Studio Peake brings a fresh spirit to this Arts & Crafts house in Surrey
When the first lockdown was looming in early 2020, the owner of this Surrey house, her husband and two young daughters escaped to the Californian desert, where her Canadian parents have a holiday home. Under big blue skies, the girls happily explored, got dirty and generally ran wild. It was the antithesis of normal life in their west London terraced house and left the whole family craving a sense of space.
The Home Counties are not the obvious alternative to the sweeping landscapes of North America, but the proliferation of mature woodlands offered a different feeling of openness – one that spoke to the owner’s Canadian roots. After a couple of false starts, they found this Arts and Crafts house, set in seven acres of grounds. ‘There was something magical about it – a nature-infused space, surrounded by trees,’ says the owner. ‘We were calling the agent to make an offer before we had even pulled out of the drive.’
The interior was less winsome. ‘It was very dark inside, but I thought: “We can fix this,”’ she recalls. Unfortunately, fixing it turned out to be a mammoth task. ‘Superficially, the house was in good condition, but we discovered the roof was not attached to the house – that was a pretty big problem. And if you turned on a tap in one part of the house, a shower turned off some-where else. Then the electrician said it was a miracle it hadn’t burned down. Oh, and then we discovered there was a flood risk.’ She laughs now, but concedes that the problems were less amusing at the time.
Studio Peake had already been enlisted to work on the interiors of the family’s existing house in London – which has since been completed – so the team simply downed tools and focused their attention on this rather more complicated new project. Founder and design director Sarah Peake was also immediately struck by the gloomy atmosphere of the country house: ‘There was lots of wood, dark paint colours and low ceilings.’ She was particularly troubled by the main hall. ‘The large fake beams, antler chandeliers and hard stone floor made it feel more like the setting for a medieval banquet than an inviting entrance,’ she remembers.
It was quite a contrast to the owner’s brief for a fun, colourful, bright interior – albeit one that respects the English decorating tradition. ‘Although the house is big, the ceiling height and size of the windows make it feel quite cottagey,’ observes Sarah. The challenge was to embrace the character, as well as the owner’s appetite for floral motifs, without sliding into anything that might feel old-fashioned or sickly sweet.
‘We have used a lot of off-white to keep things fresh,’ she adds. ‘We spent a great deal of time making sure that we had exactly the right shade for each room.’ Likewise, flowery fabrics and papers are balanced with punchy, geometric designs. For instance, in the dining room, the prettiness of a Titley and Marr curtain fabric has been tempered by the chair upholstery from Cathy Nordström and the Balineum tiles lining the fireplace. The result is an uplifting, entirely unpretentious space that is warm and richly welcoming. ‘The owner was so excited about the process and so enthusiastic about our ideas,’ says Sarah. ‘You can really see that in the end result. It’s energetic, joyful and happy – and that’s her.’
However, before decorating could begin, Sarah had to get the bones of the house right. ‘I wanted to make it lighter and fresher, without altering its architectural spirit,’ she explains. Structural changes were kept to a minimum. Two of the most significant were pitching the ceiling of the main bedroom up to the roof beam to make it airier and slightly raising the ceiling in the girls’ bedroom – opportunities afforded by the necessity of replacing the roof. Another was adding a row of windows and a set of french windows to the kitchen, to connect it with the new stone terrace and the garden.
Elsewhere, Sarah has masterfully reconfigured the layout to create, among other things, a main bedroom that has a reading room accessed via a dressing room, and a bedroom, bathroom and bunk room for when the owner’s family comes to stay. ‘People knock down walls thinking it will make a space feel bigger,’ says Sarah. ‘But, counterintuitively, adding internal walls and clever storage is what makes a house feel more spacious.’
Although the process was longer and much more extensive than the owner had originally envisaged, she describes it as ‘a blast’. That even includes the period when work was in the planning stage and they had to live with garden furniture and sleep on mattresses on the floor. ‘It was super fun – like glorified camping,’ she says.
As for going over their initial budget, the owner is philosophical. ‘It probably sounds a bit strange, but for me the house took on a persona of its own. When we found her, she was a sad, unloved version of herself. And when I was making decisions about the renovation, I would find myself thinking, “She deserves it, she’s been neglected.” I wanted to help her reach her full potential.’ The house, in turn, has rewarded the family with a peaceful refuge from busy London life: ‘As soon as we arrive, everyone’s shoulders drop’.
Alexander James1/7A Swedish rug from Robert Stephenson, an antique sofa covered in ‘Ripstop’ fabric from Howe at 36 Bourne Street – with cushions in Fermoie and Soane fabrics – and a painting by Peter Joyce bring colour to this transformed entrance space.
Alexander James2/7The bespoke Peter Page rug picks up on the yellow armchair and the George Smith sofa, both in ‘Milano’ linen from Claremont, and an ottoman from The One Off Chair Company in teal ‘Imani’ cotton by Susan Deliss. Framed botanical prints from Haviland Designs, against walls in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Pink Ground’, are echoed by a lampshade in Svenskt Tenn’s ‘Celotocaulis’ print.
Alexander James3/7In a quiet corner of the kitchen, leading to the blue playroom, an armchair in a George Spencer Designs fabric with a Nushka cushion and an earthenware side table from Victoria Stainow tone with a ‘Hikira’ rug from A Rum Fellow and curtains in Nicky Haslam’s ‘Zephyr’ linen
Alexander James4/7In the boot room, woodwork in ‘Torino’ by Argile provides a warm, sunny backdrop for a blind in Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s ‘Sultans Garden’ and the Hector Finch pendant lights that hang above the sink and honed granite work surface from Stone Age Worktops. The floor is in limestone sourced by 202 Design from Artisans of Devizes
Alexander James5/7In the main bedroom, walls in a custom finish by specialist painter Sarah Patey set off an ‘Ysolde’ plaster lamp from Dorian Caffot de Fawes with a Pooky shade, and a Penny Worrall cushion. The bespoke reeded-oak cabinet and reading light with a rattan shade from Soane provide textural interest.
Alexander James6/7Pierre Frey’s ‘Sans Papillons’ wallpaper highlights a new internal window in the bathroom.
Alexander James7/7A headboard in Namay Samay’s ‘Sitaron’ and Vanderhurd and Wicklewood cushions balance Antoinette Poisson’s ‘Jaipur’ wallpaper in the spare room.
