Houzz Tour: A Home Last Updated in the 1970s is Totally Transformed
Sunlight, soothing colours and natural materials transformed this property from a muddled and dated space into a light, welcoming home
Making any changes to the exterior of a property in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty is always a bit of a delicate operation, but when the owners of this house in Berkshire first took possession of the place, it was clear it needed a significant amount of work done to it… and not just to the interior.
The property consisted of a turn-of-the-century barn, to which a 1970s red-brick building had been added in a rather muddled way. ‘There was absolutely no flow inside, and it was very dated,’ explains interior designer Lucy Crockett, who was enlisted by the owners to take on the renovations. ‘The owners wanted to make it into much more of a family home, and something that would sit in its surroundings but also be contemporary,’ she explains. ‘The aim was to concentrate on the refurbishment of the building rather than the interior decoration, as the owners are both creative, and wanted the interior to evolve over time.’
The property consisted of a turn-of-the-century barn, to which a 1970s red-brick building had been added in a rather muddled way. ‘There was absolutely no flow inside, and it was very dated,’ explains interior designer Lucy Crockett, who was enlisted by the owners to take on the renovations. ‘The owners wanted to make it into much more of a family home, and something that would sit in its surroundings but also be contemporary,’ she explains. ‘The aim was to concentrate on the refurbishment of the building rather than the interior decoration, as the owners are both creative, and wanted the interior to evolve over time.’
The old barn is seen here on the left. The 1970s extension was added to about half of what is there now, and there was a garage addition, too. Crockett had the garage removed and replaced it with the far right-hand section, opened up the porch, replaced all of the windows and clad the building. Inside, she gutted the space entirely and reconfigured it to give it more flow.
To make the most of the view down to the river, Crockett created a large hallway with double-height glazing to welcome the owners home each day. The floor tiles are imprinted with leaves and flowers to continue the connection with the outdoors.
Secto Octo pendant light; sideboard, both John Lewis.
Secto Octo pendant light; sideboard, both John Lewis.
To the right of the hallway is the kitchen-diner. ‘Kitchens are very much the heart of the home,’ says Crockett, ‘so I wanted to create a space that would be easy to hang out in and that wouldn’t feel too much like a kitchen.’
She went for mostly low-level cupboards in soft colours to make them read more like furniture than kitchen units. ‘I wanted the space to feel harmonious and gentle to work in, but at the same time create somewhere that fulfilled its purpose as a cooking and eating space,’ she says.
She went for mostly low-level cupboards in soft colours to make them read more like furniture than kitchen units. ‘I wanted the space to feel harmonious and gentle to work in, but at the same time create somewhere that fulfilled its purpose as a cooking and eating space,’ she says.
Large sliding doors can be opened up on sunny days to create a space that feels almost alfresco. One of the main parts of the brief for the kitchen was to have a full-sized fridge and larder cupboard side by side. ‘The flow of the kitchen was important,’ explains the designer. ‘The owners didn’t want to have to walk miles for their ingredients.’
The dining bench was the owners’ own. It’s an original Habitat by Terence Conran design and is about 30 years old. Crockett used the owners’ existing furniture as much as possible, knowing it would be a source of enjoyment for them to continue to find pieces to complement the house.
Sofa, Ikea.
Check out more alternatives to bifold doors
The dining bench was the owners’ own. It’s an original Habitat by Terence Conran design and is about 30 years old. Crockett used the owners’ existing furniture as much as possible, knowing it would be a source of enjoyment for them to continue to find pieces to complement the house.
Sofa, Ikea.
Check out more alternatives to bifold doors
Crockett went for blues and greens on the cabinets. ‘Blue is a very harmonious colour, and the owners live by the river and often have beautiful skies. We didn’t want anything too light and girlie, but nor did we want anything too dark and abrupt, so the marriage of the blue and green was very important tonally,’ she explains.
The other side of the island features open shelves and pull-out shelves that act as drawers. ‘The owners wanted to be able to put things away immediately, without having to worry about pulling open cabinets and drawers the entire time,’ explains Crockett.
Base units painted in Turkish Blue, Fired Earth. Island painted in Aquamarine Deep, Little Greene.
The other side of the island features open shelves and pull-out shelves that act as drawers. ‘The owners wanted to be able to put things away immediately, without having to worry about pulling open cabinets and drawers the entire time,’ explains Crockett.
Base units painted in Turkish Blue, Fired Earth. Island painted in Aquamarine Deep, Little Greene.
To the left of the hallway is the living room. The owners wanted to create more of an intimate space, where people could sit and chat and be by the wood-burning stove. On a sunny day, the sliding doors can be opened up to give that feeling of being outside.
Sofa, Ikea. Rug, Heal’s. Wood-burning stove, Varde Ovne.
Sofa, Ikea. Rug, Heal’s. Wood-burning stove, Varde Ovne.
Crockett laid the same engineered oak flooring, which she had limed, as she used in the kitchen-diner to create a sense of continuity and flow throughout the house. She chose a looped wool rug. ‘Textures were very important in the design. We wanted to use materials inside that chimed with the outside. The rug looks like pebbles, and the oak flooring is a reflection of the oak cladding on the exterior,’ she explains.
A half-length wall (seen in the previous image) separates the entertaining space from the TV nook. Crockett sourced Ikea carcasses that happened to fit the space, and then had ply doors painted pale blue, which links with the kitchen palette. She kept the edges of the ply paint-free, so when you open the doors you see the ply edges.
