A celebration of the homes whose walls lie bedecked with mementos of memory: grandma’s favourite vase that once housed her hand-picked garden blooms, French cookbooks discovered in Paris with their secret margin scrawls still traceable, or a collection of once-treasured shells looted during holiday beachcombs of past. The act of curation is within us all and can offer a window into our innermost interests. As Architectural Digest’s Maya Ibbitson notes: “Living with things—knick-knacks, hobby collections, the products of trinket shop sifting—creates a narrative of you, one that people can study and glean personality from when they enter your spaces.” Here, we round-up the homes that function, in part or whole, as living museums; spaces where objects, however small, form part of their story. We call them the curator’s edit.
The Tapestry in the Lake District
A vintage herbarium above the stove, a portrait of the Emperor of Austria, framed stone intaglios, and a mysterious side-eye portrait on unfinished canvas; it’s no wonder The Tapestry has had its own cover story in House & Garden.
Charity in Herefordshire
All stone and soul, Charity is a farmhouse with culture in its blood, owned by a relative of Augustus and Gwen John, full of pastoral paraphernalia, agricultural tools and hand-crafted creations and artwork. Close to Hay Festival, "the Woodstock of the mind”, it's the place to be for book collectors and comes complete with built-in novel nook.
Enkel in Suffolk
A home that's featured in architectural press and table books, modernism meets collectibles at Enkel. Most notable are the vintage Scandi pieces: two CH25s, one CH23, and a Peacock Chair by Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son.
Atticus in the Cotswolds
This is the pocket-sized cinema room of Atticus, a period townhouse at the end of a street in Burford. On its walls hang a rare set of antique 19th-century Vanity Fair “Studies of Gentlemen” prints in original water gilded oak frames.
The Summer Folly in Lincolnshire
A ketchup-red library full of the owner’s curated reads, this intimate book chamber can be found in The Summer Folly, a shrunken castle that’s full of frescoed walls and marigold alcoves; it's the quintessential bibliophile break.
The Dancer's Room in Oxfordshire
In a medieval hamlet, a rings’ throw from Tolkien’s stomping ground, is a not-so-classic cottage. Think Icelandic poppies velvet by GP&J, Mr Men wallpaper from 36 Bourne Street, and Picasso prints hand-signed by the artist in Antibes.
Elberta Barn in Essex
In a quiet corner of the Colne Valley that’s all rail nostalgia and artsy Constable Country legacy, Elberta Barn is the home of a museum curator, can’t you tell? Among its treasures is an ink drawing gifted by Sigmund Pollitzer in the 50s.
Pomona in Cornwall
Paying homage to Terence Coventry, the former artist that used to live within its very walls, Pomona acts a retrospective of his diverse life's work. Art is the heart of this home: from the famous sculptures that reside in the sculpture park to the early art school oil self-portraits that line the walls.
Feeling inspired? Read our owner chronicle on an ode to art, explore our architect-designed homes, or peruse our full collection of luxury holiday homes.
