Take the entrance hall, which John says they wanted to 'set the tone for the rest of the house, put a little sparkle in your eye and a smile on your face - a sense of whimsy'. But their approach to decorating in the English country-house style has a special energy and flair - they revere the style, but they treat it with an appealing irreverence. Jason and John are confirmed anglophiles, their conversations peppered with references to the Brighton Pavilion, Colefax and Fowler, David Hicks and the Duchess of Devonshire. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a study.īut everything would be done to change the decoration. There is also a dining room and sun room (formerly an open porch), as well as a large utility room tucked away to one side. 'It had this terrific flow and was perfect for entertaining.' Little would be done to change its arrangement: a central front hall connects the sitting room and 'den' on either side and straight ahead the kitchen, which overlooks the back garden. 'When we walked in, we thought the layout was so graceful,' recalls Jason. Set in two-and-a-half acres of partial woodland, it has a classic charm that gives scant clue as to what lies within. 'There is more of a spirit of adventure.'Īfter seeing dozens of properties, John and Jason settled on the first one they had viewed: a Thirties white-brick house built in the neo-Georgian style, complete with a Doric-columned portico and a decorative Greek key frieze. 'In terms of food, fashion and design, the American south is having a real renaissance at the moment,' says Jason. After 25 years in New York, they set their sights on High Point, known (at least locally) as 'the furniture capital of the world' due to the size of the industry in the area. It is impossible not to picture them like this when we later discuss their new house in High Point, North Carolina. Sitting side by side, they were an alluring pairing. John sported a tropical floral motif, with Jason in a punchy palm print. The topic was how to mix patterns in interiors and, as if to illustrate the couple's affinity with the concept, they both wore tailored jackets made from fabrics from their latest Robert Allen collection. During one London Design Week several years ago, Hatta Byng, the editor of House & Garden, hosted a talk with Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke from the American interior design studio Madcap Cottage.
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