A 17th-century Hampshire townhouse that marries period elegance with comfortable informality
The American owner of this house in Hampshire first came across Max Rollitt when she read about his own home in House & Garden a decade ago. ‘I remember thinking then that so many of the items in the house were beautiful – that none of it matched, yet all of it belonged together,’ she recalls.
Since then she has, over the years, bought the occasional painting and piece of furniture from Max and, when she and her family moved to this 17th-century townhouse in 2022, she immediately made her way to his barn in nearby Yavington. The former grain store in the Hampshire countryside is Max’s centre of operations and showroom, full of gloriously enticing, original pieces; it is also host to upholstery, restoration and furniture-making workshops. She introduced herself to Max and asked for his help in transforming her new house. And so began a very fruitful relationship.
Max knew the property of old. Tucked away down a tiny back street, the Grade II-listed, eight bedroom house had undergone many changes of use and redesigns; at one stage it was the headquarters of the quaintly named local Ladies’ Club. As Max explains, ‘I am not a person for a lot of change, and the house was already large enough for all of the family’s needs, but it did require some reorganisation to make it feel more like a home.’ To this end, he brought in George Saumarez-Smith of Adam Architecture, with whom he has collaborated frequently, as they share a particular sensibility.
‘The house is listed, so there was very little we could do with the footprint,’ says George. ‘We walked round it, agreeing that much of the character that had been removed over the years should be replaced – for example, the doors without proper architraves and a kitchen that was out of keeping with the period. We decided to create a new utility room on the ground floor next to the kitchen and a new bathroom for the main bedroom, as well as introducing two chimneypieces upstairs.’
Part of the brief was also to make the standard conservatory at the back of the house feel more connected and integral to the rest of the ground floor. In addition, a dining room at the front of the house was transformed into a television and family room. With the dining area repositioned in what is now known as the orangery, this creates a harmonious continuation of the kitchen space. ‘In short, we softened the feel of the house,’ observes George.
Max had an enormous 18th-century pine Lancashire dresser in his stock that was used as the starting point for the design of the rest of the units in the kitchen. ‘There were two columns at either end of the range’s elevation,’ he says, explaining that they used this to reconfigure the layout of the kitchen. In order to create somewhere to house the fridge freezer and an entrance to the new utility room, the range was bookmatched and two fitments were added with door entrances. The sink and oven are now on one side of the island, so that all preparations take place away from the flow of traffic. This also means that children and guests can move easily through the room without being under the feet of the cook – a layout that works especially successfully when it comes to the many parties thrown by the owners.
Fitted carpet was removed in the drawing room, allowing a wooden floor – now covered in an Aubusson carpet and a Persian Mina Hani carpet, both sourced by Max – to create a link with the wood-floored hall. Here, the panelling and a small entrance lobby with three steps down – an inheritance from the building’s time as a club – were left in place. The hallway is lit by wall lights designed and made bespoke by Max.
Upstairs, an en-suite bathroom was cleverly engineered for the main bedroom. This is the owner’s favourite room, with its terracotta red Claremont silk wallcovering and Max’s ‘Chamberlayne’ canopied four-poster, which works for every season, letting in or shutting out the light. ‘It is the perfect bed and a cocoon of a room without being smothering,’ she enthuses.
The spare room, which is painted in ‘Handel House Grey’ from Papers and Paints, is equally seductive. The owner agrees: ‘Some guests say, “Just leave me here – I’ll be fine. I have a good book and that’s all I will need in here.”’ Describing her daughters’ bedroom, she explains, ‘I wanted a wallpaper for them that lets the mind drift off while going to sleep. When I told Max this, he suggested the beautiful “Sweet Pea” floral wallpaper by Cole & Son.’
Elsewhere, rooms are populated by the unique pieces found by Max over the years. ‘I think all rooms need a personality, don’t you?’ says the owner. ‘Each piece should have a history – a story as to where it was found.’ Max agrees completely, ‘I get the pickings at both ends. I buy what I like, create an arsenal of items and then have the joy of placing them where I think fit.’ For example, the shelves in the pantry, bought in Spitalfields, were once used to store tea caddies. ‘Everything and everywhere is inspiration,’ he explains. ‘The pink of a fire surround upstairs was inspired by one I saw years ago in an Irish country house.’
Naturally, there were occasional divergences of opinion. Having grown up in the 1970s, the owner had different tastes to Max when it came to colour. ‘I would propose a wallpaper, which might be bright red, but Max would tone me down. And he was always right,’ she says graciously. This attitude suited her perfectly. ‘I think that a lot of houses look very effort driven, but it does not fool anyone because, the minute you start to live your life, you undo the magic,’ she says. ‘That does not happen with Max – he made us a house that I want my children to live in’.
Max Rollitt: maxrollitt.com
Christopher Horwood1/8In the main bedroom, the walls are covered in Claremont’s ‘Drap de Soie’ in rouge, while Max’s bespoke ‘Chamberlayne’ four-poster bed has hangings in Pierre Frey’s embroidered satin linen mix ‘Palais des Vents’, lined with Claremont’s ‘SFJ Silk’ in bleu.
Christopher Horwood2/8Panelling in Papers and Paints’ ‘Quiet White’ frames the shower area in the main bathroom, with its Douglas Watson Studio Delft-style tiles. A blind in Nicole Fabre Designs’ persian red ‘Marguerite’ linen sets off Catchpole & Rye’s ‘Le Grand’ bath by the window, with an antique Chinese lantern overhead.
Christopher Horwood3/8Antoinette Poisson's ‘Torrent’ wallpaper adorns the walls in the dressing room, which has a bespoke ‘Ovington’ footstoll by Max Rollitt in the centre.
Christopher Horwood4/8A colourful combination of patterned furnishings in the children's bedroom includes Cole & Son’s ‘Sweet Pea’ wallpaper, striped curtains in Guy Goodfellow Collection’s ‘Olive Sacking’ cotton and the owner’s floral bedcovers. The ‘Rattan Daisy’ hanging light is from Soane Britain.
Christopher Horwood5/8The antique bird pictures were supplied by Max.
Christopher Horwood6/8The chimneypiece in this spare attic bedroom, one of two added in the house, is painted in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Brick’, which tones with the Sultanabad rug, c1900. The chair and matching footstool are Max’s ‘Duchess’ designs.
Christopher Horwood7/8Another guest bedroom in the attic is painted in ‘Ashes of Roses’ by Little Greene.
Christopher Horwood8/8The adjoining bathroom has walls in ‘Cinnamon’ by Edward Bulmer.
