Andrew & Rebecca’s Modern Vintage Country Home

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Name: Rebecca Proctor, Andrew Wightman and baby Wren
Location: Bude, Cornwall, UK
Size: 780 square feet
Years lived in: 4 years; Owned

Moving to the Cornish countryside from London four years ago, Andrew and Rebecca embraced a major design challenge. “We knew that we wanted to create a home that would feel cosy but not cluttered. Moving to the countryside was all about living a simple life and we wanted the house to reflect that.”

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

However, when they moved into their 18th century cob cottage, the house was in a serious state of disrepair. It required immediate renovation work and in order to keep costs down, they decided to do most of the work themselves. Downstairs, partition walls were removed to create a large kitchen/diner and a living room. Upstairs, all the rooms were remodeled, allowing for a larger bathroom and a third, smaller bedroom.

The result is a modern country cottage that perfectly suits their changing needs (baby Wren arrived last year). “The house is small but it contains everything we need. We love to display vintage clothes, toys and textiles all around the house and with a combination of clever storage and carefully editing our belongings, we are able to live the simple life we always dreamed of.”

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Modern Country

Inspiration: Relaxed homes where people have fun. We are not too precious about anything or anywhere in the house. After all, it’s for living in!

Favorite Element: The Morso wood burning stoves, they keep us warm and cosy right through the winter.

Biggest Challenge: We’ve done a lot of renovation work here and in the early days everything was a challenge. Just living amidst all the dust and mess and chaos was overwhelming at times. When we had been living here for 6 weeks, a passing builder asked when we were hoping to move in!

What Friends Say: The bed in the guest room is really comfy!

Biggest Embarrassment: The garden — we don’t tend it as much as we should.

Proudest DIY: The unique concertina door on the stairs was a real design challenge as we needed a door that could be folded away or firmly shut. Since Wren arrived, it now also doubles as a stair gate.

Biggest Indulgence: The Mercury range oven. Although we did get it at a knocked-down price because we bought a discontinued color direct from the factory.

Best Advice: Buy the best quality that you can afford and only buy things that you intend to keep forever.

Dream Sources: Vintage fairs and auctions, small independent designers, Russell Pinch, The Conran Shop, SCP, Liberty.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Resources of Note:

KITCHEN/DINING ROOM

LIVING ROOM

LANDING

GUEST BEDROOM

BATHROOM

WREN’S ROOM

BEDROOM

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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Thanks, Andrew & Rebecca!

(Images: Rebecca Proctor)

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— Rebecca Proctor