Here we are in Chelsea in London and I'm about to show Oliver Gerish the inside of a Queen Anne period house we recently
helped to furnish.

Oli: Very excited to see it Tim

So let's have a look inside

Very pretty isn't it. Very happy colours!

TL: When I first walked into this house - when there was nothing in
it at all - one of the great joys are seeing all the original paneling... the original
fireplaces.

Well, the house dates from 1707 And everything from the style of paneling to the dado - it's all completely original just as the sash windows are and even the marble fire surrounds.

You've created a collection, in a way, which which could have grown over decades from 1707 onwards.

Absolutely - and nothing's static. I was very keen, and the client I work with was very keen to show a very living and vibrant, eclectic collection and with lots of references to London.

Lots of references - I mean this picture here: painted in the 18th century shows Greenwich - a wonderful view of the Thames. Isn't that beautiful. And of course we are very near the Thames being in Chelsea. I was very keen to find some reference to to the Thames so we could bring views of surrounding London into the house. And I always think that building is so related to the Royal Hospital at Chelsea because of course some of it is by Wren of course.

And then you've got these lovely oval mirrors which somehow expand the room through their reflection and their shape is echoed in the oval form of the card tables below them. And what's lovely beacuse I suppose it's that neoclassical which softens this earlier room in a way.

Its very fine and elegant that work and you've got the the slightly bigger, blockier paneling of the Queen Anne type.

Absolutely! And I also love to combine circles and oval forms within rectangular spaces: it just somehow, as you say, softens the overall
feel. The grate was actually put in in the Regency period.

Just at the end of the 18th century probably and the club fender we found that as well.

Terribly smart! I think the colour's so nice: What would you call that the colour of that? It's almost a celadon green.

Yes - it's really nice. It's quite fresh and young.

These ducks are Japanese: Meiji period. And they're silver gilt bronze. Very, very finely cast and chased.

And what period is the Meiji period?

The beginning of the 20th century

They're really the finest metalwork to have come out of Japan at the time and they're courting each other! They're courting each other yes! [laughter] In conversation!

...And then you've got some
lovely maritime pictures going on here.

Yes, now these are hand coloured engravings from the 18th century and they're the Royal Dockyards: Deptford, Shereness, Woolwich, Chatham, Plymouth and somehow the gold against the blue skies and the ebonised surroundings I mean they they really rather magical.

They glow - yes' they're lovely - and the light bounces off this gilt work here.

And if we move on through to this room - this is the dining room...

The paneling's a bit plainer here: it's no longer fielded and it hasn't been recoloured with the secondary colour

So we're in a cream painted room - but in a colour that's absolutely right for the period.

Absolutely - and there's this is lovely buffet niche here which as you filled with treasures!

I'm glad you think so! These are all pieces of Chelsea porcelain which date from in the middle of the 18th century.

The Chelsea porcelain factory, of course, was just a few hundred yards down the road and so the owner of the house was very keen to have some Chelsea porcelain here.

As they might have had at the time!

Almost certainly would have had! So it's wonderful to bring these pieces back into the house. And as you can see they're all very floral. Some are almost like botanical studies.

Because you've got the Physic Garden down there haven't you?

Exactly - and with the discoveries of Sir Hans Sloane in the 17th century, it was brilliant to bring that floral theme.

This is a 17th century Verde tapestry fragment. It was made towards the end of the 17th century.

And here you see a parrot seated on this tree. It's absolutely charming.

You've done something slightly different with the chimney breast here: you've actually used these the two segments of the upper level with this beautiful glass here. Well I always think it's nice if you can put an overmantel mirror above a fireplace.

Very lucky to find one that size. I think there's sort of an inch difference in width!
This of course dates from about 1725/30: Parcel-gilt so it's painted and carved gesso gilding.
The panel above we found another seafaring picture: this one by Monany and again painted in the early 18th century.

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