Originally in Greek theatre the stage was an enchanted space in which reality was suspended and wonderful things could occur, and that’s what I try to achieve with the house. The grand plan of transforming a three-bedroomed, ex-council house in Essex into thirteen distinct areas wasn't going to be a quick makeover, nor a cheap one. So when I sat down and started sketching out the grand design I eventually ended up with a twenty-five year plan. This was a realistic arc of time over cost, as it was important that the journey was not a task farmed out to third parties, but where possible to be very hands on. Also: funds were not unlimited and at the beginning of the project I did not possess the skills to achieve everything that was required.

"Money is only a secondary concern in the production of first-rate works” William Burges

When buying the house, there were a few astrological and geographical aspects that I wanted to make certain were aligned. First, that the morning sun always shone through the bedroom, and lit the kitchen first thing. Also that the moon rose in the correct place for viewing from both the Room of Dreams and the Fountain Courtyard. I also wanted to make sure that the Wilderness (the eventual name for the front approach to the house) was set back from any light and roadway. I didn’t want a house people drove by in cars. I also was particular about how many rooms and the size of certain rooms (many older houses would have not sported living rooms that bore the dimensions of an 11th Century hall). Another consideration as that from any of the windows no other houses would be visible (unfortunately, that one was not achieved, I can see a few from the main bedroom and have had to add hammered glass to hide them). th

The five room phases

When attempting a complete reconstruction of a house, or any large project, I though the the best way approaching it was to break it down into manageable pieces. To this end, I sorted out quite early on that if I was going to be successful and efficient in transforming Talliston, then I would have to create a multi-part plan. This became these five room phases:

Phase I: Design, planning, sourcing and gutting room ready for building work. This is also the time when I take all the pictures, images, swatches, colour charts and so on, group them by subject (tables, floors, fabrics, fixtures and fittings, historic setting etc.) and paste them up onto the bare walls. Then I live with those for at least six months, refining the mood boards, stripping out multiple objects (eg honing down the five sofa options down to one) and getting a final design.

Phase II: Major building work, laying floors and any structural alterations. Once all the decisions have been made, the next step is to remove what is left on the mood boards and create a timeline plan of the room. This is then used for all forward planning for the entire project. Then the building work starts, and ends when I am left with a completely decorated, if empty, shell. This is also the stage where electricity, lighting and gas is added.

Phase III: Primary furniture and fittings. Next comes the sourcing and purchasing of the main items of furniture (the tables, chairs, beds, desks, bookcases and so forth).

Phase IV: Secondary furniture and fittings. Now it is time to add the trappings that fill out the room (such as paintings, side tables, curtains, throws and so on).

Phase V: Details and hard-to-find articles and objects. This is perhaps the most important --- and certainly the longest --- part of the process. It is the sourcing and placing of the emphemeral items that tell the story of the room (including the books, personal effects and trappings that really make the room come alive. Sometimes this requires going on journeys to source items from the actual location that the room is supposed to inhabit (ie shopping in New Orleans for the Voodoo Kitchen) or searching the Internet for unusual items (such as the photographs and taxidermy in the Office). It takes a minimum of five years to finish this phase, but really it is never completely finished, as there is always a time when I chance upon the perfect item --- or a replacement item --- for a room. This is the most organic phase, and the most enjoyable and, in the case of the Room of Dreams that contains one object from every holiday I have taken since buying the house, the most personal of all the phases.