My house was struck by lightning but now it’s more beautiful than ever

Each home has a narrative to inform – and this cottage by inside designer Jo Brown has collected fairly a number of through the years.

Situated on the foot of the Surrey Hills, in an space of ​​excellent pure magnificence with picturesque villages, bridleways and footpaths giving approach to vistas for miles.

‘Since I first moved in, the cottage has endured a number of tragedies,’ says Jo, describing the horror tales of a hearth, a flood, and even a lightning strike!

‘A lightning strike eight years in the past took the ridge tiles off, six years in the past a hearth destroyed the highest ground, so I lived in a rental for a 12 months whereas the work was carried out, together with new ceilings and home windows.

Most lately final 12 months’s flood meant I needed to transfer out for 12 months to get the home fully gutted.’ It is arduous to consider now, given the sense of calm that reigns all over the place.

From tragedy to triumph

After the flood, the home underwent intensive renovation. “I had diggers in the home who would dig all the way down to the muse and rebuild all of the layers within the floor (seven to be precise) to make the home sturdy once more,” says Jo. ‘The entire floor ground is now tanked and watertight!

Relationship again practically half a century, the cottage was constructed as a humble two-by-two-under, retaining its unique brick facade and coziness inside. It additionally had an intriguing historical past. ‘It served as a smoking home, the place all of the native meat was salted and smoked,’ explains Jo. “Once I moved in, the enormous pulleys for the meat within the fireplaces have been nonetheless there!”

Pure refinement

A complicated inside scheme consisting of impartial tones and pure textures dominates all through. ‘I like the outside and I like to make use of pure merchandise in my interiors, equivalent to tumbled limestone tiles all through the bottom ground, pure wool loop carpets upstairs and mosaic marble within the toilet,’ says Jo. She takes the identical strategy in her skilled work, as founder and basic supervisor of Tilehouse Studio.

Create a way of circulate

Jo had already improved the unique format when she first moved in. The kitchen was within the smallest room in the home, and there have been two good-sized residing areas.

‘I did not really feel prefer it. Transferring the sewerage, fuel and utilities to the bigger room was a problem, but it surely was value each penny and all of the complications related to that call,” confirms Jo.

Now a ravishing Charles Yorke kitchen takes heart stage, opening onto a light-filled conservatory. It is a cozy a part of the home, which inserts Jo’s necessities completely. “I prefer to cook dinner and entertain,” she says.

Respect the previous, make investments sooner or later

Jo’s recommendation to anybody coping with main renovations to a historic house is to search for a very good builder and in addition respect a property’s heritage to provide again within the course of.

‘I all the time encourage individuals to put money into actually good merchandise that do not age. Homes have been so properly constructed again then and the truth that we’re capable of restore them and put love again into them could be very satisfying and really satisfying.” Each home deserves a narrative with a cheerful ending.

Hall

Jo’s love of pure supplies and easy colours is clear within the hallway with an all-white shade scheme, limestone ground and many rustic textures.

House workplace

Jo’s house workplace is a quiet house away from the primary residing heart of the home. Traditional furnishings and vintage paneling create a refined look. Elegant submitting containers create handy house workplace storage that’s simple to entry.

Front room

The lounge is a big house superb for socializing. When deciding on the lounge furnishings, Jo opted for a symmetrical placement of furnishings and paintings, mixed with giant comfy sofas, to create an environment of relaxed formality.

Cozy

Tongue-and-groove panels on the partitions and ceiling and a barn-style door add a contact of nation attraction to the comfy house. It is a fantastic strategy, which makes the room look shiny, however nonetheless creates a comfy lounge ambiance.

Eating room

An vintage country-style eating desk with a scrubbed prime is mixed with high-back upholstered chairs to create a relaxed tackle the formal type within the eating room. Glass fronted show cupboards in a limed wooden impact and framed basic type prints additional full the look. Piles of basic English blue and white vintage plates, tureens and jugs make a ravishing show.

kitchen

Jo likes to cook dinner and entertain, so a customized kitchen was put in, providing loads of space for storing, counter tops with some pretty interval touches equivalent to a butler’s sink and basic countertop cupboards.

Conservatory

The conservatory results in the kitchen and provides further house to take a seat and entertain with mates.

Bed room

Jo’s aim for her house’s inside design was easy and earthy. Within the bed room, putty, taupe and French grey tones are fantastically mixed with panorama work in moody neutrals, in addition to loads of rustic textures.