The sitting room of an Arts-and-Crafts house in the Surrey Hills has been brought to life with a palette of lively colours.
Interior designer Sarah Peake was first invited to see this Arts-and-Crafts house in the Surrey Hills before her clients were handed the keys.
‘They initially intended to use it as a weekend bolthole, but when their working lives were transformed by the pandemic, their plans changed and the project became a full-scale renovation of the house.’
The main structural changes to this space included redesigning the window seat, so that it had generous storage underneath, and creating a bookcase in a deep and dark alcove to the side of the chimney breast.
As well as providing extra sitting space, the window seat offers storage underneath, and the bookcase fills a difficult space in the corner of the room, creating interest.
The aim was to create a relaxed space, but first the designer went down what she describes as a ‘research tunnel’ into the history of the Arts-and-Crafts Movement to ensure the scheme would be sympathetic to the architecture of the house.’
The colours in a rug by Tim Page provided a starting point for the other fabrics. ‘The house can sleep quite a few people, so it was important that there was sufficient capacity to accommodate everyone — hence all the perching spaces,’ explains Ms Peake.
Alongside antique pieces of furniture, including an armchair and a pair of side tables, are a sofa and armchair by George Smith. Both are upholstered in Milano linen by Claremont, one of the designer’s favourites.
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