My Houzz: A Dark Cottage Gets Merry and Bright
The characterful details and period charm of an English farmhouse make it the perfect place to celebrate a traditional Christmas
Transforming a dated cottage into a bright and cozy home was a challenge that Sian and Ian Ross took on happily when they moved into this 16th-century property in 2014. “When we first viewed the house, it was very dark and looked like a pub,” Sian says, “but something about it just kept calling me back, and I could really see the potential in it.” Fast-forward one year, and it’s now a welcoming space packed with character and charm.
When they discovered this 500-year-old cottage, Sian leaped at the opportunity to transform it into her dream home. “As soon as I saw this place, I just knew that if I lifted my style out of my old house and put it in here, it would work.”
Sian and Ian actually viewed the cottage four or five times before they decided to make an offer. “There were traces of bright red paint under the white on the walls, the beams were black, and everything else was brown,” Sian says. “There were even nails in the walls for horse brasses.”
Sian and Ian actually viewed the cottage four or five times before they decided to make an offer. “There were traces of bright red paint under the white on the walls, the beams were black, and everything else was brown,” Sian says. “There were even nails in the walls for horse brasses.”
But the couple could see the home’s potential, and it had many of the things on Sian’s wish list —beams, an inglenook fireplace and a separate dining room — so they decided to take the plunge.
Wall paint: Chalky Downs No. 4, Dulux.
Wall paint: Chalky Downs No. 4, Dulux.
The first thing Sian and Ian did when they got the keys was to lighten up the entire place, starting with the formerly black beams.
“When you sit on the sofa in the living room, you can see through the length of the house,” Sian says, “so I wanted to tackle the beams first, as I knew that would lighten up the entire space.”
“When you sit on the sofa in the living room, you can see through the length of the house,” Sian says, “so I wanted to tackle the beams first, as I knew that would lighten up the entire space.”
The couple moved in on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, and immediately started painting the beams. “By 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, we’d finished the entire house,” Sian says. She even gave the dark brown linoleum floor a coat of white paint as a quick fix to lighten up the space.
The two armchairs in the living room are upholstered in original post office sacks, which Sian found at a garage sale. The seats are covered in scraps from a linen curtain.
Floor paint: Old White, Annie Sloan; beam paint: Wolf (discontinued), Wickes; buttoned linen sofa: Rose & Grey.
The two armchairs in the living room are upholstered in original post office sacks, which Sian found at a garage sale. The seats are covered in scraps from a linen curtain.
Floor paint: Old White, Annie Sloan; beam paint: Wolf (discontinued), Wickes; buttoned linen sofa: Rose & Grey.
To add warmth to the living room, Sian and Ian ordered a wood-burning stove and planned to have it installed for Christmas. However, just before it was due to arrive, they decided to chip off the plaster (called “render” in the U.K.) in the inglenook to expose the bricks behind. Half the job worked perfectly, revealing neat rows of bricks, but then disaster struck.
“As Ian chipped off the render on the left-hand side, it all started to crumble and fall down, revealing a total mess behind,” Sian says. “Some of the bricks had been put in the wrong way round. We think perhaps there was a bread oven there before, and it had been roughly filled in and covered up some time ago.”
“As Ian chipped off the render on the left-hand side, it all started to crumble and fall down, revealing a total mess behind,” Sian says. “Some of the bricks had been put in the wrong way round. We think perhaps there was a bread oven there before, and it had been roughly filled in and covered up some time ago.”
“We didn’t know what to do, as the wood-burner was due to arrive imminently, so I put a plea for help on social media, and Damon Mackins of Kentish Restoration was recommended to us,” Sian says. “He was a lifesaver, as he knows so much about period buildings.”
Mackins built a new brick wall in front of the existing one and used lime mortar, as it was important to everyone that the home be restored using original materials where possible. He finished the wall at 10 the night before the stove arrived.
Mackins built a new brick wall in front of the existing one and used lime mortar, as it was important to everyone that the home be restored using original materials where possible. He finished the wall at 10 the night before the stove arrived.
Sian dressed the house for the festive period with lots of natural materials and wove glittering fairy lights and twinkling glass decorations throughout. “The cottage suits Christmas,” she says.
The dining room is a cozy space, with an open fire, vintage candelabra and glittering crystal chandelier adding to the opulent feel.
Parlane star lanterns: Next
Stable doors lead from the dining room into the kitchen, which is in an extension to the original part of the building.
Dining table: Bamboo Tiger
Dining table: Bamboo Tiger
The exit sign in the kitchen is another of Sian’s restorations. Ian rescued the sign from his work, where it was about to be thrown out, and brought it home for Sian, who demonstrated her creative flair by painting it soft white and suspending it with chains from the ceiling.
Ian also stripped back the brick wall in the kitchen. When they moved in, it was covered in a layer of plaster, but a careful renovation revealed the underlying brick, which contributes to the country cottage feel.
Crockery: Emma Bridgewater
Crockery: Emma Bridgewater
Sian describes her style as a mix of French, Swedish and vintage influences, and says she’s drawn to stone whites and French grays. This soft color palette runs through the rooms.
A natural wreath brings festive charm to a Welsh dresser, while a string of fairy lights provides sparkle.
Garlands of greenery and winter berries adorn the fireplace in the dining room and create a rustic feel.
The master bedroom is calm and cozy, with vintage furniture and a soft color palette. The carved oak French bed is an antique Sian found on eBay, and the vintage-style DAB radio was a great find from Aldi.
The soft palette continues in daughter Daisy’s room. The bed came from an antiques shop, and Sian painted it light gray. The screen was an online purchase; Sian covered it herself with fabric from a duvet cover. “I found a pack of two toile duvet covers, so I put one on the bed and used the other to create panels for the screen,” she says. “If I can’t find the fabric I want for a project, I’ll use anything: a dress, a cushion, whatever I can find.”
Toile duvet covers: Next; bed, Brocante
Toile duvet covers: Next; bed, Brocante
A new front door in soft duck-egg blue ensures that the home’s exterior ties in neatly with the updated interior.
See more of this Kent cottage
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
See more of this Kent cottage
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Sian Ross, who runs vintage furniture and homewares company Simply Chic; Ian Ross, an engineer for the University of Kent; their daughter, Daisy; and their dog, Ralphie
Location: Kent, England
Property: A cottage built in the 1500s
Size: Two bedrooms, one bathroom
“We’ve always lived in period homes,” Sian says. “New-build properties just aren’t for us.” Before they bought this house, the couple lived in a 1930s home, which was airy and bright. But, Sian admits, “Even that was just too modern for me; my style is much more suited to older properties.”