All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
The deeply appealing Hampshire cottage of a former British Vogue staffer
'What I’m always trying to do - in my own house and in my projects - is to find things that feel original to me,' says interior designer Emma Sherlock. 'There’s nothing worse than walking into a sort of showroom, so I try to avoid a room ending up like a jigsaw puzzle where everything just slots into place.'
It is sage advice in a time when people have become increasingly design literate, and certainly not an accusation you could wager against Emma's own house, a brick and flint cottage that she has been slowly redecorating over a period of 12 years. ‘The house was pretty tired when we first moved in,’ Emma explains. ‘It was a bit of a Tardis, just a big box with no architectural detailing, so panelling and joinery were the primary focus’.
There is a strong sense of organic evolution in Emma's house, achieved by a clever mixture of high and low, new and old. Perhaps the best example of this hangs in the sitting room, the scheme of which is based around the striking blue and white curtains that Emma inherited from her granny. ‘They were originally hanging in my grandparents’ house–a Georgian house designed by Dudley Poplak in the 1960s,’ a designer best known for his work on Kensington Palace and Highgrove for Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana. 'When we bought this house, my granny said “I have these curtains from our old house that have been sitting in a trunk for 30 years. Would you like them?" I wasn't sure at first but then I saw one of them and just thought they were amazing. They have this delicious tea stained background that I knew would be perfect with Farrow and Ball's 'Pink Ground'.'
Emma also cites her father as a source of interesting design advice. ‘He always used to say to me, “If you can, buy the picture. You can put it in a new frame. Just keep buying pictures."' That she did, and Emma now owns quite the collection. Referring to the gallery wall in the sitting room, Emma says, ‘It didn’t start out like this, but I kept adding to it and the pictures just got lower and lower down the wall. Some are quite good, others are just funny little things I picked up on the way. If it's the right shape and size, I'm quite spontaneous about putting things up.'
Emma's penchant for the unusual isn't limited to her taste in art either. As she puts it, ‘Part of my job is getting clients to choose the thing that isn’t everywhere else. I encourage them to pick something a bit funny or irreverent, or else schemes can become quite cookie cutter.' Her aim is to make things feel organic and steeped in personality, whether new or inherited. ‘I have clients who sometimes worry about the furniture they’ve come into and want to hide it away. But when I look at it, I think "this is treasure, this is gold dust." It's what makes your house original.'
This ethos extends to Emma's professional projects and it's one she's been dedicated to since the inception of her design studio eight years ago. 'I had been working at Vogue since I was 21, and had been there for 12 or 13 years,' Emma explains. ‘Everyone was creative and interesting and good fun, but I had always wanted to run my own business and finally took the leap in 2016. It was an exciting time but I really missed the people.'
Emma found creative stimulation during the transition in friend and former Vogue colleague Gavin Houghton, who had left the magazine to set up his business a while before. 'At Vogue, I was the Partnerships Director and Gavin was my Art Director, so for those years we were a bit of a double act.' Nowadays, that strong sense of collaboration lingers and the pair are about to start working on a project in London as a duo. ‘We both know our strengths and push each other creatively by pooling our resources and knowledge. We expand each other’s horizons by introducing one another to new fabrics, makers and products.'
How does Emma's house continue to evolve? 'There's a lot of stuff that's been here since we first moved in - the drawing room walls have always been pink for example - but it was hard having a civilised house with young children. Ten years ago there were toy trains everywhere, but as they've grown older, the fabrics and furnishings have become nicer too.' Increasingly, the feel of the house has become just as important. ‘If guests are coming over I want to know, “Is the lighting flattering? Are they on a comfortable sofa? Do they have a drink in their hand? The best compliment I have received was someone walking into my house and saying, ”give me a vodka tonic. I never want to leave!"' High praise indeed.
Emma Sherlock is a member of The List by House & Garden. Find her profile here.
Emma Sherlock | emmasherlock.com
Boz Gagovski1/14In the entrance, the chair is covered in ‘Jaipur Poppy’ by GP and J Baker. The rug is from Tate & Darby.
Boz Gagovski2/14The kitchen cupboards are painted in ‘Green Smoke’ by Farrow and Ball, paired with relaxed Roman Blinds in ‘Scrolling Acanthus’ by Soane Britain. The delft tiles are by Douglas and Watson.
Boz Gagovski3/14The chairs are Vico Magistretti's Carimate.
Boz Gagovski4/14
Boz Gagovski5/14In the other sitting room, the panelling is painted in ‘Stone 1’ by Paint and Paper Library. The curtain fabric is Portobello by GP and J Baker, which offsets are smart Imari light from Vaughn and Nushka lampshade. The rug was bought on holiday in Marrakech.
Boz Gagovski6/14The drinks cupboard is papered in ‘Coral’ wallpaper from Soane. The picture above the chair is by Joan Hecktermann and the lampshade is from Rosi di Ruig.
Boz Gagovski7/14In the bathroom, Emma has chosen ‘Strawberry Wallpaper’ by Sanderson, a striking bucolic print. It is paired with cupboards painted in ‘Sky Blue’ from Edward Bulmer.
Boz Gagovski8/14In the primary bedroom, the headboard is Cinny's ‘Arthur Stripe’ in ‘Baked Apple’, the boldness of which is complementing by Howe's more delicate ‘Mr Men’ wallpaper.
Boz Gagovski9/14The chair is by Gavin Houghton. The lampshades are from Alvaro Picardo.
Boz Gagovski10/14In Emma's daughter's bedroom, her bed is crowned by a smart blue tester in inherited vintage French linen.
‘The fabric is from the linen factory owned by my husband’s French grandmother, whose family had a fabric company in the north of France before the war. She actually met her husband (Emma's husband's grandfather) because he made linen presses in England.'
Next to her bed is a smart bamboo desk sourced from Natalia Rawley which displays a ‘Maileg' mouse house–'all you really want when you're nine,' says Emma.
Boz Gagovski11/14
Boz Gagovski12/14
Boz Gagovski13/14The outdoor table becomes a welcoming spot with cushions in Flora Soames's ‘Plain Stripe Outdoor Emerald’.
Boz Gagovski14/14Emma's studio is tucked away at the bottom of the garden and is painted in ‘Setting Plaster’ by Farrow and Ball. The lamp and shade are both by Penny Morrison, the Regency chair was purchased from Rebecca Christie Miller. The large painting is by Lizbeth Holstein from 'Mylo Art'.
