A higgledy-piggledy country house in Hampshire harmonised by Salvesen Graham
A handsome Georgian rectory is what many people might picture when they imagine a house in the countryside: symmetrical and in proportion; a rational layout; easy to decorate and filled with life. That was not the reality facing the couple who bought this Hampshire property a few years ago, however. Instead, they fell in love with a house that was a hodgepodge of different periods and styles. It is not hard to see why they were charmed. Set in a pretty hamlet, it has views over farmland and woodland for as far as the eye can see. Nor is it difficult to understand why they asked Salvesen Graham to help make sense of it for them and their three sons.
The house has had at least three phases of construction: early 17th century, mid-19th century and late 20th century. Each period was noticeably different, recalls interior designer Nicole Salvesen. 'Dark, low ceilings were next to very light spaces; there were rooms that felt like a cottage; and there was a modern but somehow dated kitchen that just didn't feel right.' The owners tasked her and Salvesen Graham co-founder Mary Graham with creating a sense of harmony between the various spaces. 'It was about tying it all together, while still letting every room have its identity and character,' says Mary.
The entrance hall is a handsome space with Jacobean-style panelling covering most of the walls and a big wooden staircase. 'The wood had been mistreated for years and was too dark, with too much patina,' explains Nicole. It was soon cleaned up to give it the rich, honey-toned hue we see today and this, in a way, helped to establish the colour scheme for the rest of the house. 'Because there was so much wood, we went for a palette that was a bit earthier and warmer than people might expect in a period house.' Mary explains.
The predominant colour in the drawing room is a pale rose pink. They avoided it being too saccharine by introducing shots of raspberry, a touch of leopard print and armchairs in tobacco-hued linen, plus a sisal carpet to anchor the space. 'It was one of those rooms that, when we first saw it, we could instantly picture how it could look,' recalls Nicole.
Less obvious was what to do in the dining room, directly off the main entrance hall, which has the same style of wooden panelling. It also has an ornate, rococo plaster ceiling. Despite these historic and slightly heavy architectural elements, the room feels remarkably fresh. This is in no small part thanks to the panelling having been painted in a muted shade of light green. 'It's not something that we would normally have done, but it stops the room feeling like a gentlemen's club,' says Mary. ‘And instead of being some dark space in the middle of the house, this has become a room that you could just as happily be in for lunch as for dinner.'
Though it is not immediately obvious when you visit the house, upon reflection, there are lots of decorative details and layering. 'It was through colour and fabrics that we were able to create a softness and harmony that meant you didn't feel like you were jumping around from room to room.' Nicole says.
The kitchen and breakfast room is a case in point. This is a large space and an important part of the house, but it needed to feel warm and inviting. 'There had to be somewhere three boys could be fed and their friends entertained,' says Mary. A combination of walls painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘Cinnamon’ and covered in a Phillip Jeffries grasscloth immediately softened the utilitarian feel, as did blinds in a pretty print. The breakfast room area - formerly an orangery with multiple gothic-arched windows - has been completely reimagined. Today, it has a farmhouse feel and that is not just because of the simple, country style of the dining table and the ladder-back chairs on top of an antique rug. The gothic arches were squared off; heavy white-washed beams were added to the ceiling; and a chimneypiece was installed at one end. As Nicole explains, these clever architectural tricks, 'bring the room back into the house, rather than it feeling like an extension that runs into the garden'.
What has been achieved is quite remarkable. The Salvesen Graham designers have not changed the essence of the house: it is still a building comprised of distinct parts. And those transitional spaces that mark the evolution of the house are still visible. What is different is that they have been softened and blended, giving it a sense of harmony.
This can also be felt upstairs, where eight bedrooms are found off rambling, interconnected halls. One significant change here was the creation of a wonderful enfilade of rooms, which sees the owners' large main bedroom connected to a generous bathroom via a dressing room. Mary laughs as she says, 'I think we're probably getting known for giving clients really lovely, massive main bedroom suites, and that means there's usually a guest bedroom that meets its fate at our hands.' In this case, the sacrifice was justified: it is a luxuriant space, packed with pattern and impossibly charming.
The bedroom is also the perfect spot to take in the views of the rolling Hampshire landscape that surrounds the house (there is even a window seat to encourage this). Deep in the heart of the English countryside, this is a house formed over several centuries that has been gently ushered into the modern era in a way that feels so right.
This is one of the houses featured in A New English Style: Timeless Interiors by Salvesen Graham by David Nicholls (Quadrille, £35), published next month | salvesengraham.com
Christopher Horwood1/8Units by Guild Anderson in the kitchen, painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘Buff’, have Carrara marble worktops. The flooring is Artisans of Devizes’ 'Buscot Limestone', the Delft tiles are from Norton's ‘Flowers’ range and the blinds are Robert Kime's 'Palms on Silk'.
Christopher Horwood2/8Once an orangery, the breakfast room has a painting by David Brayne on walls in Phillip Jeffries' 'Manila Hemp' grasscloth. The table is by Alfred Newall.
Christopher Horwood3/8Guild Anderson's joinery is in Little Greene's ‘Light Bronze Green’ in the boot room.
Christopher Horwood4/8The hall's panelling continues up the staircase; the wallpaper is Robert Kime's ‘Dog Rose’.
Christopher Horwood5/8In the dining room, Cox London's Oak chandelier hangs from the ornate plaster ceiling, above the antique table and Salvesen Graham's 'Side Chairs', upholstered in Sane Britain's ‘Old Flax’ linen mix on the front and ‘Antique Paisley’ in blue from de Le Cuona on the back. The diamond lattice windows have curtains in Jasper Fabrics Grace hemp.
Christopher Horwood6/8In the main bedroom, a sofa in Sone's ‘Old Flax’ matches the headboard of the bed, with its canopy in Bennison's ‘Jungle’ original on beige and Décors Barbares' ‘Polonaise’. The wallpaper is George Spencer Designs' ‘Palm Stripe’ and the painting is by David Brayne.
Christopher Horwood7/8This has a ‘Paris’ basin from The Water Monopoly, walls in 'Knurl Paper' from Howe at 36 Bourne Street and a 'Scallop' rug by Salvesen Graham for Jennifer Manners.
Christopher Horwood8/8The Water Monopoly bath, by the windows with Rose Cumming's 'Bamboo Garden' curtains, is teamed with a Balineum washstand.
