At Home with @alisoncoldridge in her Victorian lodge
Updated: May 16, 2021
In this series Hutch join the people from behind some of our favourite Instagram accounts, discussing their own homes, design inspirations, and tips for sourcing sustainable homeware.
The second home in our series is a characterful Victorian lodge in Winchester belonging to Alison Coldridge, lifestyle editor at Yahoo UK.
Alison, tells us a bit about your home...
I live in a character-filled Victorian lodge house in Winchester, which I moved into days before Christmas with my husband, baby and two cats in tow. Winchester wasn’t a place I ever considered living (we were in Surrey previously, which was a very easy commute to London for work) but we fell head-over-heels with a property we found on The Modern House. We were beaten to the punch by a cash buyer but while the disappointment was crushing, we had found the city we wanted to settle in and found the place we now call home a few months later.
"They say everything happens for a reason and that seemed apt in this case. Our house is larger and more suited to us and while it needs a lot of cosmetic love, it has bags of potential and a wealth of original features I can’t get enough of."
What is your favourite piece of vintage homeware of furniture you have in your house?
Picking one vintage piece of homeware is tough - I can probably count the number of new home possessions I own on one hand. If pressed, I would say my current treasured possession is a large, lengthy antique serving table I bought in a flash during a late-night eBay trawl. I was after something eye-catching and spacious for the TV to live on but that also had space for decorative knick-knacks. Additionally, it needed to be tall enough for large baskets filled with blankets and baby toys to sit underneath.
Who are your interiors inspirations?
I constantly look to Lonika Chande, Ben Pentreath, Luke Edward Hall and Beata Heuman for inspiration. Lisa Mehydene of edit58 has wonderful taste that I can only dream of emulating and Tobias Vernon, of 8 Holland Street, has an amazing art-filled Somerset cottage that I regularly refer back to.
Sources - Instagram: Lonika Chande, edit 58, Luke Edward Hall, Beata Herman and House & Garden
Where do you find pieces for your home?
I’m a car boot nut and have been snapping up bargain tat, pieces of furniture and baskets at sales all over the south since childhood. Fortunately, I’m an early riser by nature so getting up at the crack of dawn is no hardship. I also love vintage shops (I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve shopped at Packhouse in Farnham - I must be their best customer) and never pass a charity shop without going in.
What are your top tips for people wanting to renovate/do up a house?
When it comes to doing up a home, my advice is to take it a room at a time to avoid overwhelming yourself. However, if you see a piece of furniture, artwork or a set of vintage places that speak to you and are within your budget then buy them. Otherwise, the regret will eat away at you for years. If you love something, you’ll always find a place for it somewhere - even if it’s years later.
What is your favourite thing about your home?
I’ve always loved long, lazy soaks and my house came equipped with a killer bathroom. The cast iron bath sits in the centre of the room, with plenty of room around it. I hung an antique candelabra above it and have a vintage wine table to one side. A painted, glazed cabinet houses all of my products and a pair of floral artworks sit above the towel rack. Jim Lawrence wall lights, a handmade wooden bench and a chippy paint oval mirror above the sink complete the look. I commissioned East London Cloth to make a cafe curtain (which I’m yet to hang) and a Brighton-based seamstress is making a relaxed Roman blind to layer over the top.
How do you ensure that you incorporate sustainable principles into your home design?
"I love using pre-loved pieces in my home. They’re (often) more affordable than their newer counterparts, already exist, purchasing them tends to support small businesses and they each have a secret, fascinating history."
Bar a large, Loaf modular sofa in my family room, an iron bed from The Original Bed Company and the odd rug from IKEA and Zara Home, the new pieces I buy are from independent brands or craftspeople that I know I’ll love for decades and pass on to my daughter, and any other children I may have, in the future.
Comments