UTILITY CHIC
Catriona Gray on the appeal of converting former outbuildings into cosy, luxurious living spaces
The cosiest converted stables, bothies, laundries and dovecotes
There’s a romance to old outbuildings, particularly the ones you find on country estates. Centuriesold and often built in the same style as the great house, their bucolic settings and eccentric layouts capture the imagination. These former stables, dovecotes, kennels and bothies are increasingly being reimagined as residential properties – what were once seen as places fit only for animals or storage are now regarded as the perfect rural retreats.
This has certainly been the case for the interior designer John Tanner, whose first venture into country living saw him and his partner move from London to a former gardener’s bothy at Gunton Hall in Norfolk. Surrounded by Humphry Repton parkland, it had been converted by the architect Kit Martin in the 1980s, and Tanner set about updating the rooms inside. His eye had been honed by his years as a gallerist and the limited space (600 square feet) forced him to think creatively. He used reclaimed wood to make a built-in bed, divided up the sitting-room with a full-height bookcase to create a second bedroom and office, and introduced eye-catching ornamental flourishes, such as turning the little bathroom basin into a captivating focal
point featuring shellwork accessories and blue and white Delft tiles. ‘Whether you’re adding an all-encompassing wallpaper or a bold statement mirror, small rooms are places where you can be adventurous,’ he says.
Tanner’s experience at Gunton Hall encouraged him to branch out into interiors professionally – he has recently completed a project repurposing a former laundry at Heydon Hall, another East Anglia estate, for which he trawled Ebay and local auctions to find antique furniture and fabrics. With its exquisite period façade, the three-bedroom Georgian property may have had humble beginnings but now exudes relaxed elegance both inside and out.
A similar transformation has taken place within the grounds of the Earl and Countess of Shaftesbury’s seat, St Giles House in Dorset. Following an extensive restoration of the substantial 17th-century mansion – which was almost derelict when Nick, the 12th Earl, inherited it in 2005 at the age of 25 – the couple turned their attention to the historic stables, with the intention of using them for holiday rentals. The red-brick structure, known as the Riding House, was Grade Ii-listed, which imposed strict regulations on the renovation process, but fortunately the pair had complete creative freedom over the decoration. They carried out the necessary structural repairs while preserving many of the original elements of the stables: the wooden partitions in the stalls where the horses were once kept now form a striking feature in the dining-room; two of the bedrooms are located in former loose boxes, with bedside tables fashioned from corner mangers; and a row of antique saddles hang on the livingroom wall. ‘We were lucky that the building had so much history and character,’ says Nick. ‘From the start, we decided to retain as many of the fittings as we could, so its story could be felt and enjoyed.’
Emma Burns, a designer at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, also believes in striking a balance between history and modernity – she lives in a former dovecote in Oxfordshire, which previously belonged to her parents. Although she remembers the property before it had electricity and plumbing, it’s now a comfortable family home, thanks in no small part to her purchase of a fourdoor Aga. ‘It’s the best money I ever spent,’ she says. ‘The house is warm all year long – we never turn it off.’ Other thoughtful improvements include raising the heights of the doors to the drawing-room and kitchen to give the ground floor a more formal feel, and replacing a painted wooden chimney piece with a traditional stone fire surround. Antique furniture and an eclectic assortment of art enliven the interiors, along with fabrics from Robert Kime and, of course, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler; while on the first-floor landing, decoy pigeons roost in the nesting holes, in a humorous nod to the building’s original use. Burns has even converted the adjacent barn to create a library and guest accommodation, using lime plaster and breathable paints throughout, and eschewing MDF in favour of proper wood joinery. The result is an airy, atmospheric space that’s as welcoming as any purpose-built rural escape.
For those of us who don’t have a glorious old outbuilding ripe for conversion, there’s always the option to stay in one. The Landmark Trust rents out a collection of unique boltholes across the country, from an 18th-century summerhouse in Dunmore, Scotland, that is crowned by an enormous stone pineapple, to a classical folly at Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire that was originally used as a pigsty. These remarkable buildings rival the grandest country houses for sheer character and charm, while offering a tantalising glimpse into a different side of Britain’s history.