Step inside this beautiful Victorian farmhouse

Step inside this period home that has been transformed into a light and spacious family home

The owners are managing director and director of a fabric and wallcoverings company. They have three grown-up children.

The owner had lived in the house since 1991 and, when he met his wife, they decided to make it their family home as they couldn't find anywhere else as attractive and in such a beautiful setting.

After the owner's wife moved in, they decided to completely refurbish the house as it was looking dated. When they took over their textiles business in 2005, they started to incorporate their beautiful fabrics into their home, using a neutral backdrop and incorporating splashes of colour to differentiate between the rooms.

The house was redecorated room by room, and major structural work took place when a conservatory was added onto the kitchen to create a room that linked up with the barn and made the property more unified. 'The build went like a dream. We had two local builders who managed to blend the new stonework in with the old, and they did it so well you could hardly tell we had added a new bit to the house,' says the owner.

1/10 Exterior

house exterior with green grass

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

'I love the simplicity of our home and its clean lines, with its bursts of colour and artwork. Our home has become sophisticated, but without being pretentious.'

2/10 Hallway

hallway with stairs and chair

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

In the hallway, antiques take pride of place in a scheme that's in keeping with the age of the house and reveals the owners' link with textiles. The cranny under the stairs has been used to house an oak blanket chest - the owner's favourite piece of furniture - that was made on the family farm in the 19th century. On the chest is a vintage wrap wheel, which was used to wind a measured length of yarn that was weighed to calculate the thickness of the thread.

Chair
I & JL Brown

3/10 Kitchen

kitchen with wooden floor and white counter

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

The new range cooker became the starting point for the kitchen scheme. To contrast with the pewter grey, the existing units were repainted in a soft neutral shade. 'We kept the cupboards, but replaced the turned corners with simple straight edges, and replaced the tiles around the Aga, worktops and windowsills with plain painted walls,' says the owner. 'We also added new worktops and an island, and the cupboards were repainted, including the original round handles. Now it's a period-style kitchen with contemporary colours.'

Range cooker
Aga

Bar stool
Neptune

4/10 Dining area

dining room with frame on wall and flower pot on dining table

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

The owner has decorated the dining room with a calming neutral palette and introduced fabrics in complementary patterns and co-ordinating shades for a pretty mix and match look. The punches of red link with the eyecatching painting on the wall. 'I love art - particularly unusual things,' says the owner. 'A lot of my room schemes are driven by artwork.'

Rolling Fog Dark wall paint
Little Greene

Fabrics
Ian Mankin

5/10 Garden room

garden room with curtains and sofa sets

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

The stunning conservatory links the kitchen with the barn and was built to make the house more unified, as well as to create a chillout zone for the family. Light floods in through a skylight and the floor-to-ceiling doors on two sides. The owner has decorated in tones of off-white and grey to maximise the airy feel and introduced long flowing curtains to add elegance to the French doors, while oversized sofas provide plenty of seating.

Sofas
Multiyork

Fabrics
Ian Mankin

6/10 Blue living room

Blue living room with blue frame

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

The living room is decorated in maritime blues and whites to link with the treasured canvas that is evocative of the seas around North Wales where one of the owners grew up. A neutral backdrop has been chosen and interspersed with blocks of bold blue and jaunty nautical striped soft furnishings that can easily be changed to vary the look. 'I like changing things around,' says the owner. 'If you don't change pictures around, you don't appreciate art.'

Canvas
Laurie Kitchen

Carpet
Cavalier Carpets

7/10 Neutral bedroom

bedroom with cream wall curtains on window and pillows on bed

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

An arched alcove in the girl's bedroom has been cleverly created to form a stunning backdrop for the bed, and also incorporate handy open shelving and a built-in cupboard and drawers that keeps storage streamlined. Neutral colours conjure up an elegant scheme with a modern edge that will see the owners' daughter through from teenage years to adulthood. 

Fabrics
Ian Mankin

Hammock wall paint

Little Greene

Bedlinen
John Lewis

8/10 Green bedroom

green bedroom with frame on wall

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

Classic stripes and antique furniture make for a smart yet relaxed scheme in the guest bedroom, especially when soft shades of green are used. 'We are known for our versatile tickings and stripes,' says the owner. 'They can be matched with other fabrics or stand alone. They can be contemporary or elegantly traditional.'

Pendant light
Dunelm

Desk and chair
I & JL Brown

9/10 Blue bedroom

blue coloured bedroom with frame on wall

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

Blue is often the go-to colour to use in a boy's bedroom, but a punchy on-trend cobalt shade introduces a grown-up edge and works well with complementary neutral shades and the warm tones of wooden furniture. 'We could see the benefit of a neutral background against which we could use a variety of colours to give each room a different feel,' says the owner.

Carpet
Cavalier Carpets

10/10 Bathroom

bathroom with shower area and bathtub and frame on wall

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

The owner was keen to create a luxurious bathroom with plenty of space and converted a spare bedroom into an ensuite. 'It seemed extravagant to convert a bedroom, but I wanted a walk-in shower and had a vision of a bathroom with a Mediterranean feel and a sunken bath. Now we have a lovely spacious room.' A windowseat  makes the perfect place to sit and admire the beautiful garden.

Bath
Duravit

Tiles
Tile Mart