HB Edit - Edition 31
Sharing the things on my ebay watch list that I don't have the space or money for, but wish I did.
A much more decorative Edit this week, and at some pretty competitive prices (sharpen your elbows), but there’s a reclaimed Georgian gem just to keep you on your feet. Perhaps the most enviable entry is the 1930s colonial home on New York’s Shelter Island, home to John and Christine Gachot (this week’s feature: alas it is not listed on eBay). The house’s simple, old-fashioned charm is the stuff of dreams. Enjoy!
Having gone to school in Cambridge, a stone’s throw from Kettle’s Yard, it is no surprise that I find myself drawn to Modern British art, inspired by the likes of Ben (and Winifred) Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Christopher Wood. Alfred Wallis is no exception, and this painting (a total rip off, but admittedly so) is just my bag. It’s not overly expensive but would look immensely chic in any space. Plus, it’s nicely framed. People are always asking for art recommendations: go forth and buy.
Give me a brass, articulated, wall-mounted candle sconce, and I am putty in your hands. If you’d asked me a few years ago I would have balked at Art Nouveau (I’m a Georgian purist at heart), but this has really taken my fancy. It would be just the thing beside a bath, or even in a kitchen to give atmospheric light. And a great price.
If you’re anything like me, your Instagram feed will be full of blooming bulbs: narcissi, muscari, hyacinths, the lot. I love the way they brighten a cold, grey Winters day (although I’m battling with my own, which have all come out blind?! Furious). This planter is very me. The black lustre adds some depth, and I am picturing it with one or two of those white daffs with tight, orange centres. Add to cart.
A very useful and well-proportioned side table; this is a great piece that could easily be both a bedside and a side table in a sitting room. The lower level is a particularly useful addition, and the price is equally attractive. If you find these in provincial antiques centres, they are at least double the price. Not one to be missed.
Ok hear me out. I (personally) don’t really get the yellow fibreglass shade, but I am prepared to be proven wrong. The lamp however… no notes. I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to tiny lamps that can be dotted around the room on tables and shelves with gay abandon. Anything but overhead lighting, please (unless in a kitchen, bathroom, or operating theatre).
Again, very me. I nearly didn’t include this as I think it would look so chic in my own home, hung on a wall as if straight from the Grand Tour itself. Nobody needs to know that it is in fact plaster! Unclear how it would be made wall-safe, but I’d be willing to try it out at least… any takers?
The eagle-eyed amongst you will point out that I am breaking a clear eBay rule of mine with this one: it’s an international listing (gasp). And what’s more, I’m not even sure that I would buy these if I had the space or money for, going against the very premise of this Substack! And yet… I find myself including it here. I love the colours, the typography, the gentle fading of the linen covers, and the ancient wisdom of the subject matter: Bonsai trees and shrubs. This really is for those that have everything.
You had me at ‘reclaimed Georgian.’ This is a classic example of the way in which second hand (or reclaimed) can elevate a space. Perhaps you’ve recently done a renovation, or built an extension, and are looking at ways to soften the new and shiny fixtures and fittings. This would be just the thing. Fitted perfectly into an alcove, you’d instantly elevate any space. People dream of original features like these - why not cheat the system and put one in.
Feature: for each edition, I will feature a person, object, room or place that inspires me.
This week, I am writing about John and Christine Gachot’s summer house on Shelter Island, New York.
I recently came across this house on Instagram, and it particularly resonated during this cold and depressingly grey week in London. Just looking at these pictures you can really feel summer: the close heat, the smell of freshly cut grass, the sound of crickets, the relief of the shade under the awnings.
From what I have learnt online, John and Christine bought the house in 2017, having had a smaller property on Shelter Island for many years. John’s connection to the island started in childhood when his grandfather, artist Richard Gachot, rented there every summer. Located between the North and South Forks of Long Island, Shelter Island is only accessible by boat, and is known for being the more relaxed cousin of the nearby Hamptons. It is 29 square miles in total, and has a total population of around 3000 people (aka, the ultimate holiday destination for New Yorkers like the Gachots). It has a simple, old-fashioned charm.
The main house is a 1930s colonial home, with a further property described as a ‘shed’ in the grounds; this has since become John’s studio, and it very much steals the show for me.
Working together at their eponymous design studio, John and Christine have lovingly decorated their house with a mix of contemporary and mid-century pieces, and a lifetime’s collection of art, books, objects and oddities. The house - as featured in Architectural Digest and Cultured Magazine - feels inviting. It is not overtly grand or self-important, but oozes the relaxed energy of the best holiday homes, where nothing is too precious, and everyone feels able to sit and stay a while. But this doesn’t mean it’s a mish-mash: it still looks refined and thoughtfully arranged. The perfect balance between form and function.
While I am not sure where life will take me, part of me longs for a house on Long Island, or even Upstate New York, or New England (imagine… Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, the dream). I know I wouldn’t be able to stand the winters, but if we’re playing the “you win the lottery” game, it would definitely be on the short list. And these pictures would be front and centre on the mood-board (although maybe a little less bouclé, and a little more chintz).
I hope this house brings you as much warmth as it has brought me this week.
More anon!
Instagram: @hugobeazley
Postal address: 97 Regency Street, London, SW1P 4AL
The Gachots have clearly never seen a British shed!! (I’m thinking of my brown one on the allotment, filled with crap and spiders!)
Gorgeous home, and excellent eBay picks… now sold!
Thanks Hugo..such a stylish edit - have snapped up that planter like Jaws after a tiny flounder. You are brilliant 🤩