To the right of the TV nook is a study, and a door to the left leads into the old barn section. It houses a boot room, utility room, cloakroom and double garage.
Cupboards painted in Brighton, Little Greene.
To the right of the TV nook is a study, and a door to the left leads into the old barn section. It houses a boot room, utility room, cloakroom and double garage.
Cupboards painted in Brighton, Little Greene.
On the first floor are four bedrooms, one of which is currently being used as a studio by the owners. The master bedroom is on the left as you come up the stairs, in the newly constructed part of the property. Crockett went for a vaulted ceiling to reflect the roof of the old barn at the other end of the house. ‘We wanted to create a feeling of space and also that maybe the house was old at this end as well,’ she says.
The idea was to make the best of the views in every room in the property. There are French windows and a Juliette balcony with views down to the river. Simple, built-in wardrobes provide plenty of storage space.
Walls and ceiling painted in Slaked Lime Original; accent wall painted in Slaked Lime Deep, both Little Greene.
The idea was to make the best of the views in every room in the property. There are French windows and a Juliette balcony with views down to the river. Simple, built-in wardrobes provide plenty of storage space.
Walls and ceiling painted in Slaked Lime Original; accent wall painted in Slaked Lime Deep, both Little Greene.
The master bathroom can be accessed through two doors, which are either side of the wardrobes in the bedroom. Crockett went for wood-effect porcelain tiles to reflect the trees outside, and also mirror the flooring downstairs. Behind the wood-effect wall is a shower on one side and a toilet on the other.
‘I took the tiles around into the shower area, so it would feel as though you’re showering in a log cabin,’ explains the designer. Even the taps were chosen for their organic shape. ‘They look as if they could be branches,’ she adds.
Bath, Philippe Starck for Duravit. Taps, Axor Organic by Philippe Starck. Wood-effect tiles, Fired Earth.
‘I took the tiles around into the shower area, so it would feel as though you’re showering in a log cabin,’ explains the designer. Even the taps were chosen for their organic shape. ‘They look as if they could be branches,’ she adds.
Bath, Philippe Starck for Duravit. Taps, Axor Organic by Philippe Starck. Wood-effect tiles, Fired Earth.
Turning right at the top of the stairs takes you through a hallway, with a bedroom, bathroom, then second bedroom on your right. At the end of the hallway on the left is the fourth bedroom or studio space, in the old barn section.
‘I always believe sleep spaces should be very gentle and harmonious places,’ says Crockett, and the colours in this second bedroom reflect that. ‘A lot of the furniture and accessories were the owners’ own, such as the curtains for example, so the scheme was just about picking up on those colours,’ she says.
There is a Juliette balcony in here, as in all of the bedrooms, to enable any guests to sit in bed and look down to the river.
‘I always believe sleep spaces should be very gentle and harmonious places,’ says Crockett, and the colours in this second bedroom reflect that. ‘A lot of the furniture and accessories were the owners’ own, such as the curtains for example, so the scheme was just about picking up on those colours,’ she says.
There is a Juliette balcony in here, as in all of the bedrooms, to enable any guests to sit in bed and look down to the river.
The family bathroom is much simpler than the master en suite. ‘The owners didn’t feel it needed to be quite as luxurious,’ says Crockett, ‘so we went with something more practical. It’s more of a family bathroom.’
Metro tiles; floor tiles, all Fired Earth. Basin, Duravit. Walls painted in Slaked Lime, Little Greene.
Check out timeless bathroom trends
Metro tiles; floor tiles, all Fired Earth. Basin, Duravit. Walls painted in Slaked Lime, Little Greene.
Check out timeless bathroom trends
At the end of the hallway on the left is the fourth bedroom with en suite bathroom. It’s currently used by the owners as a studio space for their art and design. The beams had been painted dark brown, so Crockett had them stripped back to their original colour. The floor is hardboard, as it’s practical and it doesn’t matter if it gets messy. Crockett also installed another Juliette balcony where there was previously just a dormer window. All of the furniture was the owners’ own.
The en suite to the fourth bedroom is compact, but the space works particularly well. ‘Luckily, the distance between the eaves was enough to fit a full-length bath,’ says Crockett, ‘and it also separates the loo nicely.’ The designer used the same tiles as on the floor in the family bathroom and the wall in the master bathroom to create synergy between them all.
Metro tiles; floor tiles, all Fired Earth. Toilet, Duravit.
Metro tiles; floor tiles, all Fired Earth. Toilet, Duravit.
At the back of the house is a large garden. ‘The space had already been planted up and didn’t need any work doing to it. Because of the river at the bottom, the owners just wanted to keep it simple, so the water would be the main feature,’ explains Crockett. From the garden, all of the full-height windows are visible in all of the bedrooms and communal areas.
Before the renovation, the interiors were dated and lacked coherent flow.
TELL US…
What do you think of this home in Berkshire? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you think of this home in Berkshire? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A creative couple
Location Berkshire
Property A turn-of-the-century barn with 1970s and modern additions
Size 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Designer Lucy Crockett of Lucy Crockett Design
A large part of the design for this property was making the home sit in harmony with its surroundings. As well as being in an area of outstanding natural beauty, there’s a river running through the back garden, and designer Lucy Crockett wanted to bring that mood into the home as much as possible. Many of the materials and colours chosen throughout the property were influenced by the landscape.