A soulful newbuild in Somerset with all the layered charm of an English country house
How do you make a new house feel like it’s been there forever? That was the task of interior decorator Octavia Dickinson when she was called on to bring a lived-in, soulful feel to a new-build family home in Somerset. The owners, a couple with three teenage children, bought the land on which the house now stands in 2019. A blackened shell in 100 acres of rolling countryside, the original Edwardian house had been ravaged by fire two years previously when fire engines from across three counties had tried to tackle the blaze. Unsurprisingly, the house had sat on the market for months when the couple came for a viewing. ‘The house itself was fenced off, you couldn’t even go inside,’ says the wife. ‘The sight of this burnt-out wreckage felt quite eerie, so we just went for a long walk. The landscape here is incredibly beautiful and that was it, really.’
The couple enlisted Harry Whittaker from Bath Conservation Architects, who was charged with creating a Regency style house, irregular and asymmetrical to give the impression it had developed over generations. The charred remains were demolished during the first lockdown and in its place a spectacular, light-filled home was built in ham stone, rendered with rich, yellow-ochre lime wash, with painted wood bargeboarding on the eaves. It somehow looks like it’s always been there. ‘We had in mind Hotel Endsleigh in Devon,’ says the owner. ‘I love that cottage orne style. We didn’t want a grand house; something with a soft vernacular exterior that would still allow for large rooms inside, cosy but with high ceilings and huge, low windows that would make the most of the light and the views.’ The house needed to be practical for family life (laundry chutes, lots of storage, a log-burner in the boot room for drying wellies), flexible for when the children were all home, but not so big that the couple felt they were ever knocking about in an empty house.
The wife was initially planning on doing the interiors herself, but ‘there were far too many decisions to make and the logistics felt completely overwhelming’. Octavia’s layered aesthetic appealed to the owners, as did her hands-on, collaborative approach. ‘We got on brilliantly well,’ says the wife. ‘Octavia would come and visit and we’d work flat-out, only stopping for 10 minutes for lunch,’ she adds. ‘I knew from the start they didn’t want something that felt over-designed,’ says Octavia. ‘They wanted a family home that could grow with them. My job is to listen to people’s likes and dislikes – but also, sometimes, to encourage a client in new ways.’ The owners both said they hated blue walls, but Octavia knew it would work in the south-facing spare room. The couple conceded to the calm blue of ‘Pale Wedgewood’ by Little Green, which provides a cheerful counterpoint to Pierre Frey gingham headboards and valances. The clients are thrilled with it.
It’s a house that seems to expand and contract. There is a grand drawing room, with portraits on the walls and sumptuous silk curtains in Octavia’s own ‘Edie’ design, but there is also a small, snug sitting room off the kitchen, lined in tapestry-like Lewis & Wood ‘Pomegranate’ wallpaper, with an armchair in the softest blue corduroy from Tissue d’Helene, positioned by the fire. The hall, which has a bank of windows that overlook the garden, woodland and lake, can be transformed into an impressive dining room for parties, but when the table is packed away it’s a light filled hallway again.
For everyday comings and goings, there is an eastern side entrance through the bootroom into the kitchen (which faces south for morning light), but for more formal arrivals, the front door, lit from above by a double-height sash window leads into a grand hallway, from which a sweeping staircase leads to the first floor of bedrooms (the top floor is reserved for the younger children’s rooms). The family rooms – the kitchen and snug – are to the left, the grander rooms to the right, facing west for the evening light. Open archways and clever positioning of windows means it’s possible to see right through the house, from east to west, north to south, maximising the framing of views.
