The designer of a unique holiday home close to Chichester, Laura Pauley, on an ideal location, supporting Sussex artists and adding Mexican flair
When did you first purchase The Muse Witterings and why were you attracted to it?
The location sold the property. It is situated on a road which just screams ‘holiday’ with the beach, a restaurant and coffee shop, and huge, beautiful houses that lead from The Muse to the beach. The Muse is a corner property too, so it’s a lovely large plot.
In terms of the area, we just love where we live. It’s a fantastic location. We are a few minutes away from the stunning West Wittering beach and East Head sand dunes (an area of outstanding natural beauty), plus Bracklesham Bay beach which is famous for fossil hunting and watersports. Goodwood is only 20 or so minutes away, plus the historic town of Chichester 15 minutes. We are just a few minutes away from Itchenor and Chichester harbour fronts with fantastic watersports and cycle routes. So it has something for everyone. We are blessed that over the holidays and weekends we don’t have to venture far with the children to entertain them, so we decided to invest in a holiday home in this area. The Muse is only a few minutes away from our own house, so we know the area well and know it is the ideal spot for a UK holiday.
Did you completely revamp it inside and out?
The property hadn’t been touched for many years and was completely dated, so we spent four months renovating the house. All rooms were redecorated, new flooring was laid, new light fixtures and controls were fitted, a new shower was installed along with a new boiler and some radiators. The garage door has just this month been replaced, and we plan to put a new driveway and decking in over the next year. We want The Muse to always look and feel fresh. The garden was repainted – the giant white wall was painted pink, the inner coves yellow, the garage wall orange and the cabin turquoise blue. The paint was sourced from a Notting Hill paint shop after showing the owner Mexican architecture paint examples that we wanted to colour-match. The paint was very expensive, but it looks fabulous and is definitely a talking point. Each room has its own unique vibe/look. A mood board was created for the design, and items sourced to match each theme.
Where did you start with the interior design?
The strapline for the property is, ‘A creative space to feel inspired’, and the décor shines a light on this ethos. We were inspired by Mexican Contemporary Architecture, which is where the vibrant use of colours comes into play in the garden and Little Mexico bedroom. As well as this we have used elements of boho chic and bohemian style throughout, which is demonstrated through the use of textures and patterns. Mixed with the Mexican vibe, the Muse is full of culture and life with no two rooms alike. A bohemian style is said to be inspired by people who choose to lead an unconventional life such as travellers, actors, and writers, and so it’s a great theme that you can truly make your own – but combining it with a Mexican style through the use of bright, vivid colours and geometric patterns, creates a truly unique design that no other holiday home offers.
We also wanted to showcase a variety of artists’ work through the fixtures and fittings. Especially working with people that – for the most – have full-time jobs unrelated to their creative talent and yet, are incredibly creative in their spare time, running a mini business selling what they produce. This is demonstrated from the ‘inspirational’ bookshelf’ to the paintings and artwork, light fittings, right down to a chair, side tables and headboards.
The first thing I noticed was the colour. Why did you want it to be so vibrant?
Colours and emotions are closely linked, and vibrant colours make people happy. The brighter and lighter a colour, the happier and more optimistic it will make you feel. Yellow is also an attention-grabbing colour, so the bold yellow stripe in the boho room works fantastic in a photo. Strong colours like royal blue, turquoise, and emerald can also make you feel refreshed and energised. So, there is a bit of psychology there.
For the garden, we were inspired by Mexican Contemporary Architecture and the use of bright colours for buildings. Their use of pink is incredible. Pink is a nostalgic colour that takes people back to their childhoods. It’s fun, vibrant, energetic and playful. It’s also attention grabbing. It was the perfect colour to paint The Muse garden in, as it represented everything that we wanted people to feel whilst on holiday. As soon as we went down the Mexican bright route in the garden, we felt as though we had to bring some of that into the house, so the theme carried through. That’s how we ended up with part boho, part Mexican – but the two themes work really well together.
How have you styled the bedrooms?
