A compact Arts and Crafts-style cottage in Surrey, boldly reimagined for family life

Save this storySave StorySave this storyThe couple that bought this three-bedroom Arts and Crafts-style cottage in Surrey did so without ever seeing the house in person. It's a decision that might seem incredibly risky, but which speaks to a certain sense of adventure and trust in the process. It's also a sentiment that carried through to the renovation and design of the house's interiors, for which they approached Holly Vaughan of Vaughan Design and Development. ‘They definitely were up for making bold moves,’ Holly recalls.

The clients were living in the US with their three young children at the time of the purchase, and had been used to the generally larger proportions of many American houses. They loved the period charm of the building, but the smaller British footprint of the cottage was something of a surprise when eventually they came to see the house. One of Holly's key tasks, then, was to really make the most of the space there was, cleverly reconfiguring and altering parts of the house to this end.

Farrow & Ball’s ‘Hay’ is an earthy base for the walls and ceiling of the utility room, and Atelier Ellis’ ‘Tea Rose’ on the woodwork adds a touch of femininity. A Fortnum & Mason wicker hamper is reused for storage in the original tiled fireplace. The cane pendant light is vintage, from Rye homeware shop Soap and Salvation.

‘Once you start taking walls down and things in these old houses, you unearth a multitude of issues, which was definitely the case here,’ she says. Some original features – like wooden floors and the terracotta-tiled fireplace in the utility room near the entrance – were retained, but other issues, such as a gaping hole in the kitchen ceiling, required structural work to be done throughout the house. ‘Everything was ripped out, there were a few internal walls moved around,’ Holly adds. A tiny downstairs loo was added just off the utility room, and one of the two doors to the living room was closed off to allow for more wall space, while improving the flow between the rooms.

In the downstairs loo, a new room added by Holly, the wallpaper is Soane’s ‘Seraphic Star’ in bastille, while the paint on the panelling is Farrow & Ball’s ‘New White’. Delicate patterns in the fabric choices add further texture; Tori Murphy’s ‘Pippy Scallop Stripe Cotton’ on the blind, and Schumacher’s ‘Georgie Reversible Check’ on the door. The delicate café curtain fabric is Volga Fine Linens’ ‘Drawn Thread Ladder Stitch Edge’. The vintage-style sink is the ‘True lite ceramic mounted sink’ from Dyke and Dean, paired with a tap from Etsy. Above hangs a mirror, also sourced on Etsy, and a Rose Uniacke spotlight.

Perhaps the most striking addition Holly made is the extension, which became a cosy, cabin-style study with a sloping ceiling, and panelling colour-drenched in Farrow & Ball's ‘Marmelo’, a rich reddish brown. ‘It's a space where you could work, but also a place where you could just chill out and read a book’. The elegant windows which run to the ceiling were inspired by a reference photo provided by the client.

The carpet in the cosy study extension is ‘Stamford’ by Unnatural Flooring, which is synthetic but gives the appearance of sisal. The pendant light is deVOL, and the sofa is from Maro at Home covered in NiX and Howe fabrics. The stool, used as a small side table, was sourced at Soap and Salvation.

The desk is the client’s own, and on the walls, the ornate shelf is from Vintage on the Vine, and the painting was sourced from online gallery The Artful Home.

The kitchen, meanwhile was totally reconfigured as it was ‘quite a pokey space’ and ‘definitely one of the smaller kitchens that I've worked on’, Holly explains. ‘So that had to be really carefully thought out. There were definitely some sacrifices, and some clever ideas for how we can make that work.’ This included an extra window, as well as a large built-in larder with charming cut-out detailing in the doors. The colour within the room was kept on the lighter, brighter side, to offset how naturally dark it gets in there, while more colour and pattern was introduced on the checkerboard floor tiles, grounding the space.

In the kitchen, Claybrook’s ‘Kromatic’ tiles in powder and wine colour ways are on the floor. The larder, designed by Vaughan Design and Development and built by Cutting Edge Joinery, has Beata Heuman’s ‘The Baton’ handles.

