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Houzz Tour: Colour and Texture Transform a Once All-white Home
The surrounding rural landscape provided the inspiration for the materials, wallpapers and fabrics in this Suffolk house
This detached house in Suffolk sits in the midst of unspoiled countryside, but while the views from each window are rural perfection, the interior landscape was originally too plain and white for the owners’ taste. So after living with it for a time, they called in interior design Natasha Burton of NB Interiors to help inject some personality.
“The owners wanted to bring in a bit of life and colour, but nothing crazy,” Natasha says. “The surrounding landscape was the obvious inspiration – wherever you look, you see rolling countryside. We drew on those views and brought in different textures and tactile surfaces, including copper, rattan, sisal and raffia, with colours, wallpaper and a mural in the main bedroom that reflect the river and trees beyond.”
“The owners wanted to bring in a bit of life and colour, but nothing crazy,” Natasha says. “The surrounding landscape was the obvious inspiration – wherever you look, you see rolling countryside. We drew on those views and brought in different textures and tactile surfaces, including copper, rattan, sisal and raffia, with colours, wallpaper and a mural in the main bedroom that reflect the river and trees beyond.”
The large green lamp has a raffia shade, while bamboo and rattan also feature in this room. The curtains are linen.
The wooden curtain pole here and in the dining room bay window were hard to source. “I kept being told, you can’t make a wooden pole to fit the curve,” Natasha says, “but I’d seen it done somewhere, and I knew metal wouldn’t look right.”
Natasha eventually found a company that could make curved wooden poles. “They look great,” she says, “but it was quite nail-biting fitting them, as they weren’t cheap!”
Curtain pole, Byron & Byron.
The wooden curtain pole here and in the dining room bay window were hard to source. “I kept being told, you can’t make a wooden pole to fit the curve,” Natasha says, “but I’d seen it done somewhere, and I knew metal wouldn’t look right.”
Natasha eventually found a company that could make curved wooden poles. “They look great,” she says, “but it was quite nail-biting fitting them, as they weren’t cheap!”
Curtain pole, Byron & Byron.
Much of the original furniture that belonged to the owners didn’t fit well into this house, but the leather sofa was an exception.
“The owner was quite keen to get rid of it, but it really worked in the space, because it’s quite low and doesn’t obstruct the view,” Natasha says. “You don’t have to scrap everything and start again. Existing pieces can work if you move them to another spot or from room to room.”
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“The owner was quite keen to get rid of it, but it really worked in the space, because it’s quite low and doesn’t obstruct the view,” Natasha says. “You don’t have to scrap everything and start again. Existing pieces can work if you move them to another spot or from room to room.”
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“The understairs space was empty and awkward, and visible from almost everywhere downstairs,” Natasha says. “The owners had talked about having a drinks cabinet, so I suggested we incorporate that into a storage space and bar under the stairs, which doesn’t look too much like a bar.”
Now there’s storage for bottles on one side, which links nicely to the kitchen beyond, and shelves on the other for more bottles and glasses, or simply display.
“The whole understairs piece is painted the same colour as the walls,” Natasha says. “I didn’t want it to be a main feature; there’s already quite a bit happening with the living room and kitchen.”
Walls and joinery painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball.
“The whole understairs piece is painted the same colour as the walls,” Natasha says. “I didn’t want it to be a main feature; there’s already quite a bit happening with the living room and kitchen.”
Walls and joinery painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball.
The kitchen was originally quite plain. “We picked out the olive green colour and went from there,” Natasha says. She preserved the original cabinets, but painted them, changed the handles, worktops and splashback, and fitted new shelves.
“The owner loves copper as a metal finish, so we worked that in with a custom-made copper gilded worktop on the island and new copper sink, handles and electrical sockets.”
Units painted in Bancha, Farrow & Ball. Knurl 15mm pull handles, The Hairpin Leg Co.
“The owner loves copper as a metal finish, so we worked that in with a custom-made copper gilded worktop on the island and new copper sink, handles and electrical sockets.”
Units painted in Bancha, Farrow & Ball. Knurl 15mm pull handles, The Hairpin Leg Co.
Natasha stopped short of a copper tap. “We sourced several, but they were all slightly different tones, so we opted for black instead,” she says. “It could have been copper overload, and there could also have been lots of different copper shades all over the room.”
She adds that the homeowner was really engaged in the design process. “When I uploaded details to the room boards, she would look at them and leave comments. She enjoyed how collaborative it was and felt very involved with the project,” says Natasha, who uses Houzz Pro software for her designs.
She adds that the homeowner was really engaged in the design process. “When I uploaded details to the room boards, she would look at them and leave comments. She enjoyed how collaborative it was and felt very involved with the project,” says Natasha, who uses Houzz Pro software for her designs.
The dining room opens off the kitchen, so Natasha continued the green of the units on the window wall here.
“The owners had a rectangular table before, but it felt really awkward in the space,” she says. “We looked at different shapes, but I stressed that, as it’s a round bay window, you naturally want a round table. It’s just going to fit better.”
Table, La Redoute. Green wall painted in Bancha, Farrow & Ball.
