home and away
Perrine and Ben Parker have transformed a dilapidated period farmhouse into the perfect weekend retreat for themselves and their three young children
Despite its run-down condition, this listed farmhouse in Kent proved irresistible to one family
Bringing up a family in cosmopolitan London holds great appeal for many people, including Perrine Parker and her husband Ben. However, the couple also yearned for a country escape where they could spend quality time with their three children, Amelie, 9, Charles, 6, and Clemence, 3.
‘I’m a real city girl,’ says French-born Perrine, ‘ but Ben grew up in the Weald of Kent and wanted us to have a place where we could get away from the hustle and bustle. And this area’s easy for us to get to for weekend breaks.’
The couple focussed their property hunt on period buildings that required renovation and, after a year of searching, they stumbled upon a 17th-century farmhouse that seemed to tick all the right boxes.
‘The exterior was lovely,’ says Perrine, ‘ but the inside was very dated and full of dark furniture that made the rooms feel oppressive. However, it had bags of potential and all the space we were looking for. And the children warmed to the place – during the viewing, they were fascinated by a stuffed fox in the hall, and began to call the place The Fox House. And it’s a name that all of them still use.’
Because of the building’s listed status, there were restrictions on structural changes. Perrine and Ben were hoping to remove some walls to make an open-plan kitchen-diner, and also wanted to create three bedrooms and a bathroom in the unused attic floor. While they waited for planning permission, Perrine was quick to set about the task of brightening up the place.
‘First of all, I replaced most of the flooring with limewashed engineered oak,’ she says. ‘Then, I had the walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Skimming Stone emulsion. These two simple changes lifted the feel of the whole interior, and gave us a neutral canvas for our furniture and accessories.’
With planning permission granted, work began on the kitchen renovation, which involved knocking down walls between the old boiler room and pantry in order to construct the kitchen-diner. The space would have been quite dark, so Velux windows were built into the pitched roof. ‘I wanted it to be as bright as possible,’ says Perrine. ‘I chose contemporary cabinets in a gloss finish to enhance the reflection of light.’
With three children, Perrine was determined to create a functional interior that could withstand the rigours of family life. Building versatile storage systems into each room was a must. ‘I designed cupboards and shelves and got a local joiner to make them,’ she explains.
The snug and one of the sitting rooms have been decorated to give the Parkers a more formal area to entertain friends, while the other one has a more relaxed feel that the children love. ‘Each space has its own character, but there is a cohesive scheme throughout,’ says Perrine. ‘So you’ll find the same sunny yellow Mr Fox Scion fabric in many of the downstairs rooms.’
With the house complete, all that’s left to rework is the garden. ‘It’s been wonderful bringing the farmhouse up-to-date,’ says Perrine. ‘ We love life in London, but it’s when we come here that we all fully relax. Now we enjoy the best of both worlds.’