Inside this iconic building, transformed into a creative live-work space

Maxine Hall and Paula Moss have transformed an iconic, but formerly rundown Derbyshire building into a richly layered live–work home that is as bold and expressive as the creative lives they lead

For Maxine Hall and Paula Moss – founder and designer, and studio director respectively of the wallpaper and textile brand Blackpop – home has always been more than four walls: it’s a canvas, a creative lab and a stage for daily life. Their current space, a Victorian live–work building in the centre of Wirksworth, Derbyshire, reflects their distinctive style and commitment to intentional living.

Built in 1889 by a descendent of industrial pioneer Sir Richard Arkwright, the building has a long history of housing makers and tradespeople. ‘It’s always had a creative energy,’ says Maxine. ‘Stonemasons, weavers, and an antique shop just before us.’ The pair had been eyeing up Wirksworth for years, drawn to its buzzing cultural life and generous community. When this property came along in 2019, despite it needing lots of renovation, they didn’t hesitate.

But what they hadn’t bargained for was the collapsing staircase on moving day. ‘The stairs gave way as the removal men carried up the washing machine,’ recalls Maxine. ‘Luckily nobody was hurt. It hadn’t shown up on the survey, but the staircase was completely damp and rotten. So that was the first thing we had to sort out!’

Though the structure had potential, much of it had been neglected or poorly updated. ‘Before the previous owners, the house had been derelict for some years. They hadn’t really done any work, and what they had done was terrible. So it was a case of putting a lot of that right,’ says Paula. Over five years, they’ve added central heating, reconfigured rooms, moved the bathroom and transformed the downstairs into a functioning studio, orders and dispatch area and showroom, as well as creating a pretty garden.

Sensitive restoration has gone hand in hand with practical updates. ‘We wanted to respect the building,’ says Maxine, ‘but we also had to make it work for the way we live and create.’ That meant knocking through the kitchen, reinforcing floors, and finding imaginative ways to move heavy furniture up to the upper storeys – including, with the help of a team of friends, using a built-in trapdoor and pulley system discovered below a ceiling hook. ‘We opened up the trapdoor and that’s when we realised – that was how they used to move furniture,’ says Paula. ‘So up went our wardrobe, up went the massive chest of drawers, up went the cast-iron radiators, which we swapped out for the regular ones. It was amazing – and hilarious!’

There’s no prescribed look in Maxine and Paula’s home – instead, it’s a reflection of instinct, culture and decades of creative exploration. ‘When we launched Blackpop, one of our aims was to create and offer products that don’t follow trends,’ Maxine explains. ‘We set out to make quality designs that transcend the commercial and embrace the test of time. This approach also applies when we dress our home, it depicts both our personalities. Paula’s dad was an antiques dealer; she has a great eye for a quality piece of furniture and loves the auction experience. I fall more for mid-century modern.’

But they do cite film-maker Pedro Almodovar as an aesthetic inspiration, and similarly to his room sets their home is filled with a mix of primary block colour, pattern, contemporary artwork and ornate decorative objects. ‘We love that very Spanish, crazy mix-and-match genre,’ says Maxine.

The pair’s Blackpop wallpaper and fabrics feature heavily throughout – not just on walls but ceilings too, creating immersive, layered spaces filled with their extensive art collection. ‘But the art isn’t competing over the patterned wall spaces,’ says Paula. ‘And with the papered ceiling there’s a kind of beautiful “fifth wall” element, which we really like.’

Their approach in kitchen is playful, eclectic and experimental. The pair upscaled one of their wallpaper designs, Monk, adding a pop of yellow. Additionally, they direct-printed another design, Dizzy, on to waterproof MDF creating a unique, heatproof worktop.

Vintage finds – from family heirlooms to auction-house treasures – are dotted throughout. And yet, the home never feels crowded. Everything has a place and each room tells a story.

Maxine and Paula’s decor language is eclectic and spontaneous, covering mid-century, Gothic, even a bit of cottagecore. But despite the bold visual stimulation, there’s a purposeful calm and cohesiveness to the space and to the way the pair live. Their home and business may be under one roof, but each is clearly defined – the workday ends at five and the studio door shuts.

‘It’s a sustainable way to work,’ says Maxine. ‘We’re not commuting, not paying a separate lease. I think this way of living and working makes for a really positive economy because it means that you are literally embedded in the community as a business, and we have a low-carbon footprint because we’re not getting in a car every day.’