“The owners had a rectangular table before, but it felt really awkward in the space,” she says. “We looked at different shapes, but I stressed that, as it’s a round bay window, you naturally want a round table. It’s just going to fit better.”
Table, La Redoute. Green wall painted in Bancha, Farrow & Ball.
The main bedroom was quite dark before Natasha got to work. “It’s north-facing, so any cool colours would have made the space feel really drab,” she says.
She picked a warm green. “One of the owners was really concerned it might make the space feel dark. Now he’s amazed at how much brighter it looks while also being cosy.”
Walls painted in Park Life, Coat Paints. Wall lights, Spark & Bell.
She picked a warm green. “One of the owners was really concerned it might make the space feel dark. Now he’s amazed at how much brighter it looks while also being cosy.”
Walls painted in Park Life, Coat Paints. Wall lights, Spark & Bell.
A mural of trees lines one wall of the main bedroom. “Close up, the colours are quite mottled and faded. It really does reflect the [surroundings],” Natasha says. “The owner was amazed at how closely it matches the trees and river outside. It really looks like what you can see through the window.”
More: 21 Inspiring Contemporary Wall Murals
More: 21 Inspiring Contemporary Wall Murals
The same soft green tones continue in the en suite.
Pink-and-white striped wallpaper looks bold and pretty in the downstairs guest bedroom. “We had a lot of fun in here and were more playful,” Natasha says. “You can be adventurous in a spare room, as it’s not somewhere you are all the time.”
Again, the outdoors was the inspiration for the leafy blind fabric.
Broad Stripe wallpaper, Farrow & Ball. Blind in Avar Bracken velvet in Green, Woodchip & Magnolia.
Again, the outdoors was the inspiration for the leafy blind fabric.
Broad Stripe wallpaper, Farrow & Ball. Blind in Avar Bracken velvet in Green, Woodchip & Magnolia.
In the guest en suite, tiles in a soft mustard shade form the splashback. “We could have gone for pink tiles, but chose these instead,” Natasha says. “There’s green in the floor tiles to keep a flow.”
There’s a second guest bedroom upstairs. “The owner calls it her ‘crazy room’,” Natasha says.
The bold wallpaper was originally Natasha’s suggestion for the blinds, but the owner loved it so much it’s now a feature wall. “It’s made the room really nice and bright,” she says. “It had been plain white before.”
Walls in Churlish Green, Farrow & Ball. Hikkaduwa wallpaper, Scion.
The bold wallpaper was originally Natasha’s suggestion for the blinds, but the owner loved it so much it’s now a feature wall. “It’s made the room really nice and bright,” she says. “It had been plain white before.”
Walls in Churlish Green, Farrow & Ball. Hikkaduwa wallpaper, Scion.
“There’s beautiful bespoke joinery in various rooms and we could have added built-in cupboards here, but as this room isn’t used much, that seemed like a waste of money,” Natasha says.
Instead, she found copper clothes rails and added wicker baskets in the eaves for storage.
Copper clothes rail, Etsy.
Instead, she found copper clothes rails and added wicker baskets in the eaves for storage.
Copper clothes rail, Etsy.
A fourth bedroom has been converted into a spacious office, now decorated in soft tones. “The owner had quite a small desk against the window, so we found a bigger one and positioned it back from the window and further into the room,” Natasha says. “Now it feels really light and airy in here.”
Walls painted in Detox, Coat Paints.
Walls painted in Detox, Coat Paints.
The owner wanted a pleasing backdrop directly behind the desk for when she does video calls, so Natasha fitted shelves here. Built-in storage in the eaves features rattan inset doors.
Storage painted in Nether Red, Little Greene.
Storage painted in Nether Red, Little Greene.
There’s another small office space adjacent to the living room, which Natasha had fitted with oak shelving and storage.
It’s an example of the beautiful bespoke joinery fitted throughout the house during the project, which took roughly nine months. “The owners lived there throughout, so didn’t notice it evolving,” Natasha says, “but it’s nice when they have friends and family to stay and can see their reaction, and how delighted they are with the transformation. They are really thrilled with how it’s turned out.”
Tell us…
What do you like most about how Natasha has transformed this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
It’s an example of the beautiful bespoke joinery fitted throughout the house during the project, which took roughly nine months. “The owners lived there throughout, so didn’t notice it evolving,” Natasha says, “but it’s nice when they have friends and family to stay and can see their reaction, and how delighted they are with the transformation. They are really thrilled with how it’s turned out.”
Tell us…
What do you like most about how Natasha has transformed this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A professional couple
Location Near Wickham Market, Suffolk
Property A detached house
Size Four bedrooms (one converted into an office) and three bathrooms
Project year 2022
Designer Natasha Burton of NB Interiors
Photos by Jemma Watts Photography
The ground floor of the house is largely an open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room, plus there’s an office space, the main bedroom and one guest bedroom on this level.
“It’s a very open space downstairs,” Natasha says, “so we worked to create zones while also thinking about how it all flows together.”
The green tone of the kitchen cabinetry is picked out on the upholstery on the love seat in the living room, but Natasha then worked in different textures and finishes in here, such as raffia and sisal, to make it feel more cosy. “It was about linking the colour, but adding a bit more depth in the living space,” she says.