A Charming English Country Bungalow with a Modern Twist

Name: Victoria Harrison
Location: England, UK
Size: 2 bedroom, semi­-detatched bungalow
Years lived in: 3 years

Victoria, the interiors writer, editor and stylist behind Style Made Simple, bought her 1970s English bungalow in 2014. Nestled on what Victoria describes as a “friendly street in a pretty village,” her cozy home is located in the picturesque countryside of England. She’s filled her home with an arrangement of peaceful colors, delicate floral patterns, natural materials and a lot of charm. It’s a lovely home, both inside and out, as Victoria describes: “I’m very lucky to have wonderful neighbours and everyone on the street looks out for each other—it’s one of the best things about country living. I actually grew up in this village, and after several years of living and working in London decided I wanted to return to the area to be near my friends and family.”

Victoria writes:

“The house was in good shape structurally when I moved in but in terms of decoration it was an empty shell and I was excited to bring my own style to the space and design it so the layout worked for me. I am a big fan of vintage furniture and country style but I also like to keep things simple, so with each room I started off with a simple colour palette of white walls, natural flooring (wool carpet) and white or pale grey furniture then I added warmth and character with vintage pieces, handmade accessories and art.

I added rose pink, soft grey and metallic gold and copper as accents throughout to keep the rooms feeling cohesive. But each room has it’s own style too. The bedroom is quite calm and pared back as I wanted it to feel really soothing, so it has more grey, but the bathroom is bright fresh white as I wanted it to feel really light and clean. The kitchen has more colour.

Because the bungalow is 1970s it doesn’t have any period features like fireplaces or picture rails, so I really wanted to add some soul and character and I think vintage furniture and accessories are the best way to do this. I created a focal point in the living room by adding an artificial wood burning stove, building in a mantelpiece and placing sideboards either side of it to create symmetry and a focal point to the room.”

Our Style: Modern country

Inspiration: Traditional English country cottages and whitewashed seaside homes

Favorite Element: My home office with patio doors opening out onto a sunny little patio ­ it’s my favourite room in the house!

Biggest Challenge: I spent all my savings on the deposit to buy my home, so when it came to the decor I had to really be creative and find affordable ways to get the look I wanted on a tight budget.

What Friends Say: Where are the sideboards from?” (the most common question I get asked on social media too!)

Biggest Embarrassment: The clutter behind closed cupboard doors! It’s not all as tidy as it seems…

Proudest DIY: Handpainting all the kitchen cabinets ­ they were quite dark before, so I took all the doors off individually, hand painted them with 3 coats of chalk paint and a top coat of sealing wax, then reassembled the entire kitchen. It took quite a while to complete, but I’m very happy with the result.

Biggest Indulgence: The two beautiful dove ­grey painted sideboards in the living room and the matching bookcase in the dining room. I’m so glad I saved up for them as you can really tell the craftmanship and quality of the pieces and they add a lot to the room.

Best Advice: A decorating project should be 90% planning and 10% doing

Dream Sources: The White Company, The Cotswold Company, Cath Kidston

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