How did your latest renovation project begin?
In the past our homes have been lovely period properties where the focus has been on restoring original features and there’s a sense of history to guide the design choices. This time we [Lee, his partner Phil, and their two daughters] bought for the location – a village in Yorkshire we adore - not the architectural style. It was a pretty crappy 1950s build, with nothing to save or restore. Everyone raves about a blank canvas but, as we discovered, they can be a much harder starting point. We decided to use the most beautiful individual components possible and turn the ordinary into something amazing. Yes, we did a moodboard or two, but most of our design decisions were materials driven, namely oak, brass, bronze, Crittall and, of course, Bert & May’s encaustic tiles.
What inspired the overall look?
I don’t have a particular period or style or interior designer that I try to emulate but I do remember watching ‘A Single Man’ [directed by fashion designer Tom Ford] and feeling inspired by the most incredible mid-century interiors. The movie is set in a 1960s house filled with layers of warmth, colour and texture but done in a very open-plan, Scandi way. The vibe seemed perfect, and that pared back, textural aesthetic has always appealed to me.