STANDEN HOUSE

It’s going to take a while for the newly plastered lounge walls/ceiling to dry before any decorating can be done so we’re making the most of one of those rare weekend’s off to visit a place called Standen House.

Standen House

Front entrance

Situated near East Grinstead, Standen House is a testament to the beauty of the Arts & Crafts movement being full of gorgeous nature inspired fabrics and William Morris wallpaper.

Gorgeous floral William Morris wallpaper

There are many rooms to explore. Marvel at the sumptuous furnishings in the bedrooms or look for the cute little mice dotted here and there.

Cosy or cluttered?

Lovely bedroom

Bookcase envy

Look there’s another one!

Look out for the little mice

Ahhh! Isn’t it cute?

This one has a hobby horse

As much as I admire the floral artistry of this period, I much prefer the clean, geometric lines associated with Art Deco which always make rooms look less cluttered. However, you can’t deny the beauty of some of the artifacts displayed in the house.

Ornate candle holder

This beautiful framed tapestry must have taken hours to hand stitch.

Amazing handstitched tapestry

When your brain can’t take any more of the over-patterned interior, there are some lovely woodland walks or gardens to unwind in. The estate grounds are large enough for everyone, plenty of places to picnic or enjoy a nap in the sun.

Loads to explore

Back of the house

Lots of gardens to explore

I’m always drawn to the gardens in these stately places purely to see what’s been planted in the borders. Do they have any plants that might look great in my own little garden? You can get a lot of ideas about planting schemes, garden layouts and ponds just by mooching around someone else’s bit of paradise.

I think these are fox tail lillies

Colourful rose

Rhododendrons - my favourites

I was more than surprised to come across this lovely garden called the Rosery as it contained a single vertical pergola lining a flower bed, the type of thing I recently had in mind to build in my own garden to divide up the lawned area into a series of ‘rooms’.

Single line pergola in The Rosery

‘Take note’ I said to the other half as that’s likely to be on the DIY project list at some point in the future.

Hmmm - might want of these in my garden

Here’s a few lovely flowers that caught my attention during border patrol:

Gorgeous almost black iris

Nice colour combo

Nestling in the undergrowth

Tiny orchid in the wild flower meadow

Yellow and russet brown iris