10 minute read
RECLAIMING THE PAST A new-build’s classic design achieves a grand backdrop for yuletide celebrations.
The dining room is part of the large entrance hall and looks resplendent in all its festive finery, including the faux pre-lit Christmas tree from Hayes Garden World. Outdoor dining chairs from Cane-Line and a dining table from Petersham Nurseries create a relaxed feel. The French limestone fireplace is from Renaissance London while the wall lights are from Oka.
Reclaiming
THE PAST A new build in rural Northamptonshire, designed in three distinct architectural styles, successfully achieves the characterful, evolved look its owners sought and is particularly charming at Christmas
FEATURE & STYLING SARA BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY DAN DUCHARS
ABOVE A mirror from Graham & Green reflects daylight into the dining room and enhances the flickering candlelight in the evenings. Lampshades by Pooky complete the scene. C hristmas often comes early for Josephine and Will Maydon, who hire out their home in Northamptonshire as a location for festive photo shoots from September onwards. In the lead-up to Christmas Day, Josephine and the couple’s three daughters, Bea, 17, Poppy, 15 and Zara, 14, cannot help but be inspired by the dressed sets they see during this period. “Every year the girls each choose a new ornament for the tree,” says Josephine. “They also help me bring in armfuls of foliage from the garden to dress the mantelpieces and stairs. Typically, I don’t like to buy too many new things, as we can gather so much from the garden in terms of living decorations or dig out inherited favourites. The Christmas angel on top of the tree was my great-grandmother’s, and although its head sits precariously on its shoulders and it’s not the prettiest, we love it all the same.”
So many sitting rooms are reserved for best, but this one is next to the kitchen and in constant use. The fireplace is from Norfolk Reclamation, the large sofa is from George Smith and the rug is from Oka.
FAR LEFT Josephine relishes Christmas and the chance to decorate the house, which is available for photo shoots and holiday rentals via gonetoashbrook.com LEFT The fivebedroom new build is modelled on a Georgian house with Regency and Victorian extensions.
ABOVE The Frenchstyle mantel in the kitchen is made of wood, skimmed with plaster and distressed using Annie Sloan wax. The pendant lights and wall lights are from Dowsing & Reynolds, and the bar stools are from Neptune.The round window from Lassco brings borrowed light from the boot room into the kitchen. RIGHT The fireplace in the dining area is from anonline auction site and the reclaimed cast-iron pillar is from English Salvage.The table lamps are by Pooky.
Josephine is a magpie collector of vintage and antique pieces and lists her favourite pastime as scouring reclamation yards, so it comes as no surprise to find her living in a Georgian house with Regency and Victorian extensions. Except, charming as her characterful home is, it is not period at all. It is a cleverly designed new build that looks every bit as though it has evolved over time yet was built in 2014.
“We moved from North Yorkshire in 2009 to be closer to family so our girls and their cousins could grow up together,” Josephine explains. “My sister was in nearby Moreton Pinkney, and we had always walked around this area, setting off across the fields from her house. There was this beautiful spot, a real hidden gem, next to a small livestock farm and just outside the village. My brother-in-law suggested we post a letter to the owner asking if they would consider selling. We didn’t know that the owner was in a nursing home, and when they decided to sell, they gave us first refusal.”
The house that stood on the site was not quite as romantic as the one here today. Originally a farm worker’s cottage, it had been extended over the generations with a mish-mash of extensions, including a rather precarious one on stilts. Most had no foundations, and there was little, if any, insulation. “We spent a year living in it, trying to work out what to do,” explains Josephine. “We had always planned to renovate it somehow, but friends pointed out how crazy that was, so eventually we decided to start again.”
Work began by knocking down the old shed on the site and building a three-bedroom cottage on the footprint, providing somewhere for the family to live while they demolished the old house and built the new one. The couple were careful to salvage as much as possible: floorboards were sand-blasted and reused, masonry from the old house was crushed for hardcore for the drive, and the bathroom fittings were carefully dismantled and cleaned. Anything they did not want, they sold online, creating very little waste.
