Crafting a lifestyle : Mark and Sally Bailey

I kept coming across Mark and Sally Bailey's new book Handmade Home: Living with Art and Craft. Once I was able to crack open the cover, it was clearly a must buy.

Photo by Debbie Treloar

The book is full of rich photographs and descriptions of artist's homes. Not just any artists' homes but artists that clearly live the wabi sabi aesthetic to its' fullest. It showcases those rare homes that clearly show a creative genius in action.

Photo by Debbie Treloar

But then I became curious about Mark and Sally Bailey, as their beautiful home was included in the book.

Photo by Debbie Treloar

I learned this is their third lifestlye book. They also have a store, a gallery and are in the process of building a compound called Whitecross Farm to showcase artist's works in a domestic setting. I SO wish I lived in England right now so I could see it all in person.

Do you think they really thresh wheat in that barn? There's even a stunning tearoom nestled in the grounds.

Photo by Debbie Treloar

In their own words:

We were inspired to start our gallery/home after a long anticipated visit to Kettles Yard in Cambridge. We loved the late Jim Ede's simple way of living with art and his insistence that Kettles Yard should be a place that is . . . "not an art gallery or museum, nor . . . simply a collection of works of art reflecting my taste or the taste of a given period. It is, rather, a continuing way of life from these last fifty years, in which stray objects, stone, glass, pictures, sculpture, in light and in space, have been used to make manifest the underlying stability."

Clearly this is no fine art gallery, this is a lifestyle experience. And the work they feature is stunning. Here are Ray Key's polished vessels.

Photo by Debbie Treloar

Anna Hagopian's delicate paper jewelry is showcased in such a beautiful way I'd want the whole lot including the shoes!

I need to learn more about Jim Ede, the Bailey's inspiration. Hmmm, perhaps Crafting a Lifestyle might turn into a series. We'll see what turns up that I can pass along. In the meantime, find the book here. And check out their shop and gallery online or if you're lucky, in person. And take some pictures for me!