Wealden Times | WT230 | July 2021 | Education supplement inside

This page: Colour and pattern abound in Benjamin’s room, where red metal gym-style lockers from IKEA stand alongside a clothes rail of
fancy dress costumes, vibrant prints and lots of toys
Palace Court building on Hastings sea front. Another
cavalcade of little figures marches across the top of the
mirror over the fireplace – with a puppet hanging down
for good measure. Of course, there is a disco ball.
With so much going on in the room, it was a clever
choice to have two identical large sofas – in teal blue velvet,
from Made. Likewise, a pair of matching candle sconces
(from Refound Objects, online) above one of the sofas
and a pair of Chinese paintings on the adjacent wall, add
a sense of unity to a room, which is a good idea with this
much decorative action. Stuffed kookaburras, anyone?
Another clever detail eluded my – somewhat preoccupied
– eyes, on my first visit into this room. It seemed as
though they didn’t have a telly, until Victoria pointed it
out, sitting on a mid-century sideboard in the far corner.
Against the black-painted wall the black screen
simply disappears, which is a very clever way to play
down this most-intrusive of sitting room elements.
Heading back out to the hall to continue our explorations,
you head into what is probably the most striking feature
of the whole house (which is saying something): a French
hang of what Americans call ‘thrift store’ art, which covers
the entire extensive wall space in the hall, floor to ceiling,
and continues right up the stairs to the first floor.
That US term ‘thrift store’ in this country covers all
Victoria’s favourite resources of boot fairs, charity shops,
junk shops and her favourite, Facebook Marketplace, where
she has gathered these pictures over the years. And she’s
not done yet – she has plenty more ready to be hung and
the first-floor landing is going to be galleried with them.
The overall effect is exciting. The eye and the brain
immediately start hopping about, trying to take it
all in – but it’s also interesting to take a moment to
stop and look a while at individual pieces.
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