‘Joa’s White’ from Farrow and Ball covers the walls and ceiling, while on the cabinets is Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Tablecloth’, paired with MG&Co cherry coloured knobs. The window ruffle fabric is Window ruffle fabric is Howe’s ‘Cypress’ linen in cocoa, and the ceiling light is from Mullan.

Once the layout had been improved, the look of the interiors could really be consolidated. The wife's taste in design was ‘quintessentially British, a touch more maximalist… than minimalist’, with a love for femininity, passion, colour and layers. Holly outlines how she was ‘very happy to experiment with wallpaper and fabrics and colour. It wasn't an unlimited budget, so we were careful, but we didn't sacrifice the key “wow” factors in the joinery, the special fabrics and wallpaper… we were just clever about other areas.’

Much of the clients’ own furniture that had been shipped over sadly couldn't be accommodated due to space restrictions, so for most pieces it was a case of starting from scratch. One special item that could be retained was the clients’ antique dining table, around which a custom banquette was designed – always with the consideration of maximising space for the whole family to be able to enjoy meals together there.

The original floorboards, time-worn with character, were left as is, chiming with the rich browns of the custom corner banquette (covered in Pierre Frey’s ‘Shabby’ linen in caramel), leather dining chair and round Ralph Lauren dining table, the clients’ own. The wall uplighter is the ‘Athena’ from Neptune, Franquemont’s ‘Vine Blots’ in dusty blue is the blind fabric. The landscape is another find from The Artful Home.

‘If it’s not a bespoke item, then I prefer vintage, really,’ admits Holly. ‘Quite often I'll source a vintage chair and then get that reupholstered’ – all with the aim of achieving a warm, characterful balance through the house; the perfect equilibrium of cosy and comfortable, yet stylish and elevated. Lighting is also a mix of old and new: ‘My electrician absolutely hates me because the vintage ones always are never easy, but I much prefer them,’ says Holly.

Elsewhere in the dining room, a smart bamboo style French cabinet, sourced from Kempton, is nestled in an alcove. The vintage 1960s French rattan mirror is from Shiny Things. Walls and ceiling are done in ‘Willow IV’ from Paint and Paper Library, with woodwork in ‘Willow V’.

Speaking of the importance of eclecticism, all the art was chosen and sourced by Holly, a task that she takes great pleasure in undertaking, but doesn't always get the opportunity to do on projects. ‘A lot of the time, clients tend to say, "art is our own," or, "we'll choose that because it's very personal"'. In this case, the clients were happy to let her take the lead in curating what went on the walls. Swedish online auctions are her go-tos for buying artworks, as well as a selection of trusted dealers.

Working out the design of the custom joinery in the alcoves proved a challenge, due to ‘a quite awkward window’, and the existing fireplace (with added zellige tiles from Mosaic Factory, and surround painted in ‘School House White’). Farrow & Ball colours were also used on the woodwork (‘Cord’) and ceiling (‘Dimity’). The coffee table is vintage, another piece from Soap and Salvation, and the mirror hanging above the mantlepiece is Anthropologie.

The colour scheme throughout the house spans a lovely spectrum from deep earthy, cosy tones – such as chocolate browns and pea greens – to the more light and airy rooms, including the kitchen and main bedroom. The living room, however, is where Holly let loose with pattern, texture and rich layering. It's also her favourite space in the house, due to the challenges and surprises it prompted. ‘Quite often I would do a wallpaper maybe in a bedroom or very often in the downstairs loo – occasionally in a hallway – but I haven't been given free rein to do it in a living room,’ she explains. Beata Heuman's ‘Nettle’ monochrome wallpaper, despite having a busy floral pattern, is a neutral monochrome, so avoids shouting too loud in the space. Again, the visual balance is kept just right.

