclectic mix of different styles. The clean white walls and ceramic pendant lights create an airy, modern look while the brick wall and resin flooring have a hard-working, industrial vibe that is echoed in the metal cabinets. Dotted here and there are decorative pieces: old chopping boards, fish-shaped water jugs and a vintage clock, all of which strike a playful note.

These glass wall shelves are a functional space, home to jars of coffee, teas and sugar, but Jane has introduced a sense of humour and personality in the shape of gold animal-topped jars, greenery, a Jo Lee Ceramics Dolly Teapot and a pineapple vase.

A LITTLE BIT Rock

Anyone who’s familiar with the Rockett St George brand will immediately recognize Jane Rockett’s own home in Sussex. A frequent feature on the company’s Instagram page, Jane’s home is a style inspiration to many. But what is perhaps most striking about her space is that first and foremost it is a family home. Yes, it’s full of the eclectic, maverick Rockett St George magic, just as you would expect, but at its heart is a cosy, lived-in family vibe.

The dining area is the perfect hangout for Jane and her family. She covered a vintage armchair with cowhide and teamed it with curvaceous rattan lounge chairs. The sloping glass skylights allows light to pour in and the geometric wallpaper on the ceiling contrasts beautifully with the velvety grey-green walls.

The long dining table takes centre stage, creating a peaceful place where Jane and her family can sit and enjoy a meal together. House plants and fresh flowers create the effect of a lush oasis. The ornate glass chandelier adds an understated elegance to the room and casts a gorgeous sparkling light.

Jane bought her home at the very beginning of her Rockett St George journey and this is evident from the minute you walk through the front door. The Victorian townhouse is brimming with vintage and current Rockett St George pieces alongside treasures brought back from Jane’s travels and special mementoes collected over the years and displayed in cabinets and on coffee tables and mantelpieces. In fact, you only really need to see the downstairs of Jane’s home for an insight into Rockett St George’s development over the past ten years.

Split over three storeys, the ground floor of Jane’s home encompasses a kitchen, dining area, home office and living room. Upstairs are her two older children’s bedrooms, a spare room and a bathroom, while the top floor is home to her youngest’s room, a bathroom and the master bedroom, which was opened up to the eaves by Jane and her partner Toby when they moved in.

What is evident throughout is Jane’s rejection of playing it safe and adhering to one particular style. Her kitchen combines industrial brick walls with sleek white counters and mid-century lighting. In theory, such a mix should not work, yet in Jane’s house it hangs together perfectly, balancing practical functionality with her own distinctive style.

Jane has been careful to preserve the original features of the house, retaining the original sash windows and wooden floors. But what makes the house unique is the extended dining room with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden. The space created by the extension/addition offers respite from the outside world. It is a space where Jane and her family can relax and recharge: something that every family home should have.

Rather than using a television as the focal point in her sitting room, Jane decided to create a style spot filled with the many treasures and memories she has collected over the years. Her cabinet of curiosities enjoys centre stage and is filled with photos, children’s drawings and beautiful pieces that have great sentimental value. The convex mirror hanging above the fireplace reflects light into the room.