Cabinetmaker, furniture restorer, worldly antique dealer: Meet Max Rollitt, a young designer with an old soul, as we tour the project that launched his interior design career.
The owners of a recently purchased Hampshire vicarage found themselves in Rollitt’s nearby antiques shop wondering about a sofa from his bespoke furniture line. Soon realizing that they probably needed more than just a sofa, they ended up hiring Rollitt as their dealer and decorator. With his expertise in antiques and his well-chosen inventory, Rollitt was able to test things out and source them as required. The result? Within the space of a few months, Rollitt managed to turn the vicarage into a well loved and lived in home. To see more interior design work by this emerging talent, go to Max Rollitt.
Photography by John Hammond and Dave Gibbons.
Above: Max Rollitt, an antiques dealer turned designer.
Above: The vicarage has three formal reception rooms, including the sitting room. The fireplace mantel was sourced at Jamb.
Above: The brass candlestick and fireplace surround have a worn patina that matches the antique gold framed mirror. A holiday garland adorns the wall over the mirrors. (N.B. See our Easy Holiday Garland video to make your own.)
Above: Rollitt's eclectic style with a mixing of objects in style and value is sure of touch but not heavy handed.
Above: One of the three formal reception rooms is the dining room.
Above: Color accents are achieved through soft textiles.
Above: In many of the rooms, Rollitt used broad pine planks from the drying shelves of Victorian potteries as the flooring material.
Above: Vintage flags frame the doorway to the back of the house, where there is an informal sitting room.
Above: A working kitchen is designed around daily use.
Above: The fireplace mantel in the bathroom.
Above: Even the bathroom offers design opportunities.
Above: Rollitt's mixture of textiles and colors creates a welcome retreat in the bedroom.
N.B. Does it stand to reason that antique dealers are good designers? See At Home with London's Antiques Whisperer and tell us what you think.