Quintessentially English with Lindsay Wasserman

California Interior Decorator Lindsay Wasserman is no stranger to eclectic influences in her work. Majoring in Archaeology and Art History at Berkeley, growing up surrounded by art and antiques and working for the family business in Los Angeles taught her an early appreciation for finely crafted pieces and aesthetics. From this background, after initially decorating her own house, friends and acquaintances were so impressed by her natural flair that by word of mouth she soon had a growing inbox leading to a portfolio of high-end interior design projects. 

Now based in Austin, Texas, Lindsay specialises in interior schemes for residential properties. 

We were delighted to catch up with the self-confessed Anglophile about her passion for “anything from England” and the inspiration drawn from her recent trip to Britain. 

It was a ‘trip of a lifetime’ and the interior decorator shared some of the memorable moments, visiting a number of places rich in history, culture, and inspiration. 

Bath, Cotswolds and Chatsworth House 

Lindsay’s tour of England lasted 17 days and she started in Bath, well-known for its honey-colored, Georgian architecture, enjoying a lovely afternoon tea at the Royal Crescent hotel. 

While in Bath, Lindsay visited the studios of Allyson McDermott. An authority on both recreating, conserving and hanging historic wallpapers. McDermott restores layers of history for clients including The National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and interior designers and architects worldwide. Allyson’s well regarded for her exquisite work creating decorative wall coverings in Brighton Pavilion and The Palace of Westminster, but also enjoys working in private houses. Her studio holds designs dating from the 17th - 20th Century and her portfolio combine's historic patterns with a contemporary palette. 

Lindsay explored the fascinating history of Bowood House and Gardens in Wiltshire. Home to the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne the Georgian house is set within 100 acres of beautifully landscaped ‘Capability’ Brown gardens. 

A visit to Upper Slaughter Manor, an Elizabethan Manor House in the North Cotswolds, Gloucestershire wouldn’t have been more quintessentially English without later enjoying an afternoon tea at Slaughters Manor House in Lower Slaughter. 

Lindsay also explored Hidcote Manor, near Chipping Campden, which is home to one of the best-known and most influential Arts and Crafts gardens in Britain with its linked “rooms” of hedges, rare trees, shrubs, and herbaceous borders. The National Trust's Coughton Court is an English Tudor country house located near Alcester, Warwickshire also featured on Lindsey’s carefully planned tour. 

Featuring in films such as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Duchess’, Chatsworth House is one of Britain’s most popular stately homes situated in Derbyshire, near Bakewell and owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, it has been called the ‘Palace of the Peak’. The estate spans some 35,000 acres and has been in the Cavendish family since 1549. 

Lindsay enjoyed exploring over 30 rooms from the magnificent painted hall to the regal staterooms, savouring works of art spanning over 4,000 years as well as magnificent sculpture. 

Tea at the Ritz 

Finally, heading to the capital, Lindsey enjoyed afternoon tea in the city at the Ritz in London. 

SW1 and Continental Chic 

A whistle-stop tour of SWI led Lindsay to some of the stalwarts of the British interior design scene. At Nicholas Haslam’s showroom in Belgravia, she was able to admire the ‘continental chic’ of Paolo Moschino. Next stop was Sibyl Colefax, the longest established interior decorating firm in Britain and Soane Fabrics & Wallpaper’s Showroom.

The Chelsea home of a Victorian Literary Couple  

While in South West London, Lindsay stopped off to view the Chelsea home of Victorian literary couple Thomas and Jayne Carlye. The National Trust’s Carlyle House is a four-story home, situated in Cheyne Row. It was home to the 19th-century historian and his wife and was opened in 1895 as a literary shrine, containing Carlyle’s relics, books, furniture, and portraits.

Lindsay also managed to visit the V&A and Tate Britain, enjoy the theatre, meet several favourite designers and even participate in a hand block class with Molly Mahone fabric.  

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting the historian, writer, and garden designer Sir Roy Strong at The Laskett Gardens in Hertfordshire with influences from the great gardens of the both the Italian Renaissance and Tudor England. 

Lindsay says the trip was ‘unforgettable and life-changing’ and thinks often about her trip to England and is already planning her return. She felt an ‘affinity with the people’ and the memory of her travels continue to inspire.

“One of the best parts of my trip to England was bringing home a beautiful late 19th century mirror from one of my favourite Instagram accounts @hobsonmay. Antique dealer Rachel Hobson was a delight to work with and she even arranged to have my purchase delivered to our London rental so I could bring it back to America with me. It now has a place of pride in one of my sons' rooms. The connections I have made on IG have been so wonderful and I have formed friendships with people from all over England and beyond. Rachel was an early supporter of my account and she and her mom carry so many exquisite pieces. I was tempted to fill an entire container with their wonderful range of antiques.”

It’s evident that Lindsay is a highly energetic person with an abundance of creativity and effortless style, the trip clearly provided her with many muses to fuel her work. 

We admired her own Schumacher, Brighton Pavillion peacock curtains by Miles Redd when catching up with her in Austin to reminisce about her favourite parts of the trip. 

Back in Texas, Lindsay is immersed in interior design projects for a number of residential homes. She exchanges Pinterest boards, colours and looks around a client’s existing interior space and then creates a vision within a defined budget. She enjoys fusing low and high-end pieces together with quality design at the root. She has a passion for antiques and often uses 2-3 pieces in a room, depending on the person’s taste. She feels that fabrics ‘elevate a space’ and recommends that you ‘find a fabric you love’ and look for a range of colours and always looks for different influences and colours to gauge your ‘aesthetic compass’.  

Lindsay also welcomes digital influences and is an active influencer and contributor to interior design on Instagram, a social media platform she credits for allowing her to be part of a ‘diverse community’ and ‘encouraging great connections’. 

Lindsay radiates passion and tells us that she wants clients to feel good in interiors that reflect their lives. She provides a fresh pair of eyes and helps fuse new additions and existing pieces with flair. 

Lindsay is a big fan of Blueprint Store in Dallas, a design mecca which modernises antiques through refurbishment. She advocates using both beautiful antiques and reupholstery to breathe a new lease of life into fine quality items rather than discarding them and recognises this is good for the environment.

"I want clients to feel they can leave all their cares behind and relax in a space". 

You can read more about @LMWDecor and Lindsay’s other projects by visiting lmwdecor.com or by following Lindsay on Instagram. 

We would like to thank Lindsay Wasserman for sharing all of the pleasures of her trip to England and beautiful photographs with us.

We hope that Lindsay will come back and visit England again in the near future. 

About Hobson May Collection

After 30 years experience working with designers and private clients in the UK and Europe, we launched our online collection, bringing a selection of inspiring antiques to a wider audience.

We’re passionate about providing beautiful, decorative items to enliven home interiors. Hobson May Collection prides itself on providing a friendly and helpful service to private buyers, interior designers and antique dealers.

Whether you need guidance with a one-off item or are starting to build a collection, please do not hesitate to get in touch with any query and we will be happy to assist you.