ABOVE LEFT Josephine likes to buy Christmas decorations at garden centres, including Nicholsons, near Bicester, and mixes them with treasured inherited pieces and vintage finds. ABOVE RIGHT The wallpaper in the boot room is by Sanderson, the wall light is from Garden Trading, and the practical vinyl flooring is by Amtico.
The colourful runner from Roger Oates adds a jolly note to the hall. Light floods in through the half-landing window, which is dressed in a crisp green and white Sanderson fabric. The rope handrail is from Stair Ropes UK and the wrought-iron console and lamps are from Charlotte Supple Interiors.
With a blank canvas, the couple decided they would like their home to have a classic front with five windows above the front door and two either side. “We didn’t really give much thought to the back,” admits Josephine. “A local architect did some drawings, and we booked a two-hour consultation with George Saumarez Smith of Adam Architecture, who specialises in classical architecture, to make sure we were on the right track. He was very polite,” laughs Josephine. “He gently pushed our piece of paper to one side and drew the most incredible picture in front of us, and that was that. We couldn’t go back.”
George’s vision was a house that looked as though it had evolved over time. As well as a Georgian part, there would be a rendered section in Regency style and a Victorian-style brick-work section. He completed elevation drawings, which were well received by the planning office, and the couple took the project from there, using a structural engineer to help realise it.
ABOVE Josephine runs her interior design business from home as well as letting the house as a photo-shoot location and Airbnb. The fire surround in the study is from Park End Reclaim and the portrait is of Josephine’s mother. LEFT The front door opens directly onto the dining room. The handy tray table is from Perch & Parrow, while the curtains are in Ada & Ina linen and were made by Interior Fashion.
ABOVE The principal bedroom is light and airy with white-painted floorboards and walls. Thestriking seaweed printsand pretty bedspread are all from Oka. LEFT The boot room is often used as the main entrance so always gets dressed for Christmas. The trees are from Nicholsons Nurseries in Bicester. BELOW The garden landscaping is an ongoing project as itused to be farmland. Josephine called on The Land Gardeners to help with the bare bones of the garden, and a vegetable plot is soon to be dug. Eco features include ground-source heating with pipes running through the front field and solar panels.
Using recycled building materials has helped establish a sense of age – the bricks for the ‘Victorian’ section are all reclaimed Victorian bricks, and the roofing is reclaimed too. Josephine has continued that ethos indoors as well. “It’s the details in a room that make it feel lived in,” she explains. “All our internal doors are reclamation. I bought wide Georgian doors for the Georgian part, Regency ones for that bit, and Victorian ones for the brick-built section. At one point, we had 50 to 60 doors marked up in the shed, with the builder having to build individual openings to fit.” Cornices, beams, pillars and skirtings also came from salvage. Josephine recalls that sourcing for the house was a full-time job, and she would often be whizzing up and down the country with a trailer on the back, collecting fittings.
All the hard work has been well worth the effort, and Christmas is the time when Josephine can really enjoy the home she and Will have created. “Moonlit carol singing takes place around the village each year and is a bit of a tradition,” she says. “Everyone hands out mulled wine and it’s a very sociable affair, as is our church visit on Christmas Day itself.” However, it is the post-lunch lull, after a long dog walk, when everyone congregates around the fire in the sitting room that has become a source of newfound meaning and appeal for Josephine: “Having family and friends around to enjoy our home and relax in the place we have lovingly put together is the real meaning of Christmas for me.” n
ABOVE The bath in the principal bedroom is from Northwich Reclaim, painted with Annie Sloan paint. The Perrin & Rowe taps were found on an online auction site, and the curtains are in a Clarke & Clarke fabric. ABOVE RIGHT In this guest bedroom, a pretty quilt from So Souk has been teamed withcurtains in a Colefax and Fowler fabric and lampshades from Pooky. For similar bedside tables, try The French Bedroom Company. RIGHT Josephine did not want to buy a brand new bath and taps for this bathroom, so sourced them from an online auction site. The bath mat and basket are both from So Souk.
