"Walking into the Legend Room created by interior designer Alidad, it’s near impossible to believe that it was created in just five days. Alidad’s innate skill is in bringing a timeless look to any space, however bland it is to start with, and he has brought that to bear here in what was, essentially, a blank newbuild canvas."

~ Jessica Doyle - The Telegraph

When first approached by Watts about the possibility of taking part in WOW!House 2024, my immediate reaction was 'no way!’. The last showhouse exhibition that I took part in was back in 1997 and I swore that I would never do one again. It was the making of me, but it was very difficult to create something from scratch, developed from nothing. What convinced me in the end, was that when asked to create the room, it was to celebrate Watts’ 150th anniversary and their upcoming collaboration with Eastnor Castle. I then started reading into their history, and it sparked the initial image of the Legend Room in my mind; from there I was utterly obsessed. My interiors need layers of history, and they have an abundance of it.

The moment that I started thinking about a concept for the Legend Room, I knew that it had to be something gothic, to acknowledge Watts’ ecclesiastical origins, and something that represented their history. In order to do that, I needed a client. But in this instance, there was not one; so I created one. Gilbert Scott Junior was one of the three architects that founded Watts, and is an ancestor of the present director, Marie Séverine. I imagined this space belonging to him. As he was such a brilliant architect, I assumed that he would need a multipurpose space. A space that he would use to research whilst seated at the central table, with his books and architectural models, and also for comfortably entertaining his guests; everything happens in this room. Gilbert Scott was a traditional Englishman, who would have inherited his home from his ancestors and added his own mark to it. It is filled with the interesting and diverse items that he has collected over the years. I can imagine him on the blue sofa – putting his head on the arm and his feet up, with his slippers on, going to sleep. Not only is it a space to entertain in, it is also a space of solitude. But at the same time, it is a room that has evolved and other generations have added things to it, but yet the essence is still there. Despite its age it still relates to the present, it’s live-able and is a real room as opposed to just a stage set.

I always like to use a lot of colours, patterns and textures in my spaces; some old, some new. My starting point in the room was the main fabric, which was a renaissance design redrawn by pioneering architect and Watts founder G.F. Bodley in 1889. The design includes stylized thistle flowers that lace upwards magnificently. I decided to use this for the walling as I wanted a big design that had movement in it and to appear to be growing up to the ceiling. It was initially very monochrome, and then we added a bit of colour to it as it wouldn’t be an Alidad and Watts room without some colour. I then started developing the furniture layout, which is really always one of the first things that I do. When I was told that the ceiling was to be 3 meters high, I was not going to have it. After a bit of back and forth, we managed to increase the ceiling height substantially. Without this change, I would not be able to do any justice to the size of the room and that particular fabric, or the Watts style. And without the cooperation and kindness of the organizers at the Design Centre, none of this would have been possible.

In many of my designs, I like to use large scale tapestries or screens behind the main sofa, and Watts’ collaboration with Eastnor Castle could not have come at a better time. As part of their collaboration, they have recreated an eighteenth century leather screen that is housed in the Great Hall at Eastnor. The recreation of the panel was beautifully printed onto cork to recreate the original look and it was the perfect piece to be placed behind the blue sofa. That’s the wonderful thing about Watts; they understand antique textiles and are not afraid of reproducing them. They are bold enough to not be led by the fashions of today – they are timeless.

"Alidad’s room for WOW!House tells the story of George Gilbert Scott, Jr—one of the founders of Watts—and his descendants who ‘occupied’ this fictitious cabinet where they kept their most prized possessions. When absorbing the different layers within the room, one does get a sense of who each of the occupants were… and the places they went."

~ Skylar Pinchal Coysh – House & Garden

A very crucial element in giving the space an identity and history were the many antique pieces and textiles, which were very meticulously layered throughout. Each and every piece was chosen to give a glimpse of what this character’s life was like, lightly guiding each visitor’s imagination. We also managed to get quite a few Modern British paintings, because I wanted the room to appear as though Gilbert Scott’s descendants had continued to live there through to the twentieth century; each generation adding their own mark to it over the years. I will admit, sourcing these items was one of the greatest challenges throughout the entire process. Asking antique dealers to hold items for many months to ensure that we could use them, is not how we usually work, and was rather nerve-wracking. I will be forever grateful to my antique dealer friends who kept so many items for me. Without them it would have never really happened.

Alidad Ltd

Alidad Ltd., 314-316 Harbour Yard, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XD

Telephone: +44 (0) 207 384 0121
Email: enquiries@alidad.com
Website: www.alidad.com
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