The wildly inventive interiors were designed by Perou’s wife Lucy (Picture: Z Perou)
There’s nothing conventional about photographer Perou. The celebrity snapper is famous for subverting his sitters, delving deep into their psyches and bringing forth their shadow sides – anyone who’s anyone has sat for a Perou portrait.
With subjects including Daniel Radcliffe, Sir Lenny Henry, Boris Johnson, Marilyn Manson, Daniel Craig, Samuel L Jackson and Helen Bonham Carter, it’s easier to namecheck who he hasn’t aimed his lens at – although he says he is currently trying to pin down Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for a picture.
When it comes to the wildly inventive interiors of his 7,530sq ft Georgian home in the Kentish market town of Faversham, however, he gives full creative credit to his wife, Lucy, who has a passion and talent for interior design.
‘In our previous homes, I think I’ve always tried to impose my choices,’ he says. ‘This time, however, I knew I just needed to submit all the power to Lucy – she has such a unique vision, and has art directed every single room.’
All restrained classic Grade II-listed façade on the outside, with its rows of sash windows and Doric-columned porch, inside the four-storey, six-bedroom Delbridge House, interiors are indeed a world apart. You’ll find riotous House of Hackney wallpaper and fabrics, full-size religious statuary, a treasure trove of antiques and repainted vintage furniture, a metre-wide glitterball hanging in the kitchen and – in the 44ft-long ballroom-sized main bedroom – a freestanding copper bathtub.
‘I really didn’t have an elaborate plan or any rules, it all just came together,’ says Lucy modestly of the five reception-room house, which sits next to the town’s station, and whose renovation she has documented on Instagram (@lucylovesinteriors).
Perou left the interior design to his wife Lucy (Picture: Z PEROU)
Perou’s house in 2017 (Picture: Z PEROU)
The Georgian house was completely run down (Picture: Z PEROU)
Lucy wanted to ‘heal the house after years of knocks (Picture: Z PEROU)
‘I buy what I like and somehow when I put it all together it just works. We’re lucky to have some fantastic antique shops on the doorstep.’
Considering Lucy had never actually seen the home properly before they bought it, in 2017, it’s quite an achievement. As the woman the couple bought it from had filled every room with a lifetime’s collection of furniture and objets d’art, it was impossible to see into every corner – meaning they couldn’t even commission a full survey. Although Lucy was apprehensive before moving in, her husband’s passion for the home convinced her it was the right move.
‘We had moved to Faversham from a farmhouse nearby, as we knew we wanted to live in this brilliant town,’ he says. ‘I had spotted this Georgian house, which was completely run down, with a touch of the Hammer Horror about it – hawthorn trees were growing in through the sash windows.
‘But with its once-grand façade, sash windows and original shutters, I could see just how splendid it could once again be.’
Perou put a note through the door saying how interested he and his family would be should the owner ever want to sell up – meaning they rented for two years while they waited for the owner to finally decide to move on.
Once the house was empty, Perou and Lucy began the work transforming it into a family home for themselves and their two sons, Z and Maximus, two cats and a dog, known as Snoop Dogg.
Built in the 18th century for a scion of the Shepherd Neame brewing dynasty, it had served over the years as a boys’ grammar school, stationmaster’s house, snooker hall, nightclub and bedsits, before becoming a private house again.
The Georgian House was once a boys grammar school, stationmaster’s house, snooker hall, nightclub and bedsits (Picture: Z PEROU)
House of Hackney wallpaper and fabrics and full-sized religious statues (Picture: Z PEROU)
Every room was repainted in Farrow & Ball hues (Picture: Z PEROU)
Lucy went for big dramatic pieces that would suit the scale of the house (Picture: Z PEROU)
The palatial spaces of the 17-room property might be overwhelming for some, but for this creative couple, it simply meant plenty of room to work and play. ‘The house had taken a lot of knocks over the years, but we were intent on healing it,’ Lucy says.
First, they had to carry out some major and hugely costly renovations – a process Perou describes as an act of ‘sheer self-flagellation’.
They spent around £125,000 on an artisan bricklayer who needed a year to tuckpoint all the brickwork – colour matching the lime mortar to the bricks and inserting a fine white ribbon between each.
A machine was made from scratch to recreate the Georgian mouldings on pilasters, while the sash windows and iron railings were restored. Inside, every room was repainted in Farrow & Ball hues.
Next up? An epic shopping trip, of course. ‘I went wild buying huge chandeliers and glitterballs, going for big dramatic pieces that would suit the scale of the house,’ Lucy says.
‘Barrow’s Antiques on West Street in Faversham, and the town’s antiques and vintage market, as well as a street market in Sandwich, proved amazing hunting grounds.’
She indulged her husband by displaying many of his photographs, and also let him have the blue Smeg fridge he wanted.
Lucy sourced antiques from Barrow’s Antiques on West Street in Faversham, and the town’s antiques and vintage market, as well from a street market in Sandwich (Picture: Z PEROU)
The basement, which housed the nightclub, still features its original bar (Picture: Z PEROU)
Huge chandeliers and glitterballs (Picture: Z PEROU)
Lucy indulged her husband by displaying many of his photographs (Picture: Z PEROU)
‘Make Every Step Count’ (Picture: Z PEROU)
‘But it was vital we didn’t fill up the spaces and make them feel cluttered,’ he says. ‘I need plenty of space for my thoughts to float around in.’
There are surprises in every room. The former kitchen, now a lavish utility area, features circus-themed curtains and a chandelier.
The basement, which housed the nightclub, still features its original bar (though now with the word ‘Perou’ picked out in neon above it), with a pillar painted in similarly shocking pink, inspired by the work of their friend, the artist Cathie Pilkington. The bar stools are covered in lemur-themed fabric.
Elsewhere, keeping things simple worked best. The treads of the elegant, curved spindle staircase have been stripped back, with the words ‘Make Every Step Count’ picked out in white capitals. Up in the vast first-floor main bedroom, the couple peeled off red and black paper from the walls and ceilings, revealing the original Georgian plaster.
‘It was so beautiful, we couldn’t possibly paint over it,’ Lucy says.
Although they say it has been a heart-wrenching decision, with their boys now aged 18 and 21, the Perous have put Delbridge House on the market, for £1.65million.
Although Lucy was apprehensive, her husband’s passion for the home convinced her it was the right move (Picture: Z PEROU)
The freestanding copper bathtub (Picture: Z PEROU)
Original Georgian plaster on the walls and ceilings (Picture: Z PEROU)
The Perous have put Delbridge House on the market, for £1.65million (Picture: Z PEROU)
Although it’s true they are on their way to becoming empty-nesters, the decision, they say, is more about keeping their creative batteries recharged than out of necessity.
‘Plus we want to be bi-postal, and will probably keep a home around here, with a live-work space in Battersea, too,’ says Lucy, who is also ready for another project.
‘We are both doers and need to be busy,’ she says. ‘And I am definitely ready to take something else on – though maybe not at quite such a scale. I absolutely love what we have done here, it has been brilliant.’
Struttandparker.com; @lucylovesinteriors; perou.co.uk
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He’s snapped everyone from Daniel Radcliffe to Boris Johnson.