The Time Magazine – February 2012

Country Life – Sept 2011

Rebirth of a Palace – July 2011

Period Living – May 2010

New York Times – March 2010

No Knick Knacks Allowed

A feature, in Saturdays The Times Magazine, on Iconic designer Marc Newson and super stylist Charlotte Stockdales phenomenal home. Our work on this house featured in the article. We produced the 17th century style panelled library, complete with a hand carved frieze. Our own images of this room can be found in our portfolio. click here.

Renaissance of a Royal Palace

A remarkable attempt to re-create a suite of 16th-Century royal apartments has recently been completed….. Set dramatically on an outward crop pf rock above the floodplain of the River Forth, Stirling castle commands a natural crossroads between the Highlands and lowlands of Scotland. The castle enjoys a central place in Scottish consciousness, and in reflection of its importance has been the object of one of the most ambitious projects of restoration and representation of a historic building in Britain. Running over a a period of 20 years, the last stage was completed earlier this year, and the castle was officially reopened by the Queen in early July….To Inform and the re-creations of the different rooms, a research project was initiated in partnership with Glasgow university. This looked at the comparative European evidence for palace furnishings and decoration in the 1540s, based on this work, new furniture has been commissioned for the rooms – Created by Ken Peterkin of Arttus Period Interiors – as well as wall hangings and even a reproduction alter retable for the Queen’s bedchamber…..

…Ken Peterkin who has been responsible for the making of the carved  furniture for the Palace Project, he has careful studied the rare,  original rennaisance pieces on what it is based. ‘its interesting that they are not  particularly well-designed and gave the impression that aspects of the  work were afterthoughts,’ he says. He wonders if the makers worked from  just a rough sketch and solved problems as they went along.
In any case, they were really only concerned with the parts of  the work which would be seen’. This is understandable since the  furniture was, first and foremost, for display. That is why seemingly  ‘functional’ fittings, such as hinges, are so ornate and geometric, Ken  explains. After initial machining, most of the work was carried out by  hand, as it would have been originally; And Ken emphasises the  fascination of bringing together the range of skills to produce these  complex pieces – carvers, gilders, painters, blacksmiths and others, who  all need to work together. But, Ken explains, these are not museum pieces, which have been  used for centuries, scratched and damaged. ‘There are uncertainties  about the finishes used in the mid-16^th century’, he says.  ‘But this furniture is presented as new’. James V did not furnish his  stylish modern palace with antiques!…

Period Living – May 2010

Restored Staircase

…Another impressive feature is this oak and elm staircase; but this too was in great need of restoration, with missing panels and finals, and partially unsupported treads. Once the structure had been secured, Amanda called in Ken Peterkin from Arttus Period Interiors. Ken Repaired the balustrades and finals, and found two pieces of panelling hidden under the boarding which he copied in Oak to complete the job; fully restored, this space is magnifcent again…

 

New York Times – March 2010

…“The first time I came in here,” Newson says, “I immediately had visions of ‘North by Northwest’ — you know, the fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright-ish thing in the Hitchcock film, with the large spaces and the chalet feeling?” That house became a reference point; not that the Newson aesthetic, with its smoothly lacquered surfaces and cool curves, ever really departs from retro-modern. “Yeah, yeah,” he says. “Absolutely. It’s very much about having grown up in the ’60s and ’70s with that sense of optimism about the future and technology.” The apartment is dotted with Newson’s most iconic pieces. So imagine the shock, after all that, when you enter the library and find, instead of cool curves and sleek lacquered surfaces,  oak panelling and a library with a zebra-skin rug on the floor — a Stockdale family heirloom. This is where Charlotte had her way. “It’s very, very much her,” he agrees. “I never grew up in a house with a library — certainly not in Australia.” He laughs. “But she did. So it’s very typical for her.” (Stockdale is the daughter of the English baronet Sir Thomas Stockdale.) “She loves books and reading.” And he’s in no way sorry: “I thought it was such a wacky thing to do.” Still, all is not claret and crystal. Press a button on the remote and a large oak panel slides quietly down and a large-screen plasma TV emerges, Bond-like, from above the fireplace…