Skip to main content

Featured

The Gardens of Mien Ruys - a book review

I don't know how I missed her, but I was totally unfamiliar with Mien Ruys. A beautiful new book The Gardens of Mien Ruys details her life and work. Born in the Netherlands in 1904, she was the daughter of Bonne Ruys, who founded Moerheim Nursery in 1888. She grew up in a liberal atmosphere and encouraged to learn and study. She found great comfort in the natural world around her and learned all the plants in her father's nursery at a young age. After leaving school at the age of 19, she knew that she wanted to work in the garden center. The Moerheim Nursery, in addition to selling plants, had an on-site design studio where they published a detailed catalog and sold landscape design plans to customers. It was in the design studio where Ruys first began to work and she was soon encouraged to venture beyond her country and study abroad. Her father's connections helped her secure a traineeship with Wallace & Sons Nursery in Tunbridge Wells in England. There, she met Gertr...
5 comments
Read more

Coleton Fishacre - Inside the House


Coleton Fishacre has been described as "the perfect combination of the simple architecture and high standards of craftmanship of the nineteenth century Arts and Crafts movement with the modernity of the Jazz Age."

I was told that there are not that many Art Deco style houses in the UK and this is one of the few private residences that are open to the public. Among the furnishings are Lalique wall lights, an eighteenth century Venetian chandelier and a carpet designed by Marion Dorn. Most of the furniture was designed by the architect of the house, Oswald Milne.  

After Rowland and Freda Smith bought the house in 1949, they did not make many changes and the furnishings that they didn't use were stored. After the National Trust took over the property, they meticulously recreated the furnishings based on photographs that had appeared in Country Life magazine. 

The library, pictured above and below, features a celebrated wind-dial map that was created by noted mapmaker George Spencer Hoffman. The three-dimensional map measures six feet in width. The brass compass was connected to a weather vane on the roof and was used to indicate wind direction. Rupert D'Oyly Carte used it for his sailing ventures. It also features a vignette of Rupert walking his white dalmatian.




Lady Dorothy's Saloon


In Lady Dorothy's bedroom


The kitchen



Butler's Pantry









A collection of old cameras - I'm not sure who these belonged to.

The son Michael's room (1911-1932)


This book was available for purchase but I decided to wait until I returned home. However, it was not available here in the U.S. until just recently. I have just started reading it. 

(Visited May 12, 2025)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. JerryOctober 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM

    The Art Deco style is one of my favorites. The mini bar would be a fun addition at home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. tz_gardenOctober 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM

    I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's quite different than I imagined. I feel drawn to the kitchen, probably because of the lovely windows with the huge sill.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment