The project ended up being a complete gut job – walls came down, all the electrics were redone and the doors were removed between rooms (bar the bathroom), so there is now not only a wonderful sense of flow, but unfathomably high entrances to its three rooms. ‘I’m largely here on my own, so it’s nice for it to feel like one space,’ explains Sarah. Ceilings were left in raw plaster, while walls were painted in soft chalky paint colours from Farrow & Ball. Beautiful gnarly bits of timber from Fallen & Felled have been fashioned into a floating shelf in her bedroom, while the oak floors were repurposed from one of Sarah’s Collect stands a few years before, providing a calm, tactile backdrop to the main event – her collection of craft. Although her son is now grown up, Sarah admits that ‘craft and children aren’t really compatible’, so this felt like a thrilling new experience where she could put her collection front and centre.
Pieces by woodworkers Liam Flynn and Nic Webb sit on the bespoke shelves in the sitting room, along with an oak vessel by Ash & Plumb.
Dean Hearne
A tiled coffee table by Matthew Raw plays host to Sarah’s collection of ceramics and craft books.
Dean Hearne
Sarah’s flat in Barnes is home to her extensive craft collection, which includes ceramics by Sara Flynn and Jonathan Keep, and wooden pieces by John Jordan, Liam Flynn, Eleanor Lakelin and Nic Webb. In the sitting room, a bespoke unit made by Joss Stoddart showcases a mix of works, including ceramics by Aneta Regel.
Deane Hearne
The flat has a simple layout, with a narrow hallway, leading to a lobby off which are the three main rooms – the kitchen, the sitting room and the bedroom. The bedroom is a potted history of Sarah’s life in the art and craft world. A print by John Hoyland is particularly meaningful, with him being one of the first artists she exhibited when she was showing fine art 30 years ago, while Peter Marigold’s intriguing cedar ‘bleed’ cabinet is another special piece. ‘It reminds me of when I transitioned from fine art into design,’ explains Sarah of the piece, which she bought in 2014. ‘It’s an example of how successful furniture can be an art statement as well,’ she adds. At the end of her bed sits one of Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld’s ‘Brodgar’ straw-woven benches, which Sarah sells through The New Craftsmaker, and then up on the shelves beyond the Peter Marigold cabinet is a figurine that her mother carved when she was 18 and doing an art foundation course. ‘All these pieces are like my diary and I never feel lonely because I’m surrounded by things that speak to me and tell stories.’