The bear painting was sourced from HÀM Interiors, and nods to the clients’ American background. Terracotta curtains (linen from Volga, made by Sew by Mila), create the perfect complementary colour foil to the green sofa, while a checkerboard jute rug grounds the space and adds a rustic texture. The vintage floor Lamp in the corner was found at Pamono, and Howe’s ‘Little Weed’ linen covers the pair of armchairs.

The sofa was another piece belonging to the clients, which Holly's upholsterer John Haswell covered in a green Howe linen. The catch? The fabric had been discontinued, and there wasn't enough to cover the back cushions as well, so an alternative green stripe fabric (Schumacher's ‘Horst Stripe’) was chosen instead – not part of the original plan but a very happy accident. It's this playful spirit of experimentation that really comes to the fore in this room.

While this may not be the clients’ forever home, Holly's clever use of the available space and budget has brought out best in this house, resulting in a charming fit for family life.

1/8In the utility room, the cabinet carcasses are Howdens, with bespoke details, deVOL knobs and painted in ‘Ribbon’ by Atelier Ellis. Delft splashback tiles are from Norton Tile, with a pencil trim border from Decorum.

2/8The cupboard skirt fabric is Robert Kime's ‘Tynemouth Ticking Blue’, and the wall light is the ‘Emerson’ from Neptune. The floor tiles were an existing feature of the house that was retained.

3/8The kitchen tap is a solid brass bridge faucet sourced from Etsy seller Vintouch, and the marble worktop is from Surrey Marble & Granite, as are all the worktops elsewhere in the house. The wall light is from Pooky, with a shade from Mulberry & Olive.

4/8A wall was knocked through to create one big bathroom upstairs. ‘They wanted a big vanity with enough storage,’ Holly explains. This was custom made, with a Carrara marble top, and skirt in a turmeric-yellow Beata Heuman linen. She adds that the wife ‘wanted it to feel like a calming and lovely grown up space, but equally, kids had to be able to use it’.

The wallpaper is ‘Cleeve’ in ochre and smoke by Cloth and Clover. ‘Dimity’ was used again, on the ceiling, and woodwork is in Edward Bulmer's ‘Warm Stone’. The cement tiles on the floor are Mosaic Factory, as are the bold blue zellige wall tiles. A lighter blue was chosen for the freestanding ‘Millbrook’ bath from The Cast Iron Bath Company – Little Greene's ‘Celestial Blue’ – while the linen shower curtain is from Etsy. Wall light fittings are by Jim Lawrence, with striped shades by Alice Palmer.

5/8In the primary bedroom, Paint & Paper Library paints were used on the walls and ceiling ('Powder I') and woodwork ('Powder III'). A dresser, the client’s own, slots into an alcove which is covered in Antoinette Poisson's ‘Baies’ wallpaper. Fabric in the same print covers the custom-designed headboard. The painting is from The Artful Home, and the fire engine-red bedside table is another Etsy treasure.

6/8The wall light is Pooky, with a shade from Etsy. On the bed is a plush eiderdown, made by Dearest Violet, in Schumacher's ‘Bergen Plaid’ cotton fabric. The curtain fabric is also Schumacher: ‘Teton Sky’.

7/8Holly created a cosy bedroom for the clients' two sons, with a Scumble Goosie bunk bed painted in ‘Hunter Dunn’ from Paint & Paper Library. Other paints used in this space are Little Greene's ‘Travertine’ on the walls and woodwork, and the deep tobacco yellow ‘Middle Buff’ above the dado and on the ceiling. The vintage rackets, used as wall decorations, are the clients' own, and the wall lights are Original BTC's ‘Hector Pleat Small’.

8/8The window seat joinery was designed by Vaughan Design and Development, and made by Cutting Edge joinery, with a seat cushion and scatter cushions in ‘Drach’ and ‘Tramontana’ by Gaston y Daniela, respectively. Guy Goodfellow's ‘Olive Sacking’ in cognac was chosen for the curtains. The handles on the drawers beneath the window seat are Anthropologie's ‘Lennon’ design. The stool was found at Soap and Salvation.