#MADCAP COTTAGE HOW TO#Maybe they want to break free of using beige or grey, but they don't know how to take that step. 'Most people who come to us want to push their boundaries a bit. 'Every room we do is different,' Jason says. Surely not many clients would have the constitution for such a pure concoction in their own house. 'There's so much going on that it constantly feels fresh.'Īs is often the case with designers' homes, this house seems to represent the most distilled version of the Madcap Cottage style. 'Whenever people come over, they spot something new,' says Jason. Even the kitchen, an oasis of calm compared to the rest of the house, has a discreet fretwork wallpaper on the ceiling. While the colours in the den are richer, with accents that speak of the Indian subcontinent, the sitting room is elegant and slightly more spare, with elements of chinoiserie. This incredible, relentless sense of detail carries on throughout the house, with each room having its own decorative identity. 'We wanted to create little moments of surprise and delight that take the mundane and make it marvellous.' 'It is all about the details,' says John. The palette is largely pastel, and the room has a Barbara Cartland quality. There is piping in a contrasting colour on the upholstered furniture and corresponding passementerie on the curtains and bed canopy. In the main bedroom, I quickly tot up 15 different patterned fabrics and wallpapers and two pieces of furniture with decorative paint effects (one gilded). The wood floors are decorated with geometric pattern while the muralled wall along the stairs was inspired by one in the Rex Whistler Restaurant at Tate Britain. And the space is a triumph of decorative paint effects, from the faux brickwork on the walls to the trompe l'œil striped tented ceiling. True, there is the traditional grandfather clock, a couple of wall sconces and an inviting floral arrangement on a central table, but each is eccentric in its colour and detail. Take the entrance hall, which John says they wanted to 'set the tone for the rest of the house, put a little sparkle in your eye and a smile on your face - a sense of whimsy'. But their approach to decorating in the English country-house style has a special energy and flair - they revere the style, but they treat it with an appealing irreverence. Jason and John are confirmed anglophiles, their conversations peppered with references to the Brighton Pavilion, Colefax and Fowler, David Hicks and the Duchess of Devonshire. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a study.īut everything would be done to change the decoration. There is also a dining room and sun room (formerly an open porch), as well as a large utility room tucked away to one side. 'It had this terrific flow and was perfect for entertaining.' Little would be done to change its arrangement: a central front hall connects the sitting room and 'den' on either side and straight ahead the kitchen, which overlooks the back garden. 'When we walked in, we thought the layout was so graceful,' recalls Jason. Set in two-and-a-half acres of partial woodland, it has a classic charm that gives scant clue as to what lies within. 'There is more of a spirit of adventure.'Īfter seeing dozens of properties, John and Jason settled on the first one they had viewed: a Thirties white-brick house built in the neo-Georgian style, complete with a Doric-columned portico and a decorative Greek key frieze. 'In terms of food, fashion and design, the American south is having a real renaissance at the moment,' says Jason. After 25 years in New York, they set their sights on High Point, known (at least locally) as 'the furniture capital of the world' due to the size of the industry in the area. It is impossible not to picture them like this when we later discuss their new house in High Point, North Carolina. Sitting side by side, they were an alluring pairing. John sported a tropical floral motif, with Jason in a punchy palm print. The topic was how to mix patterns in interiors and, as if to illustrate the couple's affinity with the concept, they both wore tailored jackets made from fabrics from their latest Robert Allen collection. You may also like: A masterclass in Mixing Pattern by Madcap Cottageĭuring last year's London Design Week in March, Hatta Byng, the editor of House & Garden, hosted a talk with Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke from the American interior design studio Madcap Cottage. Known for their irreverent take on English country-house style, the American duo behind Madcap Cottage have created a home filled with outlandish pattern and colour
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