Objects of Design #324: Jane McIntyre Design

I do love to discover a new store and after yesterday’s Scandinavian monochrome beauty we’re going a little softer today with a trip round Jane McIntyre’s store or, as she prefers to call it, lifestyle atelier.

Jane contacted me earlier this week to ask if I would like to see inside her store (there is a real live one in Winchester by the way). An interior designer by trade, she sells really interesting and unusual items including wallpaper, ceramics, furniture and lighting.

Everything is beautifully arranged in the store – it’s more like a real home (albeit a little crowded) so you can get a real feel for how the pieces might look in your own house. Or how you might want to style them. Everything inside is for sale – even the desk Jane works from during the day.

One of her strongest lines is the Bella Notte bedlinen, which is pictured here, and of which Jane is the only UK outlet. There are 19 colourways in 30 fabrics and every order is custom-dyed. The idea is that you dress your own bed in the colours and materials that really appeal to you.

Crockery comes from John Derian (a big favourite of mine) Astier de Villatte (who only sell in Liberty) and Valerie Casado. Each producer is given a space for their bio so you can understand what you are buying and where it came from – a good idea if you haven’t heard of the manufacturer.

It’s refreshing to come across a store that is really selling different things and Jane, who is currently working on interior design projects at the same time has made a real effort with this. She says: “I like to think it is different, I’ve made an effort to stock it with an unusual mix of interior goodies, but it’s a lot more than that, more of an enduring love story with design.”

Originally a fashion designer, Jane spent many years producing theatre events with her partner and the company they set up together is now a global enterprise. She has designed many houses, some for herself, some for lettings, some for colleagues, all while running a hotel.

In addition to all that, she also stocks paint from Dutch firm Pure and Original, wallpapers by Piet Hein Eek and Elli Popp.

In contrast to the fashionable grey downstairs, the upstairs rooms of this former hairdresser’s salon, are light and airy.

If you’re in Winchester go and have a browse. If you’re not – well that’s what we here for. Have a happy day.