RECLAIMED CHIC
One woman’s passion for interesting finds has given her 18th-century Suffolk property a unique appeal
Hidden away in the Suffolk countryside, this attractive period property has been lovingly restored into a characterful family home by Lisa and Tom Waldron, who share a passion for travel and interesting finds. When the couple moved from London in 2012, seeking more space and a slower pace of life, they viewed many houses, but this one captured their imagination with its period features, large number of rooms and potential for renovation. The property had undergone various transformations over the years, expanding and contracting with different occupants. Dating back to 1707, it was increased in size during the Edwardian period, before being divided into three dwellings in the mid 1950s. At this time, the old servants’ quarters and stables became smaller properties, leaving the majority of the main house to form what is now Lisa and Tom’s home which they share with their five children, Oliver, 19, Henry, 17, Arthur, 12, and twin daughters Harriet and Edith, eight. The house is filled with a wonderful collection of reclaimed pieces – Lisa’s favourite pastime is visiting local vintage shops and reclamation yards. All around the house large vintage zinc containers, rescued from old factories, are now upcycled into attractive and practical storage for the toys, shoes and clothes that accumulate with a family of seven. ‘I love the texture of traditional materials like galvanised metal, wood and ceramics,’ says Lisa. ‘They are beautiful and also brilliantly durable.’ It hasn’t all been plain sailing, however. When the couple moved in they decided to remove an internal wall
favourite item ‘Our huge kitchen table, which was a gift from my parents. I love that we can fit so many family and friends around it’
to create a large kitchen-diner, but when the builders started work they discovered asbestos. The family had to evacuate for a fortnight while it was removed. ‘It was so stressful, but after a lot of hard work and mess we created the open-plan, light-filled space that we’d imagined when we first viewed the house,’ says Lisa. This is now their favourite room and the hub of their home. Lisa’s love of a Scandinavian aesthetic, influenced by holidays in Denmark and Sweden, has informed the eclectic style of their home, where sheepskins abound against a muted-palette backdrop. Keen collectors of vintage prints and large signage, Lisa and Tom have used typography throughout to make bold statements. Their collection includes large vintage maps, enamel advertising plaques and the bold bus sign in the conservatory, which they found on holiday in Denmark. With its orange stripe, it makes a unique backdrop and can be glimpsed through the sitting room window. As a nature lover, Lisa always keeps her eye out for pieces made from enduring natural materials, such as wood, metal and linen, as well as collecting foliage on their walks in the surrounding countryside. The house reflects its rural surroundings with vases and vintage pots often filled with seasonal finds or garden cuttings. ‘I love to bring the outside in and to decorate the house with foraged discoveries,’ says Lisa. And having spent the last six years creating this beautiful house, she is now setting up her own business offering the space for location and prop hire. ‘It’s such a great opportunity to share my house with others,’ she says.
decorating tip ‘If you find a vintage piece that you love, try to repurpose it. We used old crates as shelves in the girls’ bedroom’