DORSET FARMHOUSE
Preserving this country pile’s rich history was top of the new owners’ to-do list
Having several hundred years of history to contend with always makes a house renovation more complicated. For Stephanie and Steven Thorne’s 17thcentury farmhouse, its epic age meant a challenging journey as the couple transformed the dated interior into a gracefully refined modern country home, learning plenty about its past along the way.
The farmhouse, set romantically amid acres of Dorset countryside, was never going to be a project for the faint hearted, but Steve had learnt from the experience of two previous renovations. ‘I discovered it by chance while browsing a property website, but because I’d promised Steph that our existing home would be the last I’d renovate, I went to see it on my own first,’ says Steve. It was the height of summer and he was beguiled by the property with its extensive grounds.
As soon as Stephanie was on board, the couple bought the house and began to plot its interior transformation. ‘Our previous projects had been more industrial in style and nowhere near as old as this house, so we wanted help to make sure we got it right,’ says Stephanie. ‘We love muted tones, neutrals and light blues for understated elegance, and we didn’t
❝OUR PREVIOUS PROJECTS HAD BEEN MORE INDUSTRIAL IN STYLE AND NOWHERE NEAR AS OLD AS THIS HOUSE. WE TOOK A LOT OF CARE TO MAKE SURE WE GOT THE DECOR RIGHT HERE❞
want anything oppressive. The interior would have to be light and fresh with simple clean lines.’ They also wanted some touches of bolder colour and print, inspired by the creations of Kit Kemp and the couple’s favourite Crosby Street Hotel in New York. Another strong influence was the Lewis & Wood Adam’s Eden wallpaper, which they put in the living room and up the stairs. ‘It has blues, light aubergines and a lot going on, which made it hard to put up. In places the pattern had to be cut fastidiously to work on the walls,’ says Stephanie.
The house had not been touched for years so the scope of the Thornes’ ambitions was extensive. ‘The roof needed to be repaired, we rewired, put in new plumbing and then discovered we needed to rebuild chimneys, replace the iron guttering and the downpipes, put in new windows and doors and replaster throughout,’ says Steve. They also discovered that the ground floor had been laid straight onto dirt so they had to take it up and excavate 120cm down before installing a new wooden floor. As more layers were stripped back from the house, its secrets began tumbling out to the great delight of Stephanie, a history lover. ‘It’s my dream just to spend all day rummaging through an old attic looking for treasure,’ she says. The house had been
well cleared of the previous occupant’s belongings, but Stephanie did find old newspapers lining the shelves. ‘We read about the Queen when she was young. There were even pages referring to World
War II,’ she says. The old servant bell system was also recovered and although it no longer works, the family has installed it in the kitchen as a tribute to its bustling past. In befriending a neighbour, they gleaned more about their country pile. ‘Previously, the roof had been thatched, but a fire destroyed it in 1947,’ says Stephanie.
Another of the updates the Thornes made was to extend the kitchen with a two-storey oak frame that includes a boot room and a guest bedroom above. Two long runs of dark grey cabinetry and masses of white quartz worksurfaces meet the needs of the family, as well as creating a relaxed area for entertaining. ‘Guests can sit at each island, with the person cooking in between,’ says Steve.
This beautiful project could have quelled Steve’s addiction to renovation for good. ‘I’m always on the lookout for the next project,’ he says. ‘But I’ve found myself falling in love with this house more and more. And we have just taken on chickens, so who knows?’ Interiors by simshilditch.com
❝WE LOVE UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE SO WANTED THE INTERIOR TO BE FRESH WITH SIMPLE, LINES❞ CLEAN