English Home

THE ENGLISH HOME 61Taking possession of the ground floor – includingreinstating one front door where there had been two,and removing a number of partitions – addedconsiderably to their tally of rooms. They gaineda spacious bedroom, allowing their old attic bedroomto become a guest room. Andrew took the large roomoverlooking the garden as a study for his research asa military historian, and made a magnificently tiledbathroom in the back extension.Helen and Andrew have always made furnishing anddecorating decisions together, although Helen, anestablished member of the interior design fraternityand a textile specialist with a passion for prints, mighthave been expected to be the prime mover. She openedher own showroom, Tissus d’Hélène in 2006, and itnow hosts more than 50 collections.” I’ve soughtartisan companies offering hand-blocked and hand``````screen-printed designs and have my own collectionof period French florals,” she explains. At home, sheloves the unconventional way she and Andrew haveworked together to create rooms that delight themboth. “Andrew has a very good eye and, fortunately,we have similar tastes. When, every now and then,we don’t agree on something, we don’t have it. It hasnever been a matter of discussing how we woulddecorate a room – it always begins with both of usfalling in love with the same fabrics, mostly eighteenth-century designs and Toiles de Jouy in particular.”The other preference they share is for roomsdecorated with colour. “It lifts the spirit,” Helendeclares. “There is no beige in this house and we don’tlike things that match; for instance, the three sofas inthe sitting room are all different. We’re drawn to thecolours in old tapestries, the ochres and olives with``````ABOVE Colours andpatterns in the sittingroom demonstrateHelen’s and Andrew’spolicy of choosingnon-matching piecesthat share the samedesign ethos. Thefabric on the wingchair is ChambordTurquoise by NicoleFabre Designs. Thetree was suppliedby Dobbies.OPPOSITE The sofais covered in ChineseYellow linen fromVolga Linen, and thetapestry cushions arefrom Peta Smyth.“There is no beige in this house. We’re drawn to the colours in oldtapestries, the ochres and olives with blues and terracotta thrown in”TEH UK DEC15 HOUSE - Helen Tissus D'Helene.indd 61 14/10/2015 10:26