SINGING THE BLUES
Interior designer Katharine Pooley spotted the potential of a run-down coastal property and turned it into a covetable beachside escape
Soft seaside shades hit just the right note in this delightful North Devon cottage
For busy interior designer Katharine Pooley, the idea of a place to escape to has enduring appeal. So it’s no surprise she was seduced by this lime-washed Victorian house in the pretty village of Croyde, in Devon, where she knew that she could unplug from modern life along with husband Daniel and sons Jack, nine, and Charlie, seven. ‘My schedule can be a little high-octane, so coming here is something we all really look forward to.’
Her love affair with the area started when the wider family decamped here around five years ago to celebrate the life of Daniel’s grandmother, who had recently passed away. Katharine felt an immediate affinity with the landscape, made more special knowing her father had been evacuated nearby in the Second World War.
‘I kept my eye out for a property and eventually this one came up,’ she says. ‘It was structurally sound, but needed attention; it was originally a three-bedroom property with a separate bedsit.’
Katharine secured planning permission to reintegrate the bedsit and build into the roof space to create a third floor. She also reconfigured the layout to accommodate four bedrooms and bathrooms.
‘Rewiring, repointing and dealing with the foundations was pretty straightforward,’ says the designer. ‘The challenge, as always, was in creating a space that could handle a family while maintaining an air of calm.’ Katharine has included features that help with this: an outdoor shower and wet room for people returning from the beach; a hidden step to allow Jack and Charlie to reach the kitchen taps; plus pull-out desks for homework in the boys’ bedroom.
Fittingly, given its location, the house subtly reflects its coastal setting with a palette of blues, creams and corals. A handful of nautical touches, including a headboard made from oars in one of the bedrooms, rope-framed mirrors, seascapes and rustic furniture, add character and texture. The designer’s eye for detail means that no stone has been left unturned – even the study chair has been altered so that it is the right height for the desk, while a concealed heater in the garden allows for outdoor dining in the winter. ‘In fact, January is one of my favourite months here,’ says Katharine. ‘It’s quiet and pub lunches are accompanied by cosy roaring fires.’
Despite the house’s many mod-cons, Katharine’s favourite addition is pleasingly low-tech. ‘I’ve just had an old-fashioned washing line fitted in the garden,’ she smiles. ‘I’m delighted with it.’ Proof if proof were needed that the designer has taken to the good life like a duck to water.