Risky buys & brilliant accidents: inside house & garden's decorating adventures
We’ve all been there: seduced by a vintage find, blinded by a bargain, and willing to gamble on a piece that might just work. At House & Garden, we embrace that impulse, often with spectacular (and occasionally disastrous) results. From colossal pendant lampshades to houses bought sight unseen, our editors share their most memorable decorating risks – and the lessons learned along the way.
A studio transformed, a legacy honored
The story begins in a room once belonging to the celebrated Teddy Millington Drake, now reimagined as a serene bedroom. A striking four-poster bed, painted a vibrant red, commands the space, a bold statement softened by the presence of oil paintings rendered in ochre, orange, and mastic brown – a subtle homage to the room’s previous occupant. It’s a testament to how honoring the past can inform a fresh, modern design.
The giant hat and the film director's leap of faith
Our digital writer, Rose Washbourn, may be risk-averse by nature, but her colleagues aren’t. Interior designer Bodil Blain, renovating her west London home, took a chance on a rattan pendant shade sourced from Ukraine. What arrived was far larger than anticipated – a “giant hat,” as her children playfully put it. But rather than return it, Blain embraced the unexpected scale, transforming it into a dramatic canopy above her kitchen table, a conversation starter and a testament to the beauty of happy accidents.
Then there’s Chris Sweeney, a film director who, while away filming in Australia, entrusted his husband, William, to find a Cotswold cottage. Six months and a significant gamble later, they secured the property without ever having set foot inside. “Thankfully,” Sweeney recounts, “when I finally saw it in person, it was pretty much how I thought it would be.” The renovation that followed has now inspired Sweeney to venture into the world of interior design – a clear indication that sometimes, the biggest risks yield the greatest rewards.
Ebay bargains, tiny tables, and a hat box's grand tour
Decoration editor Rémy Mishon recalls a colleague’s eBay misadventure – an antique destined for a doll’s house, not a living room. Mishon herself has experienced the pitfalls of unchecked measurements, from oversized lampshades to side tables better suited for mice. But there are also triumphs: a cherished 1940s hat box acquired at a Whitstable market, which embarked on a whirlwind tour of buses, trains, and a detour through Canterbury before finally making its way back to London.
A quest for pasta plates and a leopard-spotted dream
Daisy Bridgewater’s quest for replacement pasta plates, lost to the ravages of time, led her to Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast. After numerous artisanal workshops, she finally unearthed four delightful bowls, each adorned with recipes for classic Italian dishes. Sadly, fate intervened, and two of the plates met an untimely end on the kitchen tiles, leaving Bridgewater contemplating a return trip.
And finally, commerce editor Bella Bowes is pursuing a vision: transforming two slipper chairs into crouching leopards. The plan involves Claremont’s ‘Bon Marché’ fabric and custom-carved paws from a craftsperson in Ukraine – a project currently awaiting the arrival of those crucial paws, with a six-week wait already underway. The anticipation, she admits, is palpable.
These stories remind us that decorating is not about flawless execution, but about embracing the unexpected, taking chances, and celebrating the quirks that make a house a home.