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Metal Footprints

footprints

Generally speaking, I don’t hold with this mania for personalisation. I know what my initials are thank you very much and prefer my witticisms spoken not emblazoned on my cushions. Having said that, every now and then I come across something I really love.

A couple of months ago, flicking through what I think was the September issue of Living Etc (mind you it comes out so early that month probably arrived in June) there was a house where the owners had had their profiles, and those of their children, incorporated into the plaster cornicing in the hall. It was such a great idea but I can’t for the life of me find the magazine or I would show you. If anyone remembers it then get in touch.

Then a couple of days ago, Nick Burborough of Zig Zag Studios tweeted the picture above of his foot print stairs and I loved those too.

footprint

I’m not sure I would suggest doing a whole staircase and also I love my spotty carpet – but I would quite like the odd footprint on the landing leading the way to the next level. Or in the hall. So I spoke to Nick about prices and he said he was happy to offer a discount to Mad About The House readers. Hurray for Nick.

So the usual procedure is that he will send you a mould kit, which normally costs £145 but if you order before next Friday (10 October 2014) and quote Mad About The House you can have one for £105. It comes with plaster of paris and full instructions for taking moulds of the various members of the household and bear in mind he has also done the dog.

dog print

Then you send the mould back and for a footprint in polished aluminium (as in the pictures) it’s £75 for babies and kids up to the age of five and from £95 to £125 per adult (depending on footsize). If you want brass (which obviously I do) then it’s double.

But, before you panic, bear in mind that many great carpets – spots, stripes, patterns etc are around £80 a square metre so the prices are broadly comparable, especially if you paint or strip the stairs and just have a few footprints.

These prints also remind me of a lovely story of a specially commissioned footprint carpet. Edward James was an Anglo-American millionaire and patron of the arts who lived in Monkton House, in Sussex. He was married to the dancer, Tilly Losch, who one day ran out of the shower and up the stairs to their bedroom barefoot making a series of footprints.

tillylosch footprint carpet

James was so taken with this that he commissioned a carpet with her prints woven into the fabric. Sadly as a token of love it didn’t work as the marriage was over shortly afterwards. James moved the carpet to West Dean House (now West Dean College) where it can still be seen and replaced the Monkton carpet with one featuring his dog’s footprints. Man’s best friend and all that.

Have a happy weekend and let me know if any of you decide to order any footprints.

 

 

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

2 Comments

  1. does the footprint have to be built into the wood underneath? it looks as though the footprint is ‘concave’. i’m very interested in doing this at my lake house – i’ve just discovered your blog and am loving many of your ideas. thanks for your wonderful taste and ideas!

    1. I so glad you are enjoying the blog. As I understand it you chisel or router out the area where the prints will fit so that they sit inside the stair and are level with the surface. Also, you don’t say where you are, but the term “lake house” leads me to believe you might be US or Canada-side, in which case, you can also order off the shelf footprints from Zig Zag Studios, which might be easier than dealing with the mould internationally. Although I also quite understand the point is about personalising with one’s own feet. Just thought I would mention!

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