A Quintessential English Country Cottage
This quintessential English country cottage is a gorgeous country retreat, a weekend getaway from London. It is a listed 17th Century timber framed cottage with characterful low ceilings and beams, and a charming inglenook fireplace.
I was initially asked to help with the renovation of the electrics and plumbing, to bring the property up to current standards. We finished the property with calm paint colours and curtains and blinds from Colefax and Fowler, Sanderson, GP & J Baker. Phase two began a few years later when we were asked to fully furnish the property. This allowed us to add pattern, texture, colour and detail to our original scheme with fabrics and furniture from some of our favourite design houses: Soane Britain, Rapture and Wright, Fermoie, Christopher Farr Cloth, David Seyfried, Vaughan Lighting.
The drawing room is full of character, with low beams and an inglenook fireplace, the stone coloured fretwork curtains from GP & J Baker tone in with the timber, framing the views onto the garden. We chose classic style sofas upholstered in a teal herringbone check from Colefax. These are handmade by our upholsterer and are an investment piece, made to stand the test of time. The cushions are patterned with rich tones, adding a vibrant and inviting style all piped in velvet for a soft and sophisticated edge.
We selected some one off pieces from Eton Antiques ; French painted dining chairs and a contemporary mirrored chest in the Entrance Hall, atop sits an oversized glass pear lamp by Porta Romana giving a striking focal point. The artwork behind is a favourite by Georgian Fiennes, from Cricket Fine Art.
The Snug has a rich teal velvet generous sofa, with a complementary bobbin leg footstool, by David Seyfried, covered in Moorish Maze by Rapture and Wright. A surprising and bold orange carrying through the theme with orange cushions on the sofa, and here, reinforced with the orange tulip stems.
The kitchen was up cycled from the previous owner. We redecorated to save landfill, recolouring it from classic yellow to contemporary light blue green. It looks good as new. The original brickwork and beams give character and contrast to the contemporary palette of fabrics and furniture. It’s a small space, so each item has to earn its place, but it works really well. The table is from Neptune Home and we made bespoke seat pads for extra comfort in Fermoie’s Marden fabric. Another favourite at LMI.
The bedrooms were a calm palette of blues and greens in the first renovation, and we have layered pattern and colour throughout to add character and interest. Each room is irregular in shape which challenged our skills in terms of the layout of the furniture but with this, and the original beams and sloping ceilings brings character and charm.
Each bedroom has its own statement headboard. The twin bedroom is covered in Christopher Farr’s Punch Paisley. The scheme is youthful and vibrant, challenging the famous saying that blue and green should never be seen. The headboards are piped in velvet blue for a luxurious tactile finish. The scheme is all about pattern and shape, with green embroidered scallop edge bed linen, a shaped Editors Chair (David Seyfried) covered in a geometric zag pattern from Rapture and Wright, and bespoke striped scatter cushions. We’ve added a sculptural shaped green lamp from Pooky with a marbled shade to enhance the textural theme.
A double bedroom in blue has a pretty scrolling fern headboard coupled with vibrant pink lampshades. A surprising finish! The single bedroom is adorable with a pale pink and green theme. The Lotus fabric headboard from Pukka Print perfectly complementing the sculptural structure of the arthichoke lamp from Pooky.
It’s a young and vibrant scheme for a charming country cottage, as if breathing fresh air in from the countryside surrounding it.
For more information about our interior designer service please contact the Studio. Call us +44 (0)207 791 1245 or email enquiries@lucymarshinteriors.com
