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Houzz Tour: A Sweet Coastal House Gets a Soft Scandi Update
This Cornish interior has been cleverly warmed up with colour, texture – and some well-placed shelving
“I’m one for original features,” interior designer Katie Warren of Warren French Interiors says. “Properties of any age need to be sympathetically renovated; older architecture is very beautiful and often much better designed than newer properties and I always think that, if you can save something, you should.”
Such was the ethos behind her light-touch yet dramatically effective restoration and refresh of this seaside house in Cornwall, where original floorboards were refinished, old doors cherished, and a pleasing discovery in the fireplace celebrated. “The owners also had some pieces of artwork they wanted to include and we find this can be a really good place to start,” she adds. The result is a comfortable home full of character.
Such was the ethos behind her light-touch yet dramatically effective restoration and refresh of this seaside house in Cornwall, where original floorboards were refinished, old doors cherished, and a pleasing discovery in the fireplace celebrated. “The owners also had some pieces of artwork they wanted to include and we find this can be a really good place to start,” she adds. The result is a comfortable home full of character.
“The room was quite spartan previously,” Katie recalls.
From this ‘before’ photo, you can see how much warmth the redesign has added. The picture shelf above the new, mushroom-coloured sofa has provided the opportunity to add lots of character, with an ever-evolving rotation of artworks and plants.
The walls are now painted in an off-white and Katie and Abi introduced a warm dark blue to the alcoves (see below).
Textures – in the linen-look curtains, bare wood and jute rug – further soften the space, adding to the welcoming feel.
Walls painted in Salt, Farrow & Ball.
From this ‘before’ photo, you can see how much warmth the redesign has added. The picture shelf above the new, mushroom-coloured sofa has provided the opportunity to add lots of character, with an ever-evolving rotation of artworks and plants.
The walls are now painted in an off-white and Katie and Abi introduced a warm dark blue to the alcoves (see below).
Textures – in the linen-look curtains, bare wood and jute rug – further soften the space, adding to the welcoming feel.
Walls painted in Salt, Farrow & Ball.
The owners were lucky that the original wood flooring was in decent condition. Katie and Abi had the boards sanded back and refinished.
The house is street-facing, with no front garden between it and the pavement. As such, the designers added just-visible Venetian blinds as well as curtains to give this room a sense of privacy during the day.
The house is street-facing, with no front garden between it and the pavement. As such, the designers added just-visible Venetian blinds as well as curtains to give this room a sense of privacy during the day.
One happy discovery while renovating this room were red bricks in the fireplace, hidden beneath the black fireboard seen here. “Once we’d found them, we very much wanted to incorporate them,” Katie says.
The room also required a full rewire and new – electric – radiators. “There’s no gas in the village,” Katie explains, and the house originally had its heating fuelled by a supply of gas bottles.
“We researched quite heavily and found an electric radiator you can run off an app and control digitally,” she says. “We find the electric radiators really good; obviously the cost of electricity has gone up, but they’re still cheaper [to run] than the gas they used to have.”
Alcoves painted in Juniper Ash, Little Greene. Electric radiators (throughout), Ecostrad.
“We researched quite heavily and found an electric radiator you can run off an app and control digitally,” she says. “We find the electric radiators really good; obviously the cost of electricity has gone up, but they’re still cheaper [to run] than the gas they used to have.”
Alcoves painted in Juniper Ash, Little Greene. Electric radiators (throughout), Ecostrad.
The wood-burning stove was already in situ, but the previously plain, black hearth was updated with these tiles featuring a star pattern. In this photo, you can see the lovely old brickwork she uncovered, too.
Hearth tiles from the Statements range, Topps Tiles.
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Hearth tiles from the Statements range, Topps Tiles.
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The house has small proportions and one clever idea was to make the most of the space can be seen over the radiator here. The slim cover partially disguises the heater, but also forms a console table, providing a little surface for decorative items and grounding for the mirror above.
Nordic dining table, Rose & Grey.
Nordic dining table, Rose & Grey.
The dining and living rooms are open-plan. “The two rooms were already connected, but the opening was quite narrow,” Katie says of the previous arched construction. “The husband is over 6ft and didn’t find the space very useable. So we opened it up and squared it off.”
This fireplace originally had a gas burner, which was removed. “We had the chimney sealed and filled the space with candle vases,” she says.
Artwork above fireplace by local artist Maxine Hart. Wishbone dining chairs, Daals.
This fireplace originally had a gas burner, which was removed. “We had the chimney sealed and filled the space with candle vases,” she says.
Artwork above fireplace by local artist Maxine Hart. Wishbone dining chairs, Daals.
Another blue alcove repeats the idea seen in the living room. Katie and Abi also added patio doors, just seen in the mirror, to replace a window (more of which shortly).
The kitchen cabinets have oak veneer fronts and are topped with a slimline white solid resin worktop, keeping the airy, Scandi feel.
Kitchen, Blueprint Kitchens.
Kitchen, Blueprint Kitchens.
“The brief here was to make the galley kitchen more useable; it had a poor layout that included a door into the utility room, which we removed to add more storage to the kitchen,” Katie says.
The utility contains a freezer, another worktop and more cupboard space. It also has a door leading onto an outdoor space that’s now used as a patio. “We thought it was a good space for dog bowls and hanging up leads, and the tiled floor catches mucky paws before they reach the rest of the house,” she says. The tiles tie in with the ones used on the two hearths.
In the main kitchen, they added white wall units, a new induction hob and white handles for the fronts to tie into the worktop and tiling.
Walls painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
The utility contains a freezer, another worktop and more cupboard space. It also has a door leading onto an outdoor space that’s now used as a patio. “We thought it was a good space for dog bowls and hanging up leads, and the tiled floor catches mucky paws before they reach the rest of the house,” she says. The tiles tie in with the ones used on the two hearths.
