artist’s touch
Tom Helme used his artistic talents to turn a tiny and run-down stone cottage into a beautiful, year-round holiday home
Tom Helme’s talent for interior decoration became clear after he graduated from Brighton School of Art and completed a degree in art history at the University of East Anglia. He then went on to work as an apprentice for John Sutcliffe, a master of water-based paints and a well-known decorative paint specialist, before coming across the then small Dorset firm of Farrow & Ball in 1990. Tom worked with the paint company to develop a range of colours for the National Trust and later, with his friend Martin Ephson, took over the business. The pair expanded Farrow & Ball into a global brand, before selling up in 2006.
While taking a break from work, Tom discovered that the Carskiey estate in Scotland was for sale. Comprising a traditional, although not ancient, manor house, as well as farmland and miles of coastline, it was enough to keep a countryman happy forever, but Tom had to ensure the property would pay its way, too.
Both the farm, an ongoing project, and the main house required considerable work, but once underway, Tom was able to turn his attention to another outbuilding – Shore Cottage – to turn into a holiday home. Tom says it was habitable but tiny, consisting of a now-removed porch, a living space and two bedrooms with lino floor that flapped in the wind. Plans were drawn up and, by retaining the two-bedroom configuration, the local council was happy to see it extended – especially as each new section has a slightly different roofline, giving the impression of natural extensions. ‘My inspiration was the idea that a retired sea captain might live here, looking out to Sanda Island, reminiscing about seafaring times,’ says Tom.
But first, a road had to be created as the only access was through a field and over a tidal ford. ‘Once the foundations for the two extensions were in, we took the existing internal walls down, exposed the ceilings and redid the roof with lovely thick Scottish slate,’ explains Tom. Locally made hardwood windows were fitted, while the doors were created from teak found in the house and the concrete floors were made from the estate’s own sand, with heating created by air-source pumps.
Tom decided to do without a contractor and manage the works himself, hiring local tradesmen to help. It takes experience and knowledge to do so, but Tom had plenty of both. He planked out the walls and boarded the ceilings in the customary manner with ‘sacking’ – rough timber, recycled from an old derelict cottage – which insulates and provides weatherproofing. ‘If slates blow off in the wind it keeps the interior dry,’ he explains. Next, he carried out the traditionally Scottish technique of harling, a skilful type of weatherproofing similar to pebble-dash.
Practicality was also a key factor for Tom when choosing the interior finishes. The floors are poured concrete so the whole place can be washed down after sandy feet have come in from the beach, and the layout is wheelchair friendly for guests with mobility issues.
Alongside renovating this cosy home, Tom was also hard at work with Martin creating the Fermoie fabric company – now a well-established business with a shop in London, plus international outlets. All the curtains, upholstery and lampshades in the cottage came from their studio, and many of the pieces of furniture were also designed by Tom and made by Nick Coryndon of Coryndon Cabinet Makers. The Carskiey estate colour – a barn red mixed by Tom – features throughout, looking especially striking around the windowsills outside.
Tom’s use of soft, natural colours and simple furnishings blend easily with the surrounding nature, while the exterior looks as if it’s always been there, seemingly unchanged.