A Bedtime Story

The June issue of British House & Garden is a good one, but what especially caught my attention was the article about the Wiltshire house of Diane and John Nutting.  Not only is the house bright and airy, but it is filled with beautiful porcelains, antique furniture, and chintzes, all of which are arranged in a tidy fashion.  But the real show-stopper of the house, to me anyway, has to be that beautiful bed, seen above.  I'm not sure which part of the bed I like the most: the carved, gilded tester, or the bed curtains made from a now-discontinued Colefax & Fowler chintz.  The bedroom's seating area, also above, is quite fetching, too.

If you think you've seen this bed before, you probably have. It, along with most of the other furnishings ensconced in the Nuttings' home, once stood proudly in the couple's former house, the regal, early 18th c. Chicheley Hall. I found photos of the Chicheley Hall bedroom in Chester Jones's Colefax and Fowler: The Best in English Interior Decoration. According to this book, the late Tom Parr of Colefax & Fowler was responsible for Chicheley's redecoration, including the fabric chosen for the bed (which, according to the book, is Colefax & Fowler's "Charlotte" chintz.)  You can see this book's photos of the Nuttings' former bedroom below, including the fireplace seating area which was more or less recreated in the new home. You'll also notice that the Colefax & Fowler carpet that was chosen for the Chicheley Hall bedroom was also selected for the Nuttings' current bedroom.

And funny enough, the bed also made an appearance in one of my favorite books, The English Dog at Home by Felicity Wigan. Mrs. Nutting was photographed on her lovely bed alongside Scotties Matthew and Mollie.  (Little dogs seem to have a nose for fine bed linen.  I know that Alfie does.) 

You can see photos of Chicheley Hall below.  And if you have not already done so, I do urge you to take a look at the June issue of H&G to see the Nuttings' current house in all its lovely splendor.

Photos at top: British House & Garden, June 2013; Simon Brown photographer.