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My Houzz: A Creative Home Bursting with Dark Colours and Gothic Glamour
Animal skulls, snakeskin wallpaper and black candles… This creative couple’s home celebrates an extravagant mix of colour and texture
‘I love darkness, and I love dark interiors,’ says Fiona Ellis, and her home is a testimony to the veracity of that statement. Draped in sumptuous fabrics, atmospheric dark hues and vivid accessories, it’s a stunning combination of curiosity cabinet, elegant Gothic manor and punk rocker’s dream.
Fiona, who’s the co-owner of Brave Boutique, a furniture and accessories shop, enthuses about the aesthetic elegance of black interiors. ‘I’ve used black in all my homes,’ she says. ‘It just highlights art so well.’ Together with her partner, Scott Hendrie, who also runs Brave Boutique, Fiona transformed her 1910 flat from a bland grey space into a vivid and evocative home.
Fiona, who’s the co-owner of Brave Boutique, a furniture and accessories shop, enthuses about the aesthetic elegance of black interiors. ‘I’ve used black in all my homes,’ she says. ‘It just highlights art so well.’ Together with her partner, Scott Hendrie, who also runs Brave Boutique, Fiona transformed her 1910 flat from a bland grey space into a vivid and evocative home.
When she first purchased the flat four-and-a-half years ago, Fiona hired Scott, who was working as an artist and designer, to help redecorate the space. ‘He’s very much about pushing boundaries,’ she explains, a quality that resonated with her. Their mutual love of dark, bold and atmospheric design brought the two closer together, and soon enough Scott and Fiona were partners, both privately and professionally, founding Brave Boutique together. ‘We both have the same eye,’ Fiona says. ‘We love the dramatic and the theatrical.’
Fiona chose a rich purple carpet for the living room. ‘It’s a great base to show off furnishings,’ she explains. On one wall she applied Antique Mirror wallpaper. ‘When the light shines on it, it creates the most amazing effect,’ she says. ‘I like wallpaper to look as if it isn’t wallpaper. This gives the most amazing texture.’
Antique Mirror wallpaper, Cole & Son.
Fiona chose a rich purple carpet for the living room. ‘It’s a great base to show off furnishings,’ she explains. On one wall she applied Antique Mirror wallpaper. ‘When the light shines on it, it creates the most amazing effect,’ she says. ‘I like wallpaper to look as if it isn’t wallpaper. This gives the most amazing texture.’
Antique Mirror wallpaper, Cole & Son.
Although the patterned ceiling is the property’s original, Scott worked to turn it into a feature. ‘He darkened it down with various colours and then glazed it,’ Fiona says. The glaze lends it a leathery finish.
While there are plenty of eye-catching details to choose from in this room, the imposing horned statue is the most striking. Scott explains that the design came to him from a drawing he had done as a teenager. He sourced a suit of armour, applied a camouflage pattern to it, and topped it with a gilded ram’s skull. ‘It’s based on the Minotaur,’ he explains.
While there are plenty of eye-catching details to choose from in this room, the imposing horned statue is the most striking. Scott explains that the design came to him from a drawing he had done as a teenager. He sourced a suit of armour, applied a camouflage pattern to it, and topped it with a gilded ram’s skull. ‘It’s based on the Minotaur,’ he explains.
Fiona likes to use small panels of flashy wallpaper in select locations to create a textured feature, and she and Scott decided to highlight the fireplace by adding faux crocodile-skin wallpaper to the chimney breast. The various knick-knacks on the mantelpiece were picked up during the couple’s travels.
The walls are a mix of shades. Starting with Farrow & Ball’s purple Brinjal as a base, Scott used multiple colours to create layers of depth and shadow.
Crocodilo Vinyl wallpaper, Osborne & Little.
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The walls are a mix of shades. Starting with Farrow & Ball’s purple Brinjal as a base, Scott used multiple colours to create layers of depth and shadow.
Crocodilo Vinyl wallpaper, Osborne & Little.
Discover 10 inventive ways to work in some fabulous wallpaper
‘I’ve always had a peacock chair,’ Fiona laughs. ‘I think they’re just amazing.’
The birdcage is one of Brave Boutique’s creations. Fiona explains that the birdcages have multiple functions, and can be used as a light, a lantern or simply as a decorative display.
Snakeskin lampshade, Brave Boutique.
The birdcage is one of Brave Boutique’s creations. Fiona explains that the birdcages have multiple functions, and can be used as a light, a lantern or simply as a decorative display.
Snakeskin lampshade, Brave Boutique.
In one corner of the living room there’s an upright piano, played by both Honey and Scott. Fiona sourced the antique, which even has candle holders on either side of the music rest, from a schoolteacher in Kensington.
A vase stuffed with peacock feathers adds another textural element to the composition. ‘You can’t live without peacock feathers!’ Fiona laughs. ‘They are the most divine colours. You always gotta have a peacock feather in the room.’
Animal skulls appear throughout the house. They are all handmade by Scott, who is constantly experimenting with new designs and textures, including mosaics, camouflaging techniques, glow-in-the-dark colours and chain and spike applications.
Explore 10 ways to decorate with antlers
A vase stuffed with peacock feathers adds another textural element to the composition. ‘You can’t live without peacock feathers!’ Fiona laughs. ‘They are the most divine colours. You always gotta have a peacock feather in the room.’
Animal skulls appear throughout the house. They are all handmade by Scott, who is constantly experimenting with new designs and textures, including mosaics, camouflaging techniques, glow-in-the-dark colours and chain and spike applications.
Explore 10 ways to decorate with antlers
This grand mirror, which has been in Fiona’s possession for more than 20 years, conveys an air of mystery due to its foxed surface. Scott has given it another layer of character by gilding the previously white frame.
Next to the living room, the dining room is a truly multi-tasking space where the family eat, hang out, work and create. Two of the walls plus the ceiling are covered in the same Crocodilo Vinyl wallpaper as the chimney breast in the living room. ‘Wallpaper on the ceiling is a must,’ Fiona says.
The neon skulls in here actually glow in the dark. ‘It’s great, because you have light when you come into the kitchen at night,’ she laughs. ‘That’s why dark walls are so good – things stand out on a dark wall.’ Above the entrance to the living room is a large feathery African Juju hat in bold red.
Chandelier, antique Toleware.
The neon skulls in here actually glow in the dark. ‘It’s great, because you have light when you come into the kitchen at night,’ she laughs. ‘That’s why dark walls are so good – things stand out on a dark wall.’ Above the entrance to the living room is a large feathery African Juju hat in bold red.
Chandelier, antique Toleware.
The wooden bench and table were antique finds Fiona then distressed and varnished. She added a dainty lace tablecloth as a stark contrast to the rest of the interior. ‘It’s a nice touch to add the lace tablecloth to the dark room,’ she says.
The striking black candles are another of Brave Boutique’s creations. ‘You wouldn’t know they aren’t candles,’ Fiona says of the LED lights. ‘You can even put them on a timer!’
The striking black candles are another of Brave Boutique’s creations. ‘You wouldn’t know they aren’t candles,’ Fiona says of the LED lights. ‘You can even put them on a timer!’
Although the kitchen seems standard at first glance, it’s lifted out of the ordinary by the leopard-print wallpaper on the ceiling. ‘It’s absolutely divine,’ Fiona says. ‘There’s a slight metallic sheen in it – it looks like fabric.’
Both Fiona and Scott enjoy cooking and entertaining, so this space is perfect for them. ‘It’s definitely a fun kitchen,’ Fiona laughs.
Pantanal wallpaper, Osborne & Little.
Both Fiona and Scott enjoy cooking and entertaining, so this space is perfect for them. ‘It’s definitely a fun kitchen,’ Fiona laughs.
Pantanal wallpaper, Osborne & Little.
In order to give the kitchen another layer of texture, Fiona and Scott covered a small section with Drape wallpaper. ‘It has an almost 3D feel,’ Scott says.
