At least I have a chance to do some belated catching up. So lets start with a trip I did a month ago (2 months ago? I can't remember) so a while ago I got to visit the Red House, in Bexleyheath, designed by Philip Webb and commissioned, and lived in by William Morris. I was super excited, partly because I love the building, and partly because William Morris is a bit of a hero of mine. His motto "Have nothing in your house that you do now know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" is something that I try and firmly adhere to. I also believe in the ethos of well-made, hand-crafted, unique personal items over any job lot, child slavery made ubiquitous item. Morris is also the god of patterns, which are another one of my favourite things.
I think you can see why I was excited.
Disappointingly though the house is very undiscovered and unfinished. It turns out a lot of the plans Morris had for the decorating of the house never happened as he only lived there for a short period. There are a couple of murals, a decorated ceiling or two, a half finished tapestry and a few hulking items of furniture but I was left wanting so much more! (In fairness, the National Trust have only recently taken over the house so I am sure there will be more later, they are still peeling away paint and shelves to reveal the original decorations.) I was slightly acquiesced by the amusingly painted stained glass windows and the original architectural drawings by Philip Webb, oh, and the studio.
THE Studio.
I am sure the studio was designed for me. A lower ceilinged section with a sweep of desk - perfect for my architectural freelance work and then a larger full height space with such a ridiculously perfect quality of light and space I could have painted there for months on end. I could also carry on painting the ceiling and decorating the walls, as well as creating paintings of the externals of the house.
So maybe disappointing but also inspiring. I wonder whether they need a resident artist?
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