The interiors scheme in the house sings with variety, a clever combination of deeply nostalgic English country house style – valances in Colefax & Fowler florals, dressing tables and stag-heads – but with elements of surprise, such as the scullery painted floor-to-ceiling in a deep-red ‘Grenache’ gloss from Paint and Paper Library. Comfort is king: baths are in built-in nooks, there are real fireplaces in every bedroom and plump, comfortable upholstered chairs everywhere. Attention to detail was key for adding character when everything is brand-new and box-fresh, from the door-handles and window latches (provided by Optimum Brasses in Devon and Broughtons of Leicester) to the Stevenson of Norwich gothic cornicing. The husband sourced original Victorian fireplaces for all of the bedrooms from The Architecture Forum, while new ones were made for the drawing room and snug by Jamb. The engineered oak floorboards were laid with a few extra millimeters gap between the boards to give the feel of a ‘creaky old house.’
‘In interiors there is no single right answer to a room,’ says Octavia. ‘You are just trying to find one of the right answers.’ It’s a house full of right answers; a masterclass in how you can create something truly soulful in a new build. It’s a house that feels like it's lived a rich and happy life already. ‘The other day, I had a thank you letter from a friend who had come to stay,’ says the owner. ‘She wrote that it felt like an old house that had survived the ravages of time. I thought that sounded perfect.’
Chris Horwood1/28A huge painting of a horse in motion brings energy to the staircase, which was designed by Harry Whittaker from Bath Conservation Architects. A table is covered in a cloth in ‘Thalim’ in chestnut from Namay Samay.
Chris Horwood2/28In the entrance, the stone flooring is English and was provided by Artorius Faber in Somerset, who aged it to look reclaimed. The rug is by Neptune, while the sofa bench and lamps are antique, with new lampshades from Vaughan. Rebecca Christie-Miller helped the owner source some of the antique pieces for the house.
Chris Horwood3/28The house abounds with comfortable places to sit and chat. An antique round table looks over the garden, meadow and lake.
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Chris Horwood5/28‘Pomegranate’ wallpaper in raspberry from Lewis & Wood adds rich texture and warmth to the cosy snug, picked up in the trim of the heavy linen curtains in Rustic Stripe in red/plum by Mulberry. A custom-made armchair upholstered in ‘Charlton’ corduroy by Tissues d’Helene, with a cushion in Flora Soames’s Cornucopia in ruby & sage, is in the perfect spot by the fire. The vintage lamp by the fireplace has a lampshade in ‘Paola Rose’ cotton by Aleta.
Chris Horwood6/28In the kitchen, comfortable chairs by the window are covered in ‘Kelly Stripe’ in blue mélange/coral by Fleurons d’Helene. The kitchen curtains are in ‘Olive Sacking’ in rosewood by Guy Goodfellow, with a curtain pole from Hunter & Hyland.
Chris Horwood7/28The cabinets were custom-made by a carpenter to the owner’s own design and the island is painted in ‘Grenache’ by Paint & Paper Library. The flooring is concrete, faux ‘Blue Lias’ stone from Castle Reclamation in nearby Martock. The blind by the sink is in ‘Georgiana’ by Nicole Fabre.
Chris Horwood8/28Another view of the kitchen; the units were made bespoke to the owner's own design.
Chris Horwood9/28Floor-to-ceiling gloss paint in ‘Grenache’ by Paint & Paper Library creates a jewel-box feel to the scullery, which houses a second oven, drinks fridge and the wife’s collection of glassware.
Chris Horwood10/28Another view of the scullery; Octavia feels these back-of-house spaces are particularly important.
Chris Horwood11/28In the downstairs loo, an antique Chinoiserie mirror sourced by the owner tones with wallpaper in ‘Dipley’ in taupe from Studio Atkinson.
Chris Horwood12/28There is an elegantly old-school feel to the cloakroom loo, wallpapered in ‘Arbutus’ by Morris & Co in thyme/coral. Hector Finch wall lights with shades from Robert Kime illuminate an antique mirror.
Chris Horwood13/28Panelling in a rich egg-yolk yellow – ‘India Yellow’ from Farrow & Ball – makes for a characterful bootroom with ample storage for coats and boots. A woodburner, sourced by the husband, insures everything dries in double time.
