Vintage & antiques loving maximalist – home of Tara aka @intaradesign

ART & DESIGN

Posted on: Aug 02

Hello, how is your weekend so far?
Here in Somerset the summer came briefly for a few days, just to go back to cooler weather with a bit of wind & rain. Weather like this used to be my fav for a lone morning venture into the charity and antiques shops – these are the only shops which I’ve actually missed during the lockdown. I just love the excitement of finding little treasures with a history or my next upcycling project.

And if like me, you are a bit of an old soul, you will enjoy this week’s home tour with ART IN THE WORLD OF INTERIORS.

Vintage & antiques loving maximalist – home of Tara aka @intaradesign

On today’s visit I’m taking you just over an hour drive from where I live. Here, in a Victorian terrace house near Bath lives Tara with her boyfriend and their sprocker spaniel Mya.

In Tara’s own words:

We are within walking distance of towns and villages, surrounded by rolling hills, as well as the canal which is just over 5 minutes walk away.

My home is a little Victorian terrace. When we bought it it was lacking in character, which was a shame. I always wanted a period property with period features, so I have set my sights on bringing back the character, from reinstating the fireplaces to filling my home with antiques. I would stay my style is definitely MAXIMALISM - more is more right?! I love art, so I have filled my home with collections that I love including quite a few of Marta’s designs, as well as a few of my own paintings. I really love the idea of repurposing something, so inside my house you’ll find quirky things with a totally unexpected use, such as my copper jam saucepan as a sink, a 1950’s washing machine as an outdoor fridge or a steamer trunk as a log store - I can't help myself!!

What inspires you when decorating your home and what has drawn you to your style?

I love wandering around flea markets and antique shops - my creative mind just whizzes around and I start seeing objects in a different light and how I can repurpose them. An inspirational lady for me is definitely Angel Adoree and I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with her at the Château De La Motte Husson not long after they moved in ….. we talked for 3 days straight about creativities and shared ideas and tips.

Above: visit to Château De La Motte Husson know from the TV series "Escape to the Chateau"
Below: Tara's hallway wall decorated with butterflies inspired by Angel's staircase at her chateau

Would you like to share a few tips on how you choose art for your home?

Tbh with you if I like it I buy it and although that sounds simple it's really important…. your home is for you!! You shouldn’t be decorating your home or buying art for anyone else but yourself if no-one else likes it so what? It’s your home, you have to live there. That said I do really like art that provokes that gives someone something to talk about whether that be for good or bad.

Do you choose art to go with your home décor or other way round?

It’s a bit of both and neither I suppose, as if I like it I buy it then find somewhere to put it… although I have also created art with a specific room in mind I think with having such an eclectic home I’m not limited to what art I can or can’t have.

How do you arrange your wall galleries?

Probably very unconventionally, I’m constantly adapting and changing my gallery wall. When I buy new art I adapt my wall so that it fits and I look at the shapes and the positioning of what I have and where it can go… I don’t like too much of the same so many of my frames are different (traditionally gallery walls have the same frames) I also mix media by adding objects and plants into my walls. I have some artwork taped to the walls with washi tape so that I can move them around easily. Others I hang with a good old fashioned nail. However when I am creating a gallery wall for a client, I will take a slightly different approach, usually because I will have the chosen art work already… I will make a template of each of the pieces of art and arrange them first on the floor to see what arrangement works best, then a photograph will be taken and the templates will go up on the wall in the chosen formation, so that each nail can be placed in the right place for each piece of art.

How do you choose a frame for the art and where you get your frames?

I have a complete mix of frames, from frames that I have made myself from old bits of architrave, to bought frames. One of my favourite ways to hang posters is actually using wooden trouser hangers as it gives depth to something that would just be a piece of paper otherwise. I also have a lot of quotes hung on clipboards that I've painted. I really like the glass envelope frames that you can place things inside as you don’t just have to place pictures or prints in them you can place fabric, threads or flowers in them. I would however say that the majority of my frames are from Wilkos - they are super cheap (usually under £5) I like the simple clip frames or will go for the black gloss frames when I have a striking piece of art and don’t want the attention of the art to be taken up by the frames.