A WARM WELCOME
Wood, leather and shades of ochre and burnt orange make this 16th-century Suffolk home feel modern and inviting
An inviting 16th-century home
HOME CV
WHO Fiona Petheram, a jewellery maker who has an online store called Drift Jewellery, and her husband, Douglas, live near Woodbridge in Suffolk, with their two children, Eleanor and William.
WHAT Their house is a three-storey timber-framed 16th-century Suffolk longhouse, measuring just 5m wide and 30m long. ‘We nearly didn’t come and see the house, as it was painted bright red, but when we stepped through the front door, we loved the light – most rooms are double aspect – and the high ceilings,’ says Fiona. The couple immediately saw the potential. The sitting room at the far end of the house is a Victorian addition.
RENOVATION ‘We made a few structural changes – knocking down a couple of internal walls to open up the space – but kept within the listed building guidelines,’ says Fiona. ‘The garden has also been landscaped, and we repainted the exterior in French Grey by Little Greene.’
FAMILY ROOM
All the beams in the house have been painted with white Casein Distemper (a specialist Farrow & Ball paint for old buildings) for a light, fresh feel. The leather sofa was picked up at Dix-sept Antiques, one of Fiona’s favourite local shops. A carpenter’s chest is used as a coffee table.
DINING ROOM
A wall was taken down in the centre of the ground floor to create one large space, which is now the dining room, with a small kitchen on one side and a connecting space on the other. An abstract landscape by local artist Fred Ingrams sets the colour theme for much of the house, with furnishings offset by natural shades and brilliant orange. ‘The wood-burning stove warms the room in the winter,’ says Fiona. ‘I love the mishmash of chairs and stools, which came from a local antiques dealer, and bamboo lampshades radiate gorgeous light around the room.’
SITTING ROOM
‘The first thing we did after we moved in was install a wood-burning stove,’ says Fiona. ‘We also opened up the area next to the fireplace to store logs. I picked up the orange 1960s swivel chair from a local auction house. I love collecting things and have a few ceramic pieces by Sophie Cook dotted around the room.’
‘THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS INSTALL A STOVE’
FAMILY ROOM
The family room is at the opposite end of the house to the sitting room. ‘We love watching TV and playing games in this area,’ says Fiona. ‘The embroidered rugs were brought back by my parents-in-law from the Middle East, where they lived for several years.’ The 1970s Habitat corduroy chair came from a local auction, while the old refectory table was inherited from Fiona’s mother-in-law. One wall is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Railings.
BEDROOM
Painted in Dulux’s Chiltern White, the room has built-in wardrobes either side of the bed, which create an enclosed area, and a slim shelf behind the bed, which doubles up as a headboard. The wall lamps are by Artemide. Fiona drapes Indian kantha blankets and cushions on her bed.
BATHROOM
Situated upstairs, in the middle of the house, the bathroom features a deep, freestanding bath, which has been strategically placed in front of a window that overlooks a pond and the countryside. The room was completely renovated when the family moved in and is now painted in Joanna by Little Greene. The mirror was found at In Da Cottage.