David Parr — Noemi Caruso

The David Parr House

In 1886, 186 Gwydir Street was bought by David Parr, a working-class Victorian decorative artist who worked for the Cambridge Arts and Crafts firm, F. R. Leach. David Parr learnt his many skills there, painting houses and churches with designs created by some of the best architects and designers in the country, including William Morris. Over 40 years, David Parr decorated his own terraced home in the style of the grand interiors he worked on every day. His house became a pattern book of the work of late 19th-century masters perfectly crafted and painted with care. After his death, the house became the private home of his granddaughter, Elsie Palmer, and remained unknown to the public – until recently, when it was restored and opened as a house-museum.

Type of work

Editorial
Illustration

Design and strategy

The pocket guidebook, created for the house’s opening, drew inspiration from Victorian souvenir books. A key theme of the project, which shaped the creative approach, was to visually reflect the layering of lives and epochs within the house. This concept was realized primarily through bespoke illustrations that captured the house’s intricate history. The cover illustration, for instance, reproduces a pattern from the house’s front room, incorporating objects that belonged to Elsie Palmer. At a glance, the cover appears to be a traditional Victorian-style design; closer examination, reveals a composition interwoven with Elsie’s personal memorabilia.

This layering concept was brought in the interior pages design, where text often overlaps with images. Budget limitations on printing were creatively repurposed as a design opportunity: the main section of the book was printed using only two colors, with a separate photographic plate section at the end, evoking art-history publications of the early 20th century.

The primary typeface, GT Sectra Bold, brings hand-crafted detail to the design, combining the calligraphic qualities of a broad-nib pen with the precision of a scalpel. The secondary typeface, Gill Sans, was designed by Eric Gill, who was affiliated with the Arts and Crafts movement.

Project developed with Binomi design studio.