This Grade II listed building and former rectory was built in 1850. Occupied by the church until the 1930s, it became a private home that was then converted into two separate properties in the 1960s. The front part of the original house has many fascinating architectural features including Gothic spires and Jacobean references. Internally, the house already had a homely, family feel with personality and character, such as the wonderful oak-beamed living room ceiling and a wrought iron, glass and slate staircase. However, each room was in need of some cohesion.
The brief was to reflect the owners’ characters, their love of the countryside, nature, travel and music; to create a warm inviting, eclectic environment that would be both practical for family life and also a welcoming space for visiting families and entertaining guests – in keeping with their open-house policy.
In the kitchen, the new Crittall-style windows and doors mirror the original cast iron windows throughout and now create a more open feel and a much lighter space for kitchen dining. A pared back, natural palette, materials and furniture have been used to give a Scandinavian tribal twist. An injection of family life and colour is pulled in with a feature wall of family photos and an original ‘Walk Don’t Walk’ New York road sign. Sourcing unique and often unusual reclaimed, salvaged or vintage pieces was an important part of the narrative to this unique project.
In addition to the main house, the clients were also keen to improve the outside patio space, to create an attractive area to entertain in the summer, with a fireplace for chilly evenings. The old wooden pergola was replaced with a tiled roof, with the inside clad in planks of hardwood. The side walls were built up with local stone, a built-in barbecue and pizza oven were installed as well as a built-in fireplace in the corner. The result is an impressive, large and open loggia or outside room – with a built-in fireplace as the main feature – for family and friends to enjoy long evenings cooking and socialising without worrying about the elements.
