This house, near Chichester Harbour in West Sussex, hadn’t been touched for generations when interior designer Isabella Worsley was asked to lead a root-and-branch renovation, working with architect Martin Taylor. They set about reconfiguring the layout, moving the bedroom to the ground floor and creating an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space on the top floor that opens onto an expansive terrace overlooking the sea.
‘We wanted to create an interplay between the inside and out,’ explains the designer. As the house is to be used in both winter and summer, introducing richness to the space was vital. ‘As we all know, the English coast can be stark in winter and houses feel exposed to the elements. We wanted to make sure it would be enveloping, so we chose tones of natural wood and warm olive for the kitchen.’ The pitched roof is clad in timber and painted with a Bauwerk limewash to add some movement and texture.
Kitchen specialist 202 made a run of cabinets, which feature contemporary-style flush doors in a walnut finish and bronze handles. The kitchen island, designed in-house, was made by Arcadia Antiques. The dragged finish to the olive paint lends the surface depth.
Over the island is a pair of rust-coloured pendant lights from Norfolk Decorative Antiques. ‘We didn’t want anything too new in this kitchen. The aim was for it to look sleek, but still rooted in the countryside.’
Art consultant Olivia Paterson of the Lyndsey Ingram Gallery helped choose pieces for the space, such as the large-scale botanical portrait by Kate Friend.
-
Everingham Park: The revival of a lost vision of Georgian gloryBuilt between 1758 and 1764, Everingham Park, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was brilliantly reinvented in the 1960s. It also possesses an opulent chapel, a triumphalist product of Catholic Emancipation. John Goodall reports on this Georgian house, home of Philip and Helen Guest. Photography by Paul Highnam for the Country Life Picture Library.
-
‘I was rather excited, not remotely daunted... With hindsight, I should have been': The 25-year creation of the gardens of Glenarm CastlePay a visit to the gardens at Glenarm Castle in Co Antrim — home of Randal and Aurora McDonnell — is hard to credit that nearly all of the present garden was made this century, marvels Kathryn Bradley-Hole. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
-
The designer's room: The large country home with relaxed and easy to maintain interiorsArabella Youens talks to Nicola Harding about her decision to juxtapose an imposing piece of furniture with utilitarian fabric.
-
The perks of being wallpaper: A collection of never-before-seen William Morris designs are to go on saleThe first new Morris & Co. designs in a century were developed using archive materials discovered inside a Californian library.
-
Kitchen island or table? The little distinction that makes a big differenceArabella Youens considers the renaissance of the cook’s table — a vortex of culinary activity, used for everything from rolling out pastry to boning a chicken.
-
Why four-poster beds aren't for historic houses aloneFour-poster beds aren’t for historic houses alone. A new generation of designers is using them to create a pared-back contemporary look.
-
The 24 best furniture makers in Britain, as chosen by the nation's top designers and architectsGiles Kime asks members of Country Life's Top 100 for their recommendations when it comes to choosing a furniture maker.
-
'She dismissed the twin bed as the invention of the Devil': A brief history of country-house sleeping etiquetteForget the standard double: country-house sleeping layouts have undergone all sorts of intriguing (and eyebrow-raising) shifts throughout history, observes Melanie Cable-Alexander.
-
The best art dealers in Britain, as chosen by the nation's top designers, architects and creative mindsWho are art dealers used by Britain's top interior designers and creative minds? Giles Kime asks some of the most distinguished members of Country Life's Top 100 for their recommendations.
-
23 of the best antique dealers across the country, as nominated by Britain's top interior designers, architects and garden designersGiles Kime asks some of Britain's best creative minds where they source their antiques in the latest look at the experts' experts.
