An 18th Century Vicarage
When Lauren and John Barker decided to move from their Nottinghamshire farmhouse, Lauren’s criteria were simple: ‘I wanted a house like the one I’d always dreamed of – with a door in the middle and windows either side and everything in the right place.’ Finding such a home was not easy, and it was some time before details of an old vicarage in Lincolnshire fell through their letterbox.
It looked perfect: an 18th century country house, displaying all the grace of the period, with a symmetrical facade, elegant sash windows, a long drive and a walled garden. Upon viewing it they found it exceeded all their expectations. ‘I fell in love with it at once,’ says Lauren.
Structurally the house was in excellent condition, and keen to preserve the integrity of the property, they’ve done little to it, aside from upgrading the plumbing and electrics. Decoratively, however, Lauren couldn’t wait to get to work. ‘I enjoy collecting antiques but nothing we own is of any real value. With four dogs and two children you can’t be precious,’ she says. ‘Textiles are my real love.
This passion for fabrics, coupled with a love and respect for old furniture, led Lauren to learn the art of upholstery, and many of the pieces in the house are her own handiwork – beatenup auction finds transformed into beautiful chairs and footstools. ‘It’s so satisfying to find an old piece and be able to give it a new lease of life,’ she says.
Throughout the house Lauren has imprinted her fresh version of classic English country style on to the generously proportioned rooms. The only one left virtually untouched is the sitting room. ‘All we did was move the furniture in,’ says Lauren.
‘The yellow walls wouldn’t be my first choice but we decided to keep them when we were given two large, pale yellow sofas. A friend of my mother’s had them sitting around in her barn, as they were too big for her sitting room. But they fitted perfectly into ours, like they were made for it.’
An antique chandelier was all that was needed to add a special touch and now it’s Lauren’s favourite room in the house. ‘It can easily accommodate eight or ten people lounging about after Sunday lunch. It’s not a smart room, just a lovely place to relax in. It has a calm atmosphere – like a proper vicarage drawing room.’
Occupying the other bay is an equally spacious dining room, and together, the two rooms make the perfect entertaining space. ‘It’s a fantastic party house,’ says Lauren. ‘We sat 32 in the dining room for a barbecue last summer. We got some trestle tables which I decorated with lots of tea lights and little pots of pink roses and snaked them all round the room.’
Upstairs the scheme further encapsulates the charm of an English country house. Sleigh beds are covered in floral vintage quilts, sloping ceilings are papered in fresh sprigged wallpaper and painted antique dressing tables are topped with framed black and white family photographs and vases spilling with flowers.
As the children run around in the garden, Lauren takes the opportunity to relax in the conservatory with John and reflect on the reality of living in the quintessential English house. ‘It’s everything I dreamed it would be, and much more,’ she says.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar