Fringe Benefits: WHY WE CHOSE THE SOUTHWEST
Having a moment to take a walk around Dartington Hall Estate is both a chance to decompress from the throws of designing luxury hotels and a means of inspiration and a privilege. I write this article in early spring, and I am in awe of the landscape coming to life and bloom after a long, wet and stormy winter.
The Creative Outliers
Back in 2016, Jeremy and Kate gave me the opportunity to work for Sibley Grove. It came with the large caveat of moving to Devon, from London. A big decision to make, but not so for me. The Southwest of England has always had a place in my heart, but not necessarily for the cliched cream teas and laid-back lifestyle. The resonance of this outlier of England’s creative output has interested me since studying Fine Art at A Level. Not long after passing my driving test, I drove from Slough 150 miles to St Ives, Cornwall, just to pour over the Barbara Hepworth sculptures, ponder the large Patrick Heron paintings that were so much inspired by the landscape and the quality of light in this region. I could have gone to a London gallery to view these, but I wanted to experience the place where these works of art were created. These were people who chose to move from the cities to find space and inspiration. That trip has stuck in my conscience ever since.
Embracing a Many-Sided Life
So why is Sibley Grove based on a country estate just a stone’s throw from the ancient market town of Totnes? Dartington is the site of a medieval hall and deer park. In 1925 the estate was purchased by Dorothy Elmhirst, a very wealthy New Yorker, who at the time, was the richest woman in the world. She and her husband Leonard had a vision and the cash to make the estate an epicentre for modern thinking around land use and farming practices, along with sculpting, fine arts, dance and design. Dorothy and Leonard’s vision was to create a place that reflected and embraced ‘a many-sided life’. A result became a vibrant estate that became home to the Dartington School of Arts, followed by the much-revered Schumacher College. The common thread of both these establishments is the relationship with nature and the arts and the development of a holistic, systems level of thinking.
From Bauhaus to Henry Moore
Sadly, the art school and Schumacher College have moved, and the estate is now held in Trust. However, the legacy lives on through the landscape, artefacts and buildings on site. On my lunchtime strolls I like to appreciate the Grade 2 listed gardens to the rear of the main hall. Flanked by stepped, grass terraces, these began life as a sketch by architect and founder of The Bauhaus school of arts and design, Walter Gropius. Perched upon the western edge of the terrace is a large, Henry Moore sculpture- a modern interpretation of a female nude lounging and looking out across the landscape. As I exit the gardens, I can see a blue, rendered façade through the tree line, this is the grade 2* High Cross House; an early example of a modernist building in the UK, designed by Swiss American Architect, William Lescaze. To complete my circular walk I return to the Main Hall and enter its huge interior with a large inglenook fireplace to one end and to the other a raised gallery area. Drama is added to this space by vertiginous decorative drapes - the design, mid-century by the artist Marianne de Trey. On closer inspection, you can really appreciate the skill and the craft that went into weaving these beautiful textiles right here on this land. It certainly makes you take a closer look at the fabrics we like to specify on our interior projects, and have a better understanding of those that are crafted as opposed to those that have been mass produced.
Working Globally…From Devon
As a collective of designers, unified by the creative vision of Kate and Jeremy, we appreciate and relish being the outlier. When you have space, and dare I say the time, a better quality of idea is achieved. We have more intrigue; we look at projects as a system and understand really what is required and how we can add value; reflected in my favourite motto, ‘think long, act quick’. At Dartington, we have space and nature to appreciate; we’re actively linked to its seasons and colours and most importantly it’s fragility and its resilience. My personal experiences of working in practice in London is generally good and I have had the best means to “cut my teeth”. However, I had always felt that creative, lateral and critical thinking were somehow overshadowed by just churning out work and repeating ideas and I never really touched the soul of an interior project, like we do here in Devon. Our wonderful team of specialist designers work all over the world, and we are proud to do so from our studio on a richly cultural and historic country estate in Devon. Much like my artistic muses from St. Ives, we have a wide outreach.