Chris Horwood14/28A deeply feminine feel was created in the master bedroom with layers of fabric in classic country house florals. The linen tester curtains are in ‘Ribands’ in thyme by Pukka Prints, with a pelmet braid in Scallop by Chelsea Textiles. The curtain under the tester is in ‘Fleur’ in white by Colefax & Fowler, while the headboard and valance are in ‘Chinese Paper’ by Benison. The custom-made footstool at the end of the bed is covered in ‘Pangkeb’ by Namay Samay with a trim from Turnell & Gigon. The bedside lights are vintage Laura Ashley, bought by Octavia on eBay.
Chris Horwood15/28The bedroom leads through to an ensuite.
Christopher Horwood16/28Octavia created a ‘dream bathroom’ for the couple, where you can sit in the bath and look out over the garden. The ruched Austrian blind is in ‘Magda Sprigless’ in pink/green voile by Penny Morrison, with a trim in ‘Albie’ in pomegranate by Octavia Dickinson. The chair, sourced by the client from Ron Green, is covered in ‘Montbazon’ cotton by Pierre Frey.
Chris Horwood17/28Comfort reigns in the guess room, with curtains in ‘Rajasthan Rose’ by Christopher Moore. The chaise-longue is in ‘Ticking Stripe’ rose by Penny Morrison. The headboard is in Shalimar in Ruby/Tabac by Fleuron d’Helene, while the valance is in Viha in Indian Yellow by Namay Samay. The lampshade on the dressing table is ‘Sophie Embroidered’ by Vaughan. The bedside lampshade is in ‘Zeimoto’ taffeta silk in raspberry by Namay Samay.
Chris Horwood18/28Acres of storage were built in to the practical design of the house. The hallway cupboard curtains are lined in ‘Dulcie’ cotton in ravena from Ian Sanderson. The walls are painted in ‘Matchstick’ by Farrow & Ball.
Chris Horwood19/28The daughter requested a ‘plain room’, but some subtle prints got the okay. The tester is in ‘Edie’ voile in lichen by Octavia Dickinson, with a headboard in ‘Ellison’ cotton in leaf green by Colefax & Fowler. The lamp is from Penny Morrison with a shade made from a vintage sari.
Chris Horwood20/28Clean and calm blue walls in ‘Pale Wedgewood’ by Little Greene provide the perfect foil for nostalgic oversized gingham fabrics – the valance and headboard are in ‘Amalfi’ in garance by Pierre Frey. The linen curtains are in ‘Rendlesham’ in rosewood by Guy Goodfellow. A little antique chair has been reupholstered in ‘Butterfly’ cotton in rouge by Pierre Frey, while the lampshades are from Lazuli Design.
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Chris Horwood22/28The headboards are in ‘Amalfi’ in garance by Pierre Frey.
Chris Horwood23/28An antique chair reupholstered in Pattey linen in ‘Conifer’ by Namay Samay is positioned by a window in the guest bathroom, so guests can admire the sweeping views, framed by printed linen curtains in ‘Janna’ in apple by Namay Samay. The wall lights are ‘Edith’ by Porto Romana with ‘Pink Wicker’ lampshades from Fermoie.
Chris Horwood24/28In the guest bathroom, a spa-like wetroom shower is lined with tiles from Claybrook, with flooring in Carrara Honed Marble from Mandarin Stone.
Chris Horwood25/28Octavia encouraged her client to go all out with the second spare bathroom, wallpapered in vibrant, busy ‘Blue Passion Flower’ by Christopher Moore. All good bathrooms need a comfortable chair – here Octavia recovered an antique piece in ‘Covehurst Stripe’ in ocean/fawn from Madeaux by Richard Smith.
Chris Horwood26/28The wall lights are from Porta Romana with lampshades in ‘Birzai’ linen in damask rose by Susanna Davis.
Chris Horwood27/28A muted palette in the husband’s dressing room creates a calm and masculine space. The valance in ‘Three Stripe’ cotton/linen in green and gold by Studio Atkinson add softness and complement the walls, painted in ‘Cinnamon’ by Edward Bulmer.
Chris Horwood28/28In the husband's dressing room, the lampshade is in ‘Sivas Printed Linen’ by Vaughan.
