Susie de Rohan Willner is Ceo of fashion and homewares brand Toast. See inside the Georgian Farmhouse which she shares with husband Stephen …
Featured Image; Suzie de Rohan Willner at her desk. She wears a kimono-style wrap jacket by Toast.
Launched in 1997 as a small, Wales-based pyjama company, today, Toast has become a go-to for well-crafted and thoughtful homewares and fashion pieces. At its helm is CEO, Suzie de Rohan Willner, who previously held senior positions at Levi Strauss & Co and Timberland. De Rohan Willner splits her time between her home in Oxfordshire, the Toast design studio in Highbury, north London, and offices in Wales.
“We fell in love with the house on our first visit,” she recalls. “We were drawn to the architecture, with its generous sense of space, symmetry and abundance of natural light and the beautifully tended, mature garden complete with an original Victorian greenhouse. We changed very little structurally as we wanted to preserve the original features. I find the discipline of the Georgian layout reassuring – a solid structure for playfulness within.”
In the living room, the original mantel was painted to match the muted brown Tarlatan by Paint & Paper Library on the walls. At one end of the space, de Rohan Willner works two days a week from an antique desk with a view of the garden. She adds simple Christmas decorations in December.
De Rohan Willner purposely kept the colour palette muted so that the view from the house of the surroundings – trees and countryside – would take precedence. “I just love the creative process. I guess being a designer is not something you can leave at the office! I use Pinterest to spark ideas and to source furniture. When I find something I like, I ‘stalk’ it until I find where to buy it, or search for something similar at flea markets. To make the house my own, I added sculptures and paintings, some of which I paint or make myself, and art created by various members of the family, including my sculptor stepfather William George Mitchell. They sit happily next to posters I have picked up along the way: a Jacques Tati poster for Mon Oncle or a Mary Koop London Underground poster, designed in 1925, which I bought for a tenner.
“At home, I work surrounded by craft which inspires me throughout my day. I particularly like a clay vase created by Viv Lee, one of Toast’s New Makers alumni, an initiative we run that supports five talented craftspeople each year. Seeing their creations reminds me of the huge effort that goes into craft pieces. I keep an array of coloured pens in an Ali Hewson pot, and framed family photos close by. There are usually fresh flowers from the garden on my desk too. And of course, my number one work companion, my dog Boots, who is usually resting by my feet. My house projects seem to be never-ending; I can always find something new to redo or redecorate. The mantra I work by is borrowed from Maya Angelou: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.”
The electric range cooker by Esse is the focal point of the kitchen. The wall clock is by Mondaine.
In the kitchen, walls are painted in Almond Flower lime paint by Bauwerk Colour and cabinets in Emerald Green Farrow & Ball. The Windsor chairs were found in Stag Gallery, an antique shop in nearby Wallingford.
The armchairs are from Neptune and the linen and hand-dyed velvet cushions are from Toast. The wall colour is Tarlatan by Paint & Paper Library.
The bedroom walls are painted in De Nimes by Farrow & Ball.
The Victorian greenhouse.
Suzie de Rohan Willner at her desk. She wears a kimono-style wrap jacket by Toast.
