The celebrated interiors of decorator and antiques dealer Max Rollitt (pictured below) have always been a clever tussle between the historical, the traditional and the unexpected. Here, he charts the creative processes behind five of his memorable works, as told to Busola Evans
1. Bathroom in 17th century farmhouse, Oxfordshire
Photography: Tom Mannion
This is a bathroom that is part of a guest bedroom in a 17th century farmhouse in Oxfordshire which had been done up in the 80s. I worked on it five or six years ago and it was what I would describe as ‘over-polite’ and just needed knocking back a bit. My aim was to make it a bit more friendly. I am quite lucky I don’t get a brief from clients. In this case, we talked about functionality and how the room is to be used and the limits with storage. A lot of my clients are very good at the practical side but I am often employed, as most interior designers are, to bring something else – some style, flair and humour – to the job.
The design revolves around the cabinet that I found. It’s a late Regency painted cabinet with a drawer above it and I thought it was ideal for fitting the sink. I went to see my marble man and I drew up the top as to how I wanted it to work. There were some exposed beams already so instead of leaving them blackened, we jet-washed them to make the room feel fresher and put in a lovely reclaimed terracotta floor which runs into the shower. erracotta goes with the whole scheme. It was used a lot in that period and is very practical for a bathroom. The blue ran off the cabinets so I extrapolated that and also used it for the rug and the bath. I am not normally very colour coordinated but in this instance it worked. It needed to be quiet, not a shouty space. I felt we needed some pattern in the space so added the curtain, made from Le Manach’s Samarkand Bleu. We made the little lamp shades which are on a Hector Finch light. The idea is that it is all in the vernacular of the farmhouse. It’s a subtle approach and hopefully creates a joy that keeps flowering.
2. Mud room in 17th century farmhouse, Oxfordshire
Photography: Tom Mannion
This boot room comes from the same Oxfordshire house. The design started with an antique, an old laundry sink on its original legs. I do like a good deep sink that is big enough for the dog, and perhaps the baby too. Again we used an old bit of flooring, an old French limestone, which immediately brings some texture and warmth into the space. I then introduced this practical teak work surface and some beautiful Robert Kime fabric underneath. The mix of practical and pretty balances well. Then I added a bit of fun with these two lights which were lanterns from the hall.
The view through the window is not great so it helps break it up, which is something I quite often do. It is a concept stolen from Kettle’s Yard, that whole idea of having shelving with plants in front of windows. It’s a useful tool I can employ when the view is not fantastic or it can simply deepen your depth of field. The painting is an early 19th century paddle steamer. We made the shelving with these OG brackets and had old-fashioned bib taps in keeping with the house, which I felt was important.
3. Boot room in Georgian house, southern England
Photography: Chris Horwood
'This was a new addition to a Georgian house which I worked on about three years ago. The whole idea of a glazed panel running down a hallway is typical of ‘below stairs’ in an English country house. But it’s a really useful tool because it spreads light into the hallway and opens up the space, while still making it slightly private. Again, we used French limestone for the floor. There’s an antique in the middle, a two-tier table which works really well. I don’t like solid things in the middle of a room as it can overwhelm it so if I can avoid a kitchen island I will. There’s a bench that runs underneath the window and round the rest of the room for additional seating.
We have tried to make the new addition feel it has always been there and a lot of this is to do with the colours that we use, the tone and textures used in the floor and the woodwork. So often people stick to just one colour, have not had variation in cabinetry or not thought about the texture of the wood. Coming from an antiques background, that is really important to me -– the warmth and the history that the wood has had. Back then people didn’t live in clean houses, they lived in smoke-filled rooms that were exposed to all sorts of variations of temperature and the oxidation of wood from its constant use. The table is just a French farmhouse prep that has probably been flogged to death in its life. But it all helps give the room a sense of history.'
4. TV room in 18th century house, Gloucestershire
Photography: Chris Horwood
This is actually a TV room although you can’t see the TV in this shot. I worked on the house about four years ago. It had been gutted by a fire in the early 2000s and been remodelled but not very sympathetically. It dates around 1740 so I tried to reintroduce some of that feel with the panelling, the fire surround and the way it is decorated. Essentially I put the bones back into the space. It is always important to me to get houses back to how they would have been originally, and then I can build from that and layer as I want. Trying to get the original bones back in is very important. It’s a miniature form of architecture. I think the most successful furniture directly relates to the architect of its time. My learning comes from furniture. I love this project because I was able to introduce lots of comfort. It has a look of formality but the big Cassina sofa makes it really relaxed and friendly.
For the top of the ottoman I used an antique saddlebag, a Mongolian textile which is a horse covering. I made the ottoman to fit it, essentially. And then we introduced this different fabric and textiles into the scheme. Then there’s a bit of wood in the corner – the Windsor chair helps to break it all up.
Art is very important to my schemes. I buy a lot of furnishing art, which is essentially affordable ones. I don’t tend to get involved with the really expensive stuff because it is another realm. But I like friendly pieces I can afford. My house is full of my children’s art and my friends' art.
5. Drawing room in 19th century family house
Photography: Simon Upton
This was for an old client of mine. I had done a couple of her houses and then she moved to this much bigger house which she has miraculously restored. It’s an usual house, built for Queen Victoria’s dentist and I was brought in for more of a curatorial role.
I had to recover various elements like the sofa in Morris fabric and I did introduce these two Regency Spoonback chairs which is something we make. I added them because there was a lot of ‘squish’ in the design and it needed something a bit crisper to pull everything together. There is quite a melangerie of different styles and elements in the room and I also supplied the 18th century fruitwood mazarin commode.
On the other side of the fireplace, there’s a large display glass cabinet which came out of a shop in Devon. It’s a very light room with three large bay windows and I just really wanted to keep it light. It opens out to a fantastic view. We stripped off all the wallpaper and were left with something quite raggedy but quite charming.
We worked with the surface of the walls but also tried to bring back some of the elements of history into the texture of the wall. Matthew Bray and Matthew Collins, the decorative paint finishers, did a great job with this by putting texture into the walls, skirting and woodwork. I always have lots of lamps in my designs. They are a great vehicle for ceramics and texture, as long as it’s not cluttered and looks like a mess. I think these items feed you. The minimalist approach is great but I’m not sure how much it feeds your soul or creativity. We all need visuals – it's the subliminal effect that these things have that make a difference to how you feel.