St John Farmhouse
This important example of a traditional farmhouse had last been updated more than 30 years ago. Its décor belonged to a prior time and was threadbare through heavy use. Our client did not know where to begin reclaiming its grandeur for his own enjoyment with friends, as well providing an inviting space for his adult children and their families to visit. Our task was to perform an entire make-over and reimagine the use of certain rooms and the flow throughout.
The main entrance had been through a back corridor with utility provision and pantry storage. We reversed the approach, inviting guests instead to enter the building from a door in the courtyard facing the principal elevation. Visitors are now greeted by a collection of the client’s prized antique Welsh polished oak furniture, which glows against bespoke panelling in a muted pink. Contemporary handmade walnut shingle lights contrast and surprise, and reflect the client’s bold and playful character. A tan saddle leather window seat was factored into the design providing a perfect spot to enjoy the newspaper in the morning sun.
A pair of fixed glazed screens were added to offer a subtle demarcation between this morning room and a new handcrafted kitchen in the adjoining room. A granite-topped central island, complete with high-back stools and comfortable cushion pads, provides an informal eating area for ‘wine bar style’ get-togethers. For further atmosphere and a visual talking-point, a bespoke-design, wall-hanging wine rack in beech was commissioned with integrated back lighting to display a selection of the client’s fine wines.
As an admirer of the arts, the client’s lifetime collection of artefacts and ‘objets’ – much of which had been in storage – were carefully selected and incorporated into the future designs. Important paintings, haphazardly hung over the years, were more purposefully curated and carefully illuminated to maximise enjoyment.
The ground floor was more clearly conceived for its ideal use. The sitting room, with smaller windows, historic beams and an inglenook fireplace, was layered with bold and textured fabrics, a grasscloth wallcovering and heavy-weight curtains for intimate and cosy evenings. The garden-facing drawing room was restyled in the manner of a plantation villa - including antique lamps, area rugs, and wall panelling – in a palette of sage greens and natural tones, reflective of the garden hues. An orangery beyond had lost its functional purpose. It was re-integrated into the living space whilst maintaining a connection with the exterior through use of a fern wallpaper, natural materials of wicker, leather and wood, and planted with assorted ferns in oversized antique pithoi.