The pendant lights above the kitchen islands are fashioned out of Brave Boutique’s vintage birdcages. ‘They’re slightly gothic, slightly punky,’ Fiona says. The lights throw shadows all over the kitchen cupboards. ‘They look like jellyfish!’ she laughs.
The elegant mirror with attached lamp was an Art Deco piece Fiona picked up at an antiques fair. It’s offset by the acid green antelope skull hanging above it.
Drape wallpaper, Cole & Son.
The pendant lights above the kitchen islands are fashioned out of Brave Boutique’s vintage birdcages. ‘They’re slightly gothic, slightly punky,’ Fiona says. The lights throw shadows all over the kitchen cupboards. ‘They look like jellyfish!’ she laughs.
The elegant mirror with attached lamp was an Art Deco piece Fiona picked up at an antiques fair. It’s offset by the acid green antelope skull hanging above it.
Drape wallpaper, Cole & Son.
In the hallway leading to the master bedroom and daughter Honey’s room, Fiona and Scott added another set of hanging birdcages, which float ethereally against the black backdrop. The fluorescent orange chair is another antique the couple picked up and painted.
In the master bedroom, neon orange accents draw the eye to key features. The wrought iron bed frame, which Fiona has had for a long time, has been updated with the vivid hue. She bought the frame from a purveyor of antique beds, and this particular one had actually been found on top of a house in Morocco. ‘It’s the most gorgeous bed, and with each home I’ve lived in, it’s changed colour,’ she says.
The antique wardrobe is another piece Fiona’s had for a while. ‘I bought that in my twenties at the big antiques fair in Newark,’ she says. She and Scott are planning to revamp it very soon.
Window frames painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball. Walls painted in Lamp Room Gray, Farrow & Ball.
The antique wardrobe is another piece Fiona’s had for a while. ‘I bought that in my twenties at the big antiques fair in Newark,’ she says. She and Scott are planning to revamp it very soon.
Window frames painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball. Walls painted in Lamp Room Gray, Farrow & Ball.
The wall-to-wall built-in wardrobe was actually commissioned by Fiona when she moved in. ‘It’s very unusual for me, so modern and simple,’ she says.
The bedside tables were also made by the couple. Fiona had them covered in fabric and topped with glass for stability. ‘They’re very soft and gentle,’ she says. The bedside lamps are repurposed antique sconces.
Snakeskin wallpaper dominates the hallway, while a little window seat with a neon orange cushion provides a flash of colour.
Boa wallpaper, Osborne & Little.
Boa wallpaper, Osborne & Little.
The flat’s third bedroom now functions as Fiona’s office. The gold mirror is another antiques fair find, while the Portuguese cabinet below it was purchased at the Lots Road Auction in London.
The small cloakroom stays true to the character of the home by wowing with all-over leopard print wallpaper, which Fiona bought from eBay.
The back of the building, which houses four flats in total, leads out to an extensive garden.
TELL US…
What do you think of this unique home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. If you would like your home to be featured, please send information and photos to ukeditor@houzz.com.
What do you think of this unique home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. If you would like your home to be featured, please send information and photos to ukeditor@houzz.com.
Who lives here Fiona Ellis and Scott Hendrie, owners of Brave Boutique, and Fiona’s teenage daughter, Honey
Location Sunningdale, Berkshire
Size 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
The flat was originally painted pale grey, a neutral shade that did not correspond with Fiona’s aesthetic sensibilities. So she set to work creating a space that now both showcases the creations from her boutique and serves as a fun and welcoming family home.
The coffee table and TV stand are original Brave Boutique creations that Fiona and Scott ‘pimped up’. ‘We spent ages sourcing these PVC croc skins to find some that look really good,’ says Fiona. The elegant vintage wall sconces were sourced by the couple at various antiques fairs. ‘That’s our passion – we love antiques fairs,’ she says.
Pouffes; armchair; animal skulls, all Brave Boutique.