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Houzz Tour: A Norfolk Cottage Inspired by the Local Landscape
A natural colour scheme and local reclaimed materials helped this period cottage reconnect with its surroundings
The beautiful location of interior designer Katy Stevenson Bretton’s Norfolk cottage was the inspiration for its interior scheme. “I wanted it to be connected to its surroundings – often, inspiration starts by looking at nature and what’s around,” she says. “I went walking in the nearby Holkham Estate and found shells in blacks, greys and deep blues. These, and the muddy brown landscapes, provided the colour palette.”
The floor was one of the first things Katy changed in her period cottage. “The floor tiles were cold and uncomfortable on your feet,” she says. “We found some reclaimed oak from the ceiling joists of a local manor house for the flooring throughout the ground floor. It’s full of character and warm to walk on.”
The biggest investment in the kitchen was the Everhot range cooker, which provides a constant source of energy-efficient heat. “People come to stay and they end up loving it,” Katy says. “I felt it was an important feature for this cottage.”
The Shaker-style units were painted a traditional grey colour and paired with standard oak worktops. An integrated fridge-freezer to the right of the cooker needed to fit in the vertical space, so Katy’s joiner dropped the height of the plinth at the bottom to accommodate it.
“Working with a joiner makes things like that possible,” she says. “The shelves were also fortuitous – I’d mentioned I’d like to use oak, and he had some in his workshop.”
Cabinets painted in Hardwick White; window frames painted in Down Pipe, both Farrow & Ball. Range cooker, Everhot.
The Shaker-style units were painted a traditional grey colour and paired with standard oak worktops. An integrated fridge-freezer to the right of the cooker needed to fit in the vertical space, so Katy’s joiner dropped the height of the plinth at the bottom to accommodate it.
“Working with a joiner makes things like that possible,” she says. “The shelves were also fortuitous – I’d mentioned I’d like to use oak, and he had some in his workshop.”
Cabinets painted in Hardwick White; window frames painted in Down Pipe, both Farrow & Ball. Range cooker, Everhot.
As well as practical ceiling spots, Katy added an attractive pendant over the dining table. “The point was already in place and we looped up the cable so we didn’t have to move the electrics,” she says. “It provides a beautiful soft light.”
“The dining table was from a local vintage store, and the chairs belonged to my husband’s granny,” Katy says. “I had cushions made in hardwearing fabric that can easily be scrubbed clean.”
Kitchen cabinets; Belfast sink, both DIY Kitchens. Mixer tap, Bristan. Cushion fabric, Christopher Farr Cloth. Radiators in Volcanic finish, Acova.
Find a carpenter or joiner in your area and read reviews from other Houzz users.
Kitchen cabinets; Belfast sink, both DIY Kitchens. Mixer tap, Bristan. Cushion fabric, Christopher Farr Cloth. Radiators in Volcanic finish, Acova.
Find a carpenter or joiner in your area and read reviews from other Houzz users.
The living area is directly opposite and open to the kitchen, with stairs on the right that lead to the next floor. The bottom stair was very narrow (see next photo), so the joiner built it out to provide a safer route.
“Many things in the house are reclaimed and repurposed,” Katy says. “I found this butcher’s block, for example, in a reclamation yard and asked if they could add legs to turn it into a coffee table.”
She also found a vintage armchair and had it reupholstered. An old theatre lamp is positioned on the left wall, while a ship’s bulkhead light illuminates the right wall.
Armchair, Vinterior. Upholstery fabric, Designers Guild. Cushions, Fable & Base.
“Many things in the house are reclaimed and repurposed,” Katy says. “I found this butcher’s block, for example, in a reclamation yard and asked if they could add legs to turn it into a coffee table.”
She also found a vintage armchair and had it reupholstered. An old theatre lamp is positioned on the left wall, while a ship’s bulkhead light illuminates the right wall.
Armchair, Vinterior. Upholstery fabric, Designers Guild. Cushions, Fable & Base.
Here’s the living area before the renovation.
As the cottage is often rented out as a holiday home, Katy didn’t want guests to constantly be aware that someone else lives here. “I bought quirky pieces of storage, such as this black tin, to hide away our belongings and provide a blank canvas for guests,” she says.
