COASTAL COMFORT
Kate Renwick’s dream of living in a whitewashed home by the sea came true when she found a pretty farmhouse in need of renovation
When Kate Renwick stumbled upon a whitewashed farmhouse with gorgeous views in a peaceful West Country location, she couldn’t quite believe her luck. The serendipitous find was to become the perfect escape for the family, which includes husband David, who is a lawyer, and children Lizzie, 13, Eddie, 11, and Joe, eight.
‘I’ve always loved the West Country and we have had many holidays in the area,’ says Kate, an interior designer and founder of her eponymous company Kate Renwick. ‘So when I saw this house, I knew I’d found exactly what I was looking for. We’d seen a lot of properties but we were very specific about what we wanted – this one had everything, including beautiful views and a garden full of primroses and daffodils,’ she says.
The farmhouse had been in the same family for many years and was in need of extensive renovation. Kate immediately set about putting her interior design skills to good use transforming the tired property into a welcoming getaway. ‘We knew it would
be a lot of work as the house had been altered quite a bit over the years,’ says Kate. ‘I wanted to restore as much of the integrity of the original building as possible, so we started by undoing some of the inappropriate additions, such as the modern windows, replacing them with versions that were more sympathetic to the originals.’
Kate also decided to reconfigure the cramped downstairs rooms to open up the house. ‘There were four tiny rooms, but we created a more practical living space by knocking two together to make the kitchen-diner,’ says Kate. ‘ We love the fireplace and wanted to use it as the focal point of the new room so it is now home to the Aga.’
Retaining the original flagstones that were laid throughout the ground floor was a priority. ‘They were in fairly good condition in most rooms but we did have to patch a few up,’ says Kate. ‘In the end, we removed some damaged stones in the kitchen and replaced them with slabs from the sitting room, where most were broken, and where we had decided to carpet
with sisal. The flagstones are integral to the house and they look beautiful, so it was well worth all the effort.’
The farmhouse’s interiors were inspired by Kate’s love of nature and the outdoors. Soft colours feature throughout and were chosen to reflect the West Country light she loves so much. ‘I wanted the house and the landscape to feel in harmony with each other, and this is reflected in the colours I picked,’ she says. ‘It was important that the palette had a gentle quality and was a reflection of what was going on outside.’
Kate’s love of natural textures, such as sheepskin, wool and hessian, is also evident throughout the house. A striped runner on the stairs and landing pulls the whole look together and fits with the many coastal elements that Kate has included. ‘I’ve always loved planning interiors and for this house I wanted simplicity and a relaxed feel,’ she says. ‘It’s perhaps easier with coastal houses because the landscape can help to dictate the scheme. It took around a year to complete the renovation but it was worth the wait. We love spending time here.’