Style

March 2005

Since meeting five years ago, Eley and Maclean have collaborated on several projects. Maclean designed the Eley Kishimoto store in Bermondsey and a 35-seater sofa for their catwalk show, so working together on the Hautefage property came naturally.

Macleans excitement enabled him to see past the ramshackle state of the 200-year-old property. The elderly couple who owned it were using only three of the rooms, while the rest of the house decayed around them. A narrow staircase, cocealed in the kitchen cupboard, led to a disused 1,600 sq ft space. "It was knee high in newspaper, which was used for insulation, and we didn't know what we'd find once it was removed". Luckily, they found the original oak floarboards.