“It all started with the food, and at first, I was struggling to put my stamp on Glebe,” Olive muses. “But, I think people love the interiors and recognise us for that, too.” It’s a modest assessment of the ongoing attention the artistic scheme has been awarded since its opening. At a glance, moments like the raspberry-hued lounge or the smallest bedroom, which is wrapped in Ottoline Devrie’s tulip wallpaper, grab your attention, but the beauty of Glebe is it’s genuine; from the ground up, there’s not a sniff of novelty here.
The Copper Beech room at Glebe House
Olive grew up in a house of artists, where chairs and cupboard doors were often hand-painted with whimsical murals, so splashing Glebe with personality and her artworks was natural for Olive. It doesn’t take long to recognise that a love of art is the lifeblood of the interior concept. From the gallery-style dining room, which shows off works from her favourite artists (many are available to buy), to a leaf through the coffee table books which span topics like the Bloomsbury Group, William Morris and Picasso, it feels like relaxing in a friend with great taste’s home, rather than a hospitality venue.
And this is the point – Glebe House is a personal experience. Whether you’re eating breakfast alongside the other guests, sitting on Hugo’s Mum’s favourite chair or looking through a book Olive has loved for years and left out for you to read, there’s a magic to its authenticity. Here, both Olive and Ali share the journey of creating this multi-layered, creative home-away-from-home.
Sitting room at Glebe House
Olive Chittenden, artist and co-founder of Glebe House, shares the personal influences that contributed to the guest house’s interior scheme.
How does your history with art come through in Glebe House – did it feel like an important factor?
“My mum and Granny were both artists, and it’s had a huge effect on me. Growing up, it was normal for our furniture to have surface paintings across them, chairs would often be decorated with flowers, and when I visited Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex for the first time, I was struck by how similar the style felt. When we moved to Devon, I embraced my art even more, and I painted murals across the house and hung my artwork in the rooms. I’m mostly inspired by landscapes and still life, and when we were still in London, it was like my art led my subconscious because I just kept painting coastlines and Devon scenes. It was what I was craving. Another way my mum has influenced Glebe is that she holds onto everything; vases, furniture, paintings and our home was always filled with bits and bobs which gave it character. I think you can see that sentimentality around Glebe, the mixture of ornaments that make it feel like a home.”
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