Name: Claire & Nick Walton
Location: Hampshire, England
Size: 1,300 square feet
Years lived in: 5 years; Owned
Claire & Nick Walton live in a traditional 17th century thatched cottage with their two young daughters Celeste and Penelope. Set in the village of East Meon in Hampshire, England, their home is filled with characterful details such as rustic beams, traditional leaded lights and solid oak floorboards. The couple have also added a contemporary kitchen extension at the back of the house, creating a light-filled space perfect for busy family life.
Their historic home is complemented by comfortable antique furniture and a warm palette of soft and welcoming paint, papers and textiles. The result is a cosy home with plenty of inviting nooks and relaxed places to linger. Each room is full of unique, quirky details such as low ceilings, sloping walls and thatch-framed views through tiny windows, all of which lend this home its traditional fairytale charm.
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Classic country cottage.
Inspiration: Natural, soft colours of the countryside and also the house itself. It's a 17th centrury thatched cottage, so I feel the interior has to complement the fabric of the building or it would look incongruous.
Favorite Element: Our lovely mercury glass mirror above the living room sofa. It came from an antique shop on London's Golborne Road.
Biggest Challenge: We did a lot of building work in the house and lived without any heating or hot water for 2 months in the middle of winter while the builders smashed things up around us! My daughter was 2 and I was pregnant with our second child at the time.
What Friends Say: I have the world's biggest collection of Farrow and Ball sample pots! And that they love the colours of the rooms.
Biggest Embarrassment: The very scruffy oak floorboards in the hall and livingroom. We think they look awful, and yet everyone else seems to really like their aged look!
Proudest DIY: All the shelves, curtain poles etc that I put up on my own, and also the kitchen dresser, which was a horrible orange pine ebay purchase, and was transformed with a paint job.
Biggest Indulgence: Pure black granite worktops in the kitchen - we paid a lot more to get granite that wasn't sparkly - I didn't want it to look like a footballers mansion!
Best Advice: If you have a particular look in mind, be patient and build the room up bit by bit - no room in my house is ever 'finished' and I'm always adding to a room/tweaking it. Also, painting the walls can make a huge difference to the ambience of a room - take your time and choose the colour very carefully.
Dream Sources: Antique shops
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
- • Farrow and Ball throughout
• Blue Gray in the living room
• Matchstick in the bedroom
• Light Gray in the kitchen
• New White in Celeste's bedroom
• Slipper Satin in the bathroom
ENTRY
- • Wallpaper by Neisha Crossland
• Dresser from ebay
• Framed prints - antique shop off Kings Road
• Lamp Laura Ashley bought from Ebay
• Rug, inherited
LIVING ROOM
- • Rug inherited
• Walls panelled in mdf
• Cushions handmade using Romo 'Licia' fabric
• Both tables inherited from family
• Pineapple on windowsill from a skip at my work
• Fire surround came from ebay cost only £35
• Mirror from antique shop on Golborne Road, London
• Sofas and armchair all from ikea, bought off ebay
• Footstool from the Dormy House
KITCHEN
- • Kitchen units and worktop by Kit Stone kitchens
• Dresser from ebay
• Table and chairs from ebay
• Wall lights, original BTC
• Kitchen tiles from Fired Earth
• Stools from Packhouse Antiques, Farnham, Surrey
BEDROOM
- • Bed from Heals
• Embroidery above bed - present from parents from a junk shop
• Clothes mannequin from ebay
• Stool from Baileys Home and Garden
• Antique gold mirror from ebay
• Tallboy inherited
• Ciel de Lit from ebay
• Fabric drape material by Susie Watson
• Fabric cushions by Cabbages and Roses
CHILDREN'S BEDROOMS
- • Bed handmade by Grandpa
• Rug bought in souk in Aleppo, Syria
• Flower embroidery bought off ebay
• Wooden chair made by Grandpa
• Wallpaper by Laura Ashley
• Rug from Ikea
BATHROOM
- • Fabric blind matierial by Ernest and Matilda
• Lloyd Loom style chair from ebay
• Cushion from Laura Ashley
• Mirror from ebay
• Towels from Cath Kidston
Thanks, Claire & Nick!
