A FAMILY AFFAIR
Having given up a life of manic commuting to establish their own stud farm and holiday-let business, the Thompsons now take life at a canter
Moving to a farmhouse in Devon gave this family the opportunity to make a break from their busy commuter-based lifestyles and open the barn for holiday lets
For Felicity Thompson, the onset of May is a reminder of why she and her husband Charles moved to their farmhouse in Devon 20 years ago. ‘Early spring is when our foals are born and it’s also when the countryside starts to come into its own,’ she says. ‘Wildflowers begin to bloom and the long, sandy beaches are at their most beautiful.’
The couple and their children Freya, now 28, and Freddie, 23, moved to this part of the world to make a break from their busy commuter-based lifestyles. After realising that buying the farm would give them the opportunity to completely change direction, Charles gave up working for his family engineering business while Felicity called a halt to her career in PR.
‘Luckily, we knew the area well as we had a holiday home here, which meant we’d already built up a good circle of friends,’ says Felicity, who admits it still took a while to find a suitable home – a Grade Ii-listed farmhouse with several outbuildings. While happily ensconced in the farmhouse and living a rural lifestyle that included breeding and showing Dartmoor ponies, about eight years ago the couple dreamt up a plan to convert one of the outlying barns into a warm welcoming home.
The building is on two levels and a previous owner, who was in the music business, had used part of the top portion as a recording studio. ‘Robert Plant, the Levellers and Alannah Myles recorded here, back in the day,’ says Felicity. The lower half, however, had been used for hay storage and as stables for Felicity’s own horses when the family first moved here. ‘As soon as we saw the barn we thought it was beautiful,’ says Felicity. ‘We wanted to preserve it but also bring it into the 21st century.’
For the interior style, Felicity took her inspiration from the countryside and coastal scenery on their doorstep and
chose restful hues throughout. She also thought carefully about the layout of the large sitting room, which flows into the kitchen-diner. ‘It’s a real luxury to have a large open-plan space like this, but you need to create more intimate pockets of seating within it,’ she adds.
Similarly, an island divides the kitchen’s working areas from the relaxing dining area, over which hang three large pendants. ‘In the daytime, this part of the room is flooded with natural sunlight,’ says Felicity. ‘Then, after dark, the pendants cast it in a pool of warm light, which makes it really cosy.’
To bring a sense of softness to the large spaces, Felicity chose fabrics and cushions in easy pastel shades, many adorned with simple motifs. Lined and patterned linen curtains hang at all the windows, adding soft layers and linking with the cushions.
As part of their holiday lettings business, Salcombe Farm (salcombefarm.co.uk), the barn is now available for holiday stays and the business is very much a family affair. ‘We all love this place,’ says Felicity. ‘Once you’ve lived in this beautiful part of the world, you find yourself drawn back here. It has cast its spell on all of us.’