Houzz Tour: Period Style and Modern Comfort in a Cornish Cottage
Old and new combine harmoniously to create an interior rich in character for this countryside home
The passage of time was key to the refurbishment of this old Cornish cottage. The two years over which the project took place gave interior designer Marion Lichtig and the owner the opportunity to evolve a comfortable and welcoming look, and create a home full of characterful furniture and accessories.
“I collected a lot of the furniture and objects as we went along and put them in storage until we were ready for them,” the designer says. “It gives you time to find the right pieces and then, when the decorating is finished, you can just move everything in.”
The design process was collaborative. “I was lucky,” Lichtig says. “The owner is very much on my wavelength and we briefed together, bringing the cottage into the 21st century but with elements of the past.” Most of the pieces in the home are one-offs sourced by Lichtig or owned by her client, and they’re set against a light and airy backdrop where period features are allowed to shine.
“I collected a lot of the furniture and objects as we went along and put them in storage until we were ready for them,” the designer says. “It gives you time to find the right pieces and then, when the decorating is finished, you can just move everything in.”
The design process was collaborative. “I was lucky,” Lichtig says. “The owner is very much on my wavelength and we briefed together, bringing the cottage into the 21st century but with elements of the past.” Most of the pieces in the home are one-offs sourced by Lichtig or owned by her client, and they’re set against a light and airy backdrop where period features are allowed to shine.
The back door of the cottage is at the opposite end of the living room to the fireplace, and opens to a pretty view. The home is located amid fields, with an estuary view from one side.
An old apothecary’s chest creates interesting detail alongside one of the room’s inviting leather chairs. The flooring is timber, and a seagrass rug extends under all the seating. “I like to work with different textures,” says Lichtig.
How to choose the right rug for your space
An old apothecary’s chest creates interesting detail alongside one of the room’s inviting leather chairs. The flooring is timber, and a seagrass rug extends under all the seating. “I like to work with different textures,” says Lichtig.
How to choose the right rug for your space
There’s a view across the hallway to the back door from the kitchen-diner. New flooring was put down here. “We sourced reclaimed slate,” says Lichtig. “It’s practical and very typical of these sorts of cottages in Cornwall.”
The rug is seagrass, characteristic of the natural materials Lichtig favours. “Those textures felt right, particularly for a cottage,” she says. “It would be silk in a grand house.”
Lichtig also found the Welsh dresser that creates storage in the dining area.
The rug is seagrass, characteristic of the natural materials Lichtig favours. “Those textures felt right, particularly for a cottage,” she says. “It would be silk in a grand house.”
Lichtig also found the Welsh dresser that creates storage in the dining area.
The hallway was big enough to allow the inclusion of a writing desk, which has an outlook over the garden. The Roman blind is made from linen.
An old black cupboard is a striking feature of the hallway against the backdrop of white walls that help keep the cottage light. The same paint was used throughout. “I always use the same white,” says Lichtig. “It’s not too sharp, not too blue, not too yellow. It’s a soft white.”
Walls painted in Quiet White, Papers and Paints.
Walls painted in Quiet White, Papers and Paints.
A collection of silver and pewter pieces collected by the owner makes a pleasing vignette in the hallway cupboard, while bottles and glasses are stored on the shelf below.
Slate tiles make a confident statement in the downstairs shower room. “People coming in from the beach in wetsuits can strip off and have a shower in here,” says Lichtig.
Tiles, Fired Earth. Shower, The Water Monopoly.
Tiles, Fired Earth. Shower, The Water Monopoly.
Lichtig hung an 18th century Italian mirror in the shower room. The elegant frame complements the warm tones in the slate tiling.
One of the cottage’s bedrooms is on the ground floor, and Lichtig thought it was a natural home for a decorative wardrobe the owner already had. Lichtig put together Welsh blankets, French cushions and a Berber rug in here, combining texture and gentle colour. “And we put in the old bashed-up leather chair that just works in here,” says Lichtig.
The staircase had to be renovated and, in typical Cornish cottage style, the treads are made from reclaimed slate. Old French jars decorate the windowsill.
Upstairs, Lichtig decorated one of the bedrooms in tones of blue. “I started off with the hanging lamps, which I found at an antiques fair, and then I found an old piece of indigo linen with fringing, which I turned into a curtain. It’s flipped over at the top so you can see the fringing,” she says.
She collected other items for the room over time, including the kilim rug, and turned a piece of fabric from Cameroon into a wall hanging by stretching it over canvas.
Save money on your window dressings with these expert tips
She collected other items for the room over time, including the kilim rug, and turned a piece of fabric from Cameroon into a wall hanging by stretching it over canvas.
Save money on your window dressings with these expert tips
The headboard is upholstered in a dyed antique French linen sheet in a contrasting colour. “There were quite a lot of block blues, and I wanted to break them up,” Lichtig says.
The scheme in this bedroom began with the throw and cushions. “I wanted them to dominate,” says Lichtig. The ironwork bedside table is pretty and slips neatly into the narrow space by the bed.
A twin-bedded room on the first floor of the cottage also has a seagrass rug underfoot. Lichtig found Welsh blankets for the beds, and these introduce pattern to the room. Pale stone linen curtains provide a simple window dressing.
The artworks on the walls of the twin-bedded room give a nod to the cottage’s coastal location. “I’d already collected the pressed seaweed prints,” says Lichtig. “Sometimes you have to buy things in advance if you love them and know they’re going to work somewhere.”
The décor of the upstairs shower room also refers to the seaside location of the cottage, with a combination of mosaic and feature tiles in gentle sand shades. An old mirror softens the all-new room scheme.
Mosaic and starfish tiles, Fired Earth.
What do you think of this comfortable coastal cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Mosaic and starfish tiles, Fired Earth.
What do you think of this comfortable coastal cottage? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here A couple and their two children
Location Rock, Cornwall
Property An 18th century detached cottage
Size 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Interior designer Marion Lichtig
Photos by Simon Brown
The cottage needed a thorough revamp. The old interior, including the kitchen and bathrooms, had to be stripped out, but what remained was a wonderful starting point. “We used the bones of the house,” Lichtig says.
The wood-burning stove was planned as the heart of the living room scheme, with bookshelves an essential, too. Lichtig found the sofa and had it reupholstered, and the ottoman was made with a loose cover that can be put in the wash.
The designer found the seahorse and had it converted into a lamp. Roman blinds soften the windows. “They’re made from soft linen, because I didn’t want anything to take over,” Lichtig says.