“Not a boring house”

Here at TMH we’ve somehow carved out a niche for listing mid-century homes created for or by professors. The recently sold Salt Hill (pictured above) is a case in point. Originally built by King’s College, Cambridge, to a design by Kenneth Capon, Salt Hill was completed in the late 1950s for university fellow Robin Marris. On viewing the house, we were shown a cache of articles written in the early ‘60s that went straight to the top of our Drawer of Things. In 1961, Country Life were concerned about the lack of trees but ultimately declared it “not a boring house.” And when Michael Gilderdale visited for the News Chronicle he wrote: “Nosing about as a journalist must, I found Finnish ware in the kitchen, Swedish glass, longplaying records for the stereo console in the sitting room …” Plus ça change.

An architectural photography zine, available to pre-order

Did you get a chance to see our Mass Mentorship film? You should! It documents the day we spent at Pheasants working with Mass Collective, guest tutor Rachel Ferriman, and four mentee architectural photographers. The mentees have been taking part in the year-long Mass Mentorship scheme that supports emerging talent from underrepresented backgrounds, championing new voices in architectural photography. You’ve missed their end of year exhibition, but it’s not too late to pre-order a zine (£10) featuring the mentees’ projects. All proceeds go directly towards the Mass Mentorship programme, supporting their mission to create a more diverse and accessible industry.

An hour of sensible design chat

If you don’t already subscribe to David Michon’s Substack For Scale, we think you will after listening to this podcast. David speaks to Design Discord host Fernando Mastrangelo about breaking free from the prescriptive constraints of mainstream design media, finding his own voice, and applauding “atrocious interiors”. It’s a tonic.

A naturally strokable exhibition at Another Country

The New Naturals is a tactile and thought-provoking exhibition on our cultural itinerary this month. (Another Country, until 30th June). It’s been curated by Jennifer Haslam as part of the London Festival of Architecture and is inspired by the founding ethos of Another Country and Haslam’s excellent book of the same name. With case studies from Rural Office, Norm Architects, Jonathan Tuckey Design and brands such as Naturalmat, Yarn Collective and Camira making an appearance, Haslam aims to demonstrate how traditional materials are finding new relevance in contemporary craft and architecture.

Our MD’s digital DoT

Is there anything more telling than our own digital DoT? We decided to find out by asking the team to reveal their saved sellers and watchlist items on eBay. First up, our Managing Director Lou Willocks shares her obsession with old things …

Lou’s saved sellers

dimanoinmano has thousands of items for sale so you need to be prepared to search. They specialise in Italian and French antiques. I bought myself a “push present” in the form of an Angelo Mangiarotti coffee table from them and it's divine (as is my son)!

FILLE DU CALVAIRE always has a special selection of furniture and decorative objects (pictured above left and right). Admittedly, some of their things are quite pricey, but there’s no harm in scrolling. Follow @fille.du.calvaire for regular stock updates.

RICICLART has an impressive collection of Italian Murano lights – possibly my most-purchased eBay item.

Lou’s watchlist (just don't outbid her …)

I've been looking for the perfect daybed for years and I think this one is pretty close. It needs some restoration but that's part of the fun: making something your own.

I’d like to fill this Lalique crystal serpentine bowl with colourful sweets and keep it on my desk at all times.

And this 1950s Mathieu Mategot tray would be perfect for carrying cold drinks into the garden …

Photography credits: © William Pitt; © News Chronicle 1960; © Country Life magazine 1961; courtesy of The Berrill Family © Justine Sauri White; © Takenya K. Holness; © Mark Woulfe; © Iman Dagnoko; © Fille du Calvaire