ECLECTIC ELEGANCE
Vintage and antique objects enhance the character of this Victorian home in Lincolnshire
Each Christmas Eve, the home of Sarah Davenport, her husband Ross Dennison and their two daughters, April, 6, and Verity, 4, is filled with the chatter of friends catching up over mulled wine and festive nibbles. ‘It’s a tradition we started a few years ago,’ says Sarah. ‘Christmas Day is spent with family but the night before is when we catch up with all our friends.’
Sarah and Ross’s Victorian home, situated in a market town in Lincolnshire, certainly lends itself to entertaining, with its inviting, open-plan kitchen and dining space housed in a new extension flowing seamlessly from the sitting room. ‘We wanted a design that felt in tune with the original building,’ says Sarah. ‘The idea was that it should look as if it had always been there.’
When the couple purchased the house three years ago, it was crying out for love and attention: ‘The previous owner had lived to be 101 and she hadn’t managed to do much over the last 30 years,’ says Sarah. ‘Before we moved in, we had to rewire and replumb throughout, as well as restore all the sash windows. We also replaced the floor joists in the two front rooms.’ The next phase of works was the extension, and the family bravely moved in, restricting themselves to certain rooms as the two-storey build took shape. As well as providing a new kitchendiner, it has given them two extra bedrooms and a bathroom on the floor above.
Sarah has many strings to her bow, having been a florist before moving into product design, creating horticultural items for well-known homeware brands. Since the arrival of her daughters, she has worked as a stylist and has recently launched her own lampshade business, That Rebel House. ‘I’ve always been interested in quirky objects and individual pieces that are vintage or antique, rather than mass-produced,’ Sarah says of
INSPIRATION ‘I gravitate towards pieces with a botanical theme, and my home wouldn’t feel finished if I didn’t have lots of plants and flowers’
her style, which is a curated mix of French and English vintage and antique pieces.
In the kitchen, fitted units sit alongside freestanding furniture, including an antique French kitchen cupboard, a military chest and a metal apothecary cabinet, all found at local fairs. ‘Ideally, I would have had only freestanding units but that was impractical,’ says Sarah. ‘Instead, I chose neutral white fitted cupboards so the other furnishings became the focus of the room.’
She has also embraced the abundance of original details in the house, such as the fireplaces, which have been painstakingly stripped back to reveal Victorian tiles and iron surrounds, as well as mouldings and picture rails. ‘I am a huge fan of picture rails, as they let me switch art and mirrors around without putting holes in the walls. I’m constantly moving things about, mainly because it’s such a simple way to regenerate a space and give it a whole new feel.’
There is a subtly Scandinavian aesthetic to some rooms, notably the main living space with its linen sofas and monochrome Berber rug. ‘I enjoy that clean-lined style but I’ve also mixed in older pieces, too.’ Sarah says. ‘I wanted to include a period item in every room, to reference the era of the building.’
Although the couple’s possessions span different eras and styles, a shared colour palette pulls them together. ‘I’ve stuck to white, green and grey, as well as timber and metals,’ says Sarah. Even her Christmas decorations fit the brief, with striking tassel garlands picking out the gleaming brass accents of the lighting and mirrors. ‘I like decorations that are a bit different and not too traditional,’ she says. Which also rather neatly sums up this welcoming home.
DECORATING TIP ‘An old piece can come to life in a more contemporary setting – such as mahogany antique furniture in an all-white bathroom’