British aesthetics and sensibilities have recently been front-and-center in everything from sartorial choices to residential design. From Cottagecore to Cluttercore, Houston has embraced it all.
Recently, far more than British aesthetics have sailed up the bayou. Between a newly-appointed Consul General, details about the residence’s secret art gallery and annual Winston Churchill birthday bash, to a book tour by veteran interior designer and Churchill descendant Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, there has been a lot.
A home in River Oaks, which is sometimes known to project the Union Jack upon its classic white façade, has been home to the British Consul General since the building’s purchase in 1963. The nearly 4,500-square-foot manse dates back to 1948 (when it was valued at $11,380!), but with the diligent stewardship of the Brits, one can hardly notice its age.
Beginning in September of this year, the residence has been inhabited by Keith Scott, the current Consul General (which has overall responsibility for leading the UK’s engagement in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico) and acts as a meeting and event space as well as housing a rotating first floor art exhibition curated by Yvonamor Palix of Gallery Artique in the Heights.
“I’m so very excited to be in Houston,” says Scott of his new assignment. “When I was growing up in Aberdeen, a lot of my friends ended up in the oil industry and came to Houston. And there has always been a big, big exchange of people in Houston and Aberdeen, so it was always in the back of my mind as a place to come and visit.”
Scott admits that being in the residence makes the old adage true — everything is bigger in Texas. “This house is huge, the driving is huge, the businesses are huge. I was proud, when I had to go to the UK embassy in Washington, to wear my Texas pin badge, and see the number of staff who jumped up from their chairs and were shouting: ‘Republic of Texas!’ It was really good to get that sense of where Texas sits in the U.S., and all these stats about Texas — we’re the eighth biggest GDP in the world. They keep me busy, and I’m looking forward to more of this.”
One thing Scott wasn’t quite expecting of his new home is that almost the entire first floor is an art gallery. For nearly 15 years, international art curator and gallerist Yvonamor Palix has been at the helm of curating works for both the British, French, and Mexican residences — open for exploration and enjoyment by all invited guests.
“I am the daughter of a career diplomat who loves art,” says Palix. “It was my parents’ influence that took me to discover this amazing field of work on an international level — Paris, Mexico City and then Houston. I have been curating in diplomatic venues for much of my career. Perhaps it is because art is a conversation starter, or it brings people together and creates unique experiences.”
Current artists on view — by vetted appointments by Palix and residence staff — include Ruth Gervich, Jane Liang, Duncan Wylie, Alex Gutierrez, Pep Guerrero, Alicia Paz, Karine Parker, Lesley Bodzy, Cha DAE-Duck, and Claire Basler.
British designer sounds off
Most recently, the residence hosted an invite-only soirée to commemorate the birthday of Winston Churchill, while simultaneously operating as an intimate de facto tour stop for a new book written by his relative, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, about his birthplace (if interested in the somewhat complicated family tree — buy the book).
Blenheim: 300 Years of Life in a Palace, published by Rizzoli, is Spencer-Churchill’s 12th book. While her previous books have all been written strictly on interior design, this book is a heritage project more for her family than anything else. CultureMap sat down with Spencer-Churchill for a chat about her new book, her design career, tips on how to curate a British aesthetic, and why she thinks social media is giving interior design a bad name.
“I did this [book] as a legacy for my family home,” Spencer-Churchill begins. “I didn’t do anything to be business-related; it’s just a legacy for our family home — people, architecture, interiors, the park and garden, lifestyle, logistics, and the future.”
As a 45-year interior design veteran, with a shop in Woodstock, where Blenheim Palace is located, and her wildly-successful Spencer-Churchill Design firm, the great-granddaughter of Consuelo Vanderbilt is slowing down just enough to spill the proverbial tea.
With a specialty in restoring listed (i.e., historically-protected) buildings and old houses, especially Georgian-era architecture, Spencer-Churchill appreciates the opportunity to stretch her imagination with a new-build project from time to time.
“In a funny way, it gives you a chance to be more creative, because you’re putting in the features,” she explains. “The more challenging ones are the ones you start from scratch, especially because listed buildings have so many restrictions. I love the creativity of putting in the architectural features — picking the fireplace, picking the trim, picking the plaster work, all of that sort of thing. I think that’s what adds all of the character to a room.”
As for tips for getting that effortless, just-so look? “I always want to start with the bones, and make sure that’s right,” says Spencer-Churchill. “Then, from that, you build it up with the layers — the furniture, the pictures, the furnishings, etc. I use a lot of antiques in my business, because, largely, they give a lot of character; secondly, they are so much better made; and thirdly, they are much cheaper than what’s available new.”
Auctions are where Spencer-Churchill suggests shoppers look for the best deals on quality antiques: “In England, a lot of the old antique shops have disappeared. They just don’t have enough business, and rates and rents, and everything are so high — so I think that’s why now a lot of people are buying at auction.”
When asked about social media trends involving interior design, Spencer-Churchill admits that it’s a bit of a double-edged sword: “I use the internet as much as anyone else does now — you have to.” She will use Pinterest for research purposes (relatable!), but thinks that “designers” who chase trends for likes on social platforms are contributing to problematic practices.
“There are a lot of designers who are really just decorators. I think this is why I get quite negative about Instagram and things like that, because it’s easy for someone to photograph something, put it on Instagram, and say ‘Look at this, look at that!’ It slightly drives me mad. And I think, in a sense, it gives the industry a bit of a bad name—that’s why I’ve gotten a little bit annoyed.”
At the end of the day, good design is something that doesn’t shout someone else’s tastes, it’s about taking what the homeowner loves, and making it theirs, something that Spencer-Churchill prides herself on.
“I’m one of those designers where I don’t put my stamp on a project. I very much try to reflect the client, and I’m passionate about the architecture and details. I don’t have an ego, or my ego is that I’ve done a really good job and the client is happy — it’s on budget, it’s on time. I don’t have to live with the decor. There is definitely a lot of stuff I’ve done that I wouldn’t want to live with myself, but that’s fine — you know?”
