This ancient building demanded respectful treatment, but it also needed to become a comfortable home. Rather than returning it pedantically to the sixteenth century, the interior was imagined to have evolved gradually, with freestanding furnishings and storage that shared the building’s handmade irregularities, selected from across centuries. Taking cues from William Morris, textiles play a leading role, providing ornament, colour, softness and warmth within the traditional materials. 

The redbrick Georgian and Victorian buildings of this old rectory have been transformed into a holiday home for a family and their guests. Newly opened out spaces and clear sightlines make the house welcoming and easy to navigate, from the large bright family kitchen to a curtained off space for reading and listening to music. Love of travel is reflected in a colour palette drawn from African textiles, both contemporary and antique.

Centuries of modifications had left this family house with an awkward layout: a new entrance and reconfigured interior allowed it to become an accommodating home, thoughtfully adapted to the needs of a growing family. Bright, light areas for meals and playtime coexist with more sophisticated spaces dressed with deep, inviting colours drawn from reclaimed textiles and handmade tiles. Motifs of birds appear throughout, connecting the house to its natural surroundings.