Marmalade House
Marmalade House
Vanessa, founder of The Marmalade House
My Marmalade House story began in 2011 when my life-long love of paint, colour, textiles and interiors was finally able to grow from a concept into a reality. I studied art, design and textiles at university, trained in interior design in London, and have forever tampered with paint and furniture, fabrics and finds. I lived in the Middle East for a while and searched out interesting furniture from the Yemen, Malaysia, India and back street Omani carpenters. I bought linens and silks from China, Hong Kong and Eastern Europe, filled cupboards and corners with them, and turned them into things. I spent hours watching candle-makers and iron-workers, wood carvers and rug-stitchers, learning how they worked with pigment and colour, shapes and materials.
Back in England, a pivotal moment was stumbling into Annie Sloan’s magical shop in Oxford. It was here, I discovered her wonderful chalk paint and her inimitable style of painting and use of colour. Annie has been a huge inspiration. I trained with her to paint furniture her unique way, and I was lucky enough to then to be able develop this into my own work, and enjoy the creative versatility the paint offers.
Now incorporating paint, fabrics and styling Marmalade House interiors, location shoots, painted furniture and training, I am lucky enough to work with many designers and influences. I am inspired by texture and the simplicity of mixing and blending colour in its simplest form, either into the home or on a piece of furniture. I am finally able to indulge my love of putting things together (and shopping!) with my own collection of bespoke products and accessories, created or collected from around the world. Each is chosen to blend with our distinctive Marmalade House style.
Kelston Farmhouse
My home in Bath features heavily in my work, as it is the base for my painting, styling and training and where we run our online store. We also host location and photo shoots from here, as well as many guests at weekends. And so now juggling three energetic children, an ever patient and remarkable husband, a rambling old farmhouse, an odd collection of animals, and the best job in the world, I am very proud to show you our work, and what we do. I hope you like our Marmalade style and our products as much as we love finding and creating them.