Comfy Modern Country Style in an Upside-Down House

If I had a house that had sweeping views across an estuary, I’d probably turn it into an upside-down house too. Especially if it had a deep balcony from which to enjoy those views. Not to mention high vaulted ceilings in all of the living spaces. And that’s exactly what the owners of this beautiful family home on the south coast have done. It has recently undergone its second of two Dunning & Everard overhauls in the last 20 years, and it now boasts a comfortable modern country style that is warm and beautifully welcoming.

There’s extra browny points if you can spot the cat!

Take a Look

The enormous vaulted sitting room, is painted throughout in a warm white, while Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue marks a strong feature on the end wall (see below). Most inviting of all is the bespoke wrap around sofa which surrounds an antique coffee table. It’s this mixture of old and new that gives a home a lived-in feel. Nothing looks too precious. I can imagine sinking into that sofa and putting my feet up on the coffee table and no one will bat an eyelid. That’s how a home should be. 

This room isn’t for watching TV (hence the small set hidden in the corner), it’s for reading, family gatherings, reminiscing, and gazing out at the stunning view. There’s nothing contrived about the collection of books, photographs and mementos. They have simply been amassed over the years. And the other thing to note is the amount of cushions. You can never have too many cushions on a sofa this big!

The sitting room leads into this welcoming open-plan dining room/kitchen. Painted the same warm white for continuity it too features modern country style furnishings and impossibly comfortable dining chairs. The windows on all sides flood the room with light, but it’s the wooden flooring that gives the room it’s extra warmth. Authentically scratched and worn looking, it appears as if it has been in situ forever and adds to the new/old style.

So yes, you can put an enormous American style fridge in the same room as a comfy antique looking sofa, and fabric lampshades.

The deep blue feature wall makes a statement when moving from the sitting room into the kitchen and is the perfect backdrop for statement art and antique furniture.

I think this would be my favourite place to sit in summer. The emphasis is on comfort again, while those glass balcony sides would keep off the wind while allowing maximum viewing potential.

Now this is where you watch TV. The snug features two tones of grey – Farrow & Ball’s Downpipe on the wall opposite the TV and bookshelves in Hardwick White. The inbuilt wood burner is from Chesneys, the sofas are from Sofa.com and coffee table from Andrew Martin – all of which add up to the cosiest of family rooms.

The bedroom are no less cosy, with antiques, favourite doggy pictures and family photographs. They are traditional in style but warm and inviting. I wouldn’t mind a few nights in this guest bedroom.

All photos by Angus Pigott.

 

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