The shelves also display a collection of objects Katy found locally.
The shelves also display a collection of objects Katy found locally.
A glass pendant hangs beside the wall where an electric point was already in place.
The cottage is an amalgamation of a couple of buildings; an old bakery outhouse forms a slightly awkward extension at the end of the hallway corridor.
“We wondered if we should turn this room into a third bedroom, but realised there wasn’t enough space in the cottage for six people to stay comfortably,” Katy says. “So this has become a lovely room where the kids can chill out or we can all watch TV away from the main living area.”
“We wondered if we should turn this room into a third bedroom, but realised there wasn’t enough space in the cottage for six people to stay comfortably,” Katy says. “So this has become a lovely room where the kids can chill out or we can all watch TV away from the main living area.”
The walls and ceiling of the snug are painted dark grey. “I feel that a white ceiling next to dark walls often flattens the room,” Katy explains. “By using the same colour for both, you’ll give more scale and grandeur to the space.”
Linen sofa, Sofa.com. Cushions, Fable & Base. Wall hanging, Etsy. Rug, eBay. Floor lamp, Dunelm. Walls and ceiling painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball. Coffee table, local reclamation yard.
Linen sofa, Sofa.com. Cushions, Fable & Base. Wall hanging, Etsy. Rug, eBay. Floor lamp, Dunelm. Walls and ceiling painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball. Coffee table, local reclamation yard.
The bathroom is on the ground floor. Katy used traditional local pamment tiles for the flooring and added panelling to the home’s original bath.
As in the kitchen, she kept the electric point for the light in place and used a long cable to loop the pendant over the basin. “It’s a bathroom light, so it’s safe to be used in this space,” she says.
Bathroom pendant light, Jim Lawrence. Pamment tiles, Norfolk Pamments. Wall tiles, Grestec. Panelling painted in Down Pipe; walls painted in Shadow White, both Farrow & Ball.
As in the kitchen, she kept the electric point for the light in place and used a long cable to loop the pendant over the basin. “It’s a bathroom light, so it’s safe to be used in this space,” she says.
Bathroom pendant light, Jim Lawrence. Pamment tiles, Norfolk Pamments. Wall tiles, Grestec. Panelling painted in Down Pipe; walls painted in Shadow White, both Farrow & Ball.
A reclaimed basin has been fitted to another panelled area, and the joiner used some of the reclaimed oak flooring to make an upstand and shelving.
Upstairs are two adjoining bedrooms.
The beautiful old wide floorboards were already in place in the main bedroom and the twin room next door.
Vintage pine bedside tables sit snugly next to a comfortable bed. “I had an Ercol bed in my head, but wanted it darker,” Katy says. “I came across this one with a metal frame. It’s incredibly comfy and provides a striking detail in the room.”
The scheme is finished off with luxurious bedding, and cushions and throws in the clay and grey colours Katy encountered in the landscape nearby.
Walls painted in Shaded White, Farrow & Ball. Bedside lamps, Loaf. Bed, Next. Egyptian cotton bedding, Soak&Sleep. Vintage cushions, Etsy. Throw, Klippan.
Tell us…
What do you like about this cosy country cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Vintage pine bedside tables sit snugly next to a comfortable bed. “I had an Ercol bed in my head, but wanted it darker,” Katy says. “I came across this one with a metal frame. It’s incredibly comfy and provides a striking detail in the room.”
The scheme is finished off with luxurious bedding, and cushions and throws in the clay and grey colours Katy encountered in the landscape nearby.
Walls painted in Shaded White, Farrow & Ball. Bedside lamps, Loaf. Bed, Next. Egyptian cotton bedding, Soak&Sleep. Vintage cushions, Etsy. Throw, Klippan.
Tell us…
What do you like about this cosy country cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? Interior designer Katy Stevenson Bretton with her husband and two children; the family use the cottage as a holiday home and also rent it out
Location North Norfolk
Property A 19th century cottage
Size Two bedrooms and one bathroom
Designer Katy Stevenson Bretton of Studio Mônty