Walking past the old Methodist chapel in a pretty village in east Suffolk, passersby might be taken aback to catch a glimpse of an oversized 1960s Sputnik light through the arched windows. Those in the know, though, wouldn’t be surprised. Interior designer and colour consultant Helen Harlow bought the chapel 20 years ago, bringing with her a love of mid-century design and a playful approach to decorating, much to the amusement of the locals.
Inside, Helen has taken a cue from the chapel’s heritage, her eyes trained to look for decorative religious items when she’s scouring antiques markets and eBay. One of her most beloved items is the light-up mid-century Virgin Mary, bought from Columbia Road Flower Market. At Christmas, Mary is joined by Joseph and one of the three kings (who both also light up, naturally). ‘Joseph and the king are stored in my house in London, so when I travel here for Christmas I put them in the back seats of my car and secure them with seatbelts – we get a lot of double-takes from other motorists,’ she says.
Mary resides in the open-plan living-dining room year-round, where other religious pieces also nod to the heritage of the 1892 building. There’s a framed painting of Mary, a statue of Jesus, a group of chapel chairs – rescued from a reclamation yard – and the chapel’s original sign, found by Helen rotting at the back of the old timber garage and brought back to life by a local signwriter.
Although Helen says that she’s not religious, the history of the building was a big pull when she first viewed it. ‘I’ve always been drawn to churches,’ she says. ‘I grew up in Bath, surrounded by beautiful architecture and appreciating its abbey, and have always sought out churches when I’m on holiday.’ The chapel also offered a sense of light and space that the compact cottages she’d previously considered lacked. Although it’s by no means a large building, the vaulted ceiling of the main room creates an exaggerated sense of space.
The Coronation ER II Crown planter was handmade by potter Mary Newstead (available via Sol
y Luna, London). - Brent Darby -
As a teenager, Helen spent a lot of time at local antiques and vintage fairs. She started collecting vintage clothes and then, after moving to her first flat in London, branched out into homeware. ‘The beauty of buying antique and vintage pieces is that you can find some utter bargains,’ she says. ‘When I started buying old pieces it was for this reason, but then I realised that they also provide great talking points.’
Although she has an eclectic eye, she’s especially drawn to mid-century pieces. ‘There was such an explosion of creativity in the 1950s – I love the shapes and the innovations of the designs from that era’ she says. Her kitchen – with its floral vinyl chairs, bright kitchenalia and vintage signage – owes a lot to this period. ‘The 1950s was all about kitchenalia. For the first time in history, people wanted to show off their kitchens: there was so much scope for designers to take advantage of this,’ she says.
In Helen’s work as an interior designer, she’s passionate about incorporating treasured pieces from her clients’ lives into their schemes. Instead of seeing each home as a blank canvas, her client’s history is prioritised. New pieces are chosen only when they have character, and vintage lighting is not to be scrimped on. These mantras are applied with aplomb in the chapel. Aside from the treasured Sputnik, there are also chandelier wall lights (£50 for four from eBay), a contemporary cross light that was shipped from Morocco three times (it kept arriving broken), and a glorious marble, gilt and silk standard lamp, which casts a sense of old Hollywood glamour over breakfast.
Helen admits to having a thing for birds – Sid the taxidermy seagull resides in the living area, while on the dining table, Brian the vintage soup tureen pigeon keeps a beady eye on proceedings. Given this expert mix of old and new, quirky and serious, it’s hardly surprising to learn that Helen ran her own vintage shop in London with a friend for three years. ‘My friend Mary and I have a mutual love of antiques fairs, and started the shop to indulge our passion for shopping at Sunbury and Ardingly. We specialised in vintage wares, gifts and plants – it was really fun,’ she says. ‘Fun’ is certainly the word that springs to mind at The Old Chapel – an unusual description, perhaps, considering its past. ‘Methodist chapels should be austere and plain, but this isn’t,’ says Helen. She also describes how friends call it ‘the chapel of rest’, proving that it’s possible for a home to be both full of life and beautifully calming, all at the same time. paintbox.co.uk