In the main kitchen, they added white wall units, a new induction hob and white handles for the fronts to tie into the worktop and tiling.
Walls painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
These patio doors off the dining room are new; previously, there was just a window here and the external space was used as storage – including for the gas bottles for the heating. It was a waste, since the house has no garden and this is its only outside space.
“We laid grey composite decking and repainted the whole of the house exterior, which used to be brown,” Katie says. “We also added a new side gate for access from the street and lowered the wall by removing the top four bricks.”
The wall had presumably been built up at some point to provide privacy, since this area borders the pavement, but it was also blocking the wonderful sea view, which can now be enjoyed with a morning coffee or sundowner.
Exterior wall painted in Blackened, Farrow & Ball.
“We laid grey composite decking and repainted the whole of the house exterior, which used to be brown,” Katie says. “We also added a new side gate for access from the street and lowered the wall by removing the top four bricks.”
The wall had presumably been built up at some point to provide privacy, since this area borders the pavement, but it was also blocking the wonderful sea view, which can now be enjoyed with a morning coffee or sundowner.
Exterior wall painted in Blackened, Farrow & Ball.
The blue door on the left is the one that leads into the utility area.
Door and gate painted in Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball.
Door and gate painted in Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball.
Upstairs, the main bedroom has been painted in soothing pale tones and, like the living room, is full of texture that adds to the warm feel.
“Because the ceiling is quite high, the walls can afford to carry colour,” Katie says. “There’s also a very large window opposite the bed, so there’s lots of light.”
Swivel chair, Shabby.co.uk. Cushions covered in fabric by Sanderson. Artworks over bed, The Poster Club. Walls painted in Gray Wisp, Benjamin Moore. Ceiling painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
“Because the ceiling is quite high, the walls can afford to carry colour,” Katie says. “There’s also a very large window opposite the bed, so there’s lots of light.”
Swivel chair, Shabby.co.uk. Cushions covered in fabric by Sanderson. Artworks over bed, The Poster Club. Walls painted in Gray Wisp, Benjamin Moore. Ceiling painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball.
The room as it looked before. As well as redecoration, it also had a complete rewire; the pull cord seen above the bed here used to be the light switch.
The original doors were retained, as were the floorboards, which, again, needed re-sanding and finishing. The bed also stayed, but looks transformed in the reinvented room.
The original doors were retained, as were the floorboards, which, again, needed re-sanding and finishing. The bed also stayed, but looks transformed in the reinvented room.
The little window seat was refreshed6, turning it into a nice place to sit and gaze out. “You can see the sea from there,” she says.
The old built-in wardrobes to the left of the bed, seen here, remain, but have been reconfigured internally to improve the storage capacity.
There was space in the far corner to add this sweet little writing desk.
Desk, VonHaus.
Desk, VonHaus.
The bathroom is completely new. The loo and bath have swapped positions, while the shower remains (behind the door), but has been extended.
The freestanding egg bath and simple white metro tiles arranged in a vertical stack formation create a simple but elegant aesthetic.
Underfloor heating and new flooring were added and nickel taps were chosen. “We felt it was softer than brass and we didn’t want chrome,” she says.
Walls painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball. Heron artwork, Beach House Art. Oak-look LVT flooring, Karndean.
More: 16 Bathrooms With Vertically Stacked Tiles
The freestanding egg bath and simple white metro tiles arranged in a vertical stack formation create a simple but elegant aesthetic.
Underfloor heating and new flooring were added and nickel taps were chosen. “We felt it was softer than brass and we didn’t want chrome,” she says.
Walls painted in Wevet, Farrow & Ball. Heron artwork, Beach House Art. Oak-look LVT flooring, Karndean.
More: 16 Bathrooms With Vertically Stacked Tiles
This room is designed to be flexible for guests – the twin beds are a zip-linked design and can become one super-king when needed.
So how do the owners feel about their reinvented house? “Nothing was a surprise, as they were very involved the whole way through, but they particularly liked our use of colour throughout, something they didn’t initially think they’d go for,” Katie says. “And the bathroom, which was quite a difficult project, they really love.
“All in all, they’re incredibly happy with everything we’ve done,” she says. “In fact, they’ve already booked us in to do the loft conversion next year.”
Artworks, Etsy. Amalfi fabric for bespoke curtains, Clarke & Clarke. Walls painted in Athabasca, Benjamin Moore.
Tell us…
What do you like about Katie’s renovation? Let us know in the Comments.
So how do the owners feel about their reinvented house? “Nothing was a surprise, as they were very involved the whole way through, but they particularly liked our use of colour throughout, something they didn’t initially think they’d go for,” Katie says. “And the bathroom, which was quite a difficult project, they really love.
“All in all, they’re incredibly happy with everything we’ve done,” she says. “In fact, they’ve already booked us in to do the loft conversion next year.”
Artworks, Etsy. Amalfi fabric for bespoke curtains, Clarke & Clarke. Walls painted in Athabasca, Benjamin Moore.
Tell us…
What do you like about Katie’s renovation? Let us know in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple
Location Near Falmouth, Cornwall
Property A late 1800s end-of- terrace house
Size Two bedrooms and one bathroom
Designer Katie Warren and Abi French of Warren French Interiors
Project year 2023
The owners were after a “Scandi coastal” look. Katie and Abi followed the brief, but added a small yet significant tweak. “We don’t tend to use white,” she says, “and we wanted to give it some warmth with colour,” Katie says.
The designers drew on the colours in the artworks by way of inspiration for the design. One of these was painted by the owner’s grown-up daughter.
Bespoke cushion covers in fabric from Ian Mankin and Sanderson. Picture ledge, Willow & Stone. Wave artwork, Etsy. Sofa, Swyft.