They all have different themes. The master room, named Boho, is decorated in a bohemian chic design with the use of patterns, plants and Scandinavian wood.
I had a lot of fun with this room. We have shutters throughout the house, and I wanted to create a ‘shutter-effect’ with the headboard. The headboard was pine wardrobe doors that I sanded down and repurposed to look like shutters. The
1970s bamboo chair involved a three hour round trip to collect, but was totally worth it. A black and white photo of Kate Moss on the wall hangs just above the chair. Kate is using her index finger as a moustache, which is a subtle nod to the Mexican vibe of the house. The black from the chair, carries on through with the black frames on the white wall. Also on this wall sits one bold yellow stripe to suggest a cheerful, seaside holiday vibe to the room. On the wall opposite a straw and yellow designer handbag hangs, which e-enforces the colour yellow. Sarah, the painter behind the living room wave painting, drew a number of free-hand drawings, so these were also framed in black frames. With the bold yellow stripe, the straw hat and bag, the black frames and that luxurious faux fur chair, the room just screams ‘chic’.
The vivid colours and geometric pattern of the room, Little Mexico, is closely associated with the Mexican design in the garden. I chose this room to carry that theme into as the window of this room looks into the garden, facing the pink wall. Geometric prints are timeless and never go out of style. This room is fairly small, so we didn’t want to overdo the design, and a clean, easy geometric print with the use of two bold colours that are also used in other areas in the house worked well and created a synergy between the inside and outside space. The bold colours on the wall, with one bold pink unit and the incredible pineapple light is enough to make the room pop.
The outside cabin has a coastal vibe and subtle touches such as surf photography. The ocean groyne-themed headboard brings a fantastic focal point to the room and is handmade using a school Olympic apparatus. Simple things, such as using rope as handles on a unit bring the theme to life in a subtle way.
The Sand Dune room is decorated in teal and beige colours. The teal headboard is made from recycled doors, and we wanted to carry the colour through to the back wall to bring a focal point to the room. The photography inside this room is of sand dunes. Using an energetic yet relaxing colour, and mixing that with photography of sand, evokes a feeling of calm. Even the focal image of the man’s back as he walks through the sand with a guitar strapped to his side, makes you feel relaxed. Small details such as the use of pampas grass, cream blankets and straw baskets really bring the room and feeling of luxury relaxation to life.
The garden must be wonderful in the spring and summer…
The garden is the talking point of the property and really attention grabbing. Painting it a mixture of pink, yellow and orange sounds bizarre – but it works! It’s a fun, vibrant, energetic and playful space. Layering those colours with palm trees, cactuses, bright coloured cushions and throws adds a whole new take on the space. We then have an outside shower, which is both practical and luxurious. Not only is it fantastic for when you return from the beach, to remove the sand from your body before you enter the property, but also it makes you feel as though you’re on holiday, and adds that touch of extravagance that you wouldn’t necessarily have at home.
Do you have a favourite part of The Muse?
The garden as it’s just a fun, happy place to hang out when the weather is nice. I also love the log burner, cosy corner in the living room. We painted a large corner stripe behind the log burner in this stand-out coral colour to make the room pop, as the adjoining walls are white. We then re-sprayed the log burner black to give it that sophisticated look and re-inforce the coral backdrop. With the fire on, projecting orange flames, the corner of the rooms is so cosy and inspiring. It’s the perfect place to cosy up on the French armchair, that sits alongside, and read a book.
How have people responded to what you offer?
We have been extremely lucky in our first year of business and have received a lot of positive 5-star reviews, messages of thanks as well as journalists and content creator feedback to say how much they love the style. Many people have now said that I should move into interior design and are surprised when I say that this is the first property I have actually ever designed. A few people have commented on the inspirational bookshelf, and said it was a nice added touch to their stay. We get told that it is a ‘home from home’ very often, where we have ‘thought of everything’. I think that comes from having three children. The design is the most talked-about element though, with many people saying that they are going to copy some of the design in their own homes – which is fantastic to hear!
