On the cover
Jo Lavender and Rob Newland’s coastal cottage blends sorbet shades and vintage fabrics, for a home that’s cosy and chic
We’re more than a little obsessed with Jo Lavender’s house and its inspired use of soft pink and green. Pretty but not wishy-washy, it is a case study in the perfection of modern pastels. For more about this home and a tutorial on using these colours successfully,
After visiting a pretty coastal town a few years ago, Jo Lavender and Rob Newland fell in love with the idea of a home by the sea. They’d stayed at a local hotel recently renovated by interior designer Michelle Kelly, and liked what they saw. Michelle’s taste for ice-cream colours, Liberty fabric and William Morris wallpaper was both unexpected and cosy – the perfect mix for their new home. With Michelle’s help, the couple got to work. They converted the basement into a bedroom and playroom for the children, and redecorated two more bedrooms upstairs. Then, they opened up the living space to fit a kitchen-diner and living area, and squeezed a wet room into the space next to the pantry.
Embracing colour was crucial. The couple didn’t want anything “white-washed and shabby chic” and decided against the usual blue and white seaside stripes in favour of a gelato-inspired palette –
“We would probably have played it safer, but our interior designer Michelle Kelly really pushed us to go with brighter colours, and to be bold and take risks with the design.”
JO LAVENDER
Style tip The statement brass lamp draws the eye and injects a hit of modern style.
“Fashion is a great inspiration for home styling – take something vintage, then mix it up and make it modern.”
MICHELLE KELLY, INTERIOR DESIGNER
pistachio green and sorbet pink paired with chocolatey wooden flooring. The floor in question is certainly a unique find. “We had originally planned to put parquet down,” says Michelle, “but I found an old theatre floor while I was looking at architectural salvage and it felt so right. It feels like it might always have been there.”
Michelle took her design cues from the location. The main bedroom upstairs, facing the beach, is furnished sparsely to make the most of the view. “There was a question over whether the colour [pink] was going to be too much, but actually it’s really serene and draws your attention out to the horizon. A bright orange or yellow wouldn’t work here, it needed to be calmer.”
With children running around and guests welcome, the design had to be durable and reflect how they wanted to feel in the house, as well as linking to its historic past. “This isn’t a place to be on your phone, it’s somewhere to play a game, cook and chat. That’s why I used things like William Morris patterns and vintage glassware and china – embracing elements from the past, but in a modern way.”