(Images: Rebecca Proctor)
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Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
Althought not my style, there are so many favorites in this house tour. It really does excudes warmth. That stove is amazing and I would love to hear how it works. The vintage sign in the bathroom is super cool as well as the blue wicker chair.
I'm so use to seeing high ceilings in most house tours that these seem a bit low..but I think that's the charm of this place.
My only unfavorable comment is that I think the metal bakers rack in the kitchen takes away from the softness of the rest of the home. Otherwise, truly lovely.
Brings back memories of my Gram's home and those of her friends and family: painted furniture, wallpaper, and vintage accessories.
Charming and cozy. This is a lovely home.
I love the paint color and the wallpaper. This is the style I try to go for!
My favorite thing is your candy jar advertising sign. I love it!! You have a great eye for color. And your painted white furniture is making me want to do the same to all my homely vintage wood. It makes it all so cohesive.
Wonderful tour!
Oh! But no fair not showing the printer's tray!! ;) I bet is has some neat treasures...
I love the sweets sign in the kitchen and the gold wallpaper in the entry way / hallway. Not the biggest fan of the two different shades of white in the kitchen though... the bright white and cream colors look a bit like they're clashing.
Absolutely lovely in every way. I love the birdcage in the living room and the paint color. It all looks so homey and well-loved; I should love to meet you based on your home. Congratulations on a labor of love that really shines!
The place just oozies charm, character and coziness. I love the gold wallpaper, too and all the beams - ah, so cute. You would never get me outta the beaten leather chair by the dining table.
I covet these cozy English cottages. I love how you've managed to make your home cozy, but not cluttered. It has a breezy quality that is hard to achieve with lower ceilings and small windows. The kitchen is a knockout, too!
This was such a lovely treat. It really stands out as special in a sea of modern and "quirky" house tours to have such a country style. I love it.
I loved the
streamline painting used in the living room and it is really great! This house tour is definitely a great idea especially for those who want to renovate their conventional English cottage.
Charming and serene. I loved your comment about not wanting your granite to look like a footballer's kitchen. Ha ha!
what a sweet place!!
Love it!
Beautiful low ceilings, thick walls, and exposed beams. Muted color palette and well chosen and placed patterns. Nicely done.
Please lose the shiny table covering in the dining room. The glare creates a dissonance with all the softness surrounding it. Same pattern in a faded cotton would be brilliant.
This gorgeous cottage bears no resemblance to a Footballers wife bling house. I adore it, as I love all the soft
shades and nostalgic feeling. I notice your Burmese too, anyway you have done a great job, dont change a thing, its just my style, so put that kettle on. I suppose being Irish we are more used to this style gorgeous cottage,
Must have that stove. Lovely home.
'mosaicwench'
- the oiled cloth on the dining table is traditional. It only looks so shiny, I imagine, because of the camera's flash. As they have a toddler and a baby, perhaps you might permit them not to 'lose' it.
I love your living room rug. Fantastic. Great wallpaper. So subtle. This is a true storybook home. The vent over the stove seems the only thing hugely out of place to me. So super sized in such a sweetly tiny home.
-BoudiccaDjango
Nope - it's shininess is out of touch with the rest of a wonderful house. I'd rather see nothing at all on that table than the shiny oilcloth. Having children in the house is hardly an excuse. Toddlers love to pull tablecloths.
Lovely! Would you mind sharing the color of the kitchen cabinets? Thanks!
Lovely home. I bet it looks even prettier without the garish flash photography.
-mosaic wench-
The antique leather chair looks shiny in the photo too. Presumably that offends your sensibilities as well? What I find annoying is your arrogance. It's ok to say you don't like something. Anyone who puts their home on this website is opening their style choices up to constructive criticism. To tell someone " Please lose the shiny table covering....." is simply rude.
Did anyone else see picture #25 and think, "I could totally make a TARDIS with that?"
Makes me feel just a little bit homesick.
The bedroom looks so cozy and cute!
Link appears to be broken into the tour...
Well done.
Love the old leather chair. From eBay as well?
You have a lovely home. I especially love that paint color in the living room. I wish we could have seen the exterior to put it all into perspective. Thanks so much for sharing!