My Houzz: Author Makes Her Home in a Quiet Corner of Hertfordshire
British novelist Freya North refreshes a dated bungalow to create an idyllic country home for her family
Back in 2010, when novelist Freya North quit London for rural Hertfordshire, England, she had an armful of reasons for making the move. She had split from the father of her children, Felix and Georgia, and her mother was battling cancer. “All these very emotional things were coinciding, and I decided I needed to carve out a tiny part of England to be my sacred and safe space,” North says. “A fresh start, new roots and a family home!”
The cozy sofa bed in the library was a hand-me-down from North’s parents when they moved to a smaller property. “The great thing about when your parents downsize is they say, ‘Would you like this sofa bed or this chair?’ And you say, ‘Yes, please,’” North says. “It’s helpful to have this because we have lots of friends to stay.”
North recently had a photo of herself taken for her latest book jacket by Charlotte Murphy, who mentioned that she also makes pillows. “I just fell in love with these suede ones,” North says.
The family’s cockapoo, Bee, also enjoys relaxing on the sofa bed. “He’s half dog, half teddy bear,” North says with a laugh.
Suede pillow: Murphy McCall
North recently had a photo of herself taken for her latest book jacket by Charlotte Murphy, who mentioned that she also makes pillows. “I just fell in love with these suede ones,” North says.
The family’s cockapoo, Bee, also enjoys relaxing on the sofa bed. “He’s half dog, half teddy bear,” North says with a laugh.
Suede pillow: Murphy McCall
“When I started house hunting, I was looking for a nice, detached, period cottage in its own manageable plot,” North says, “not a 1970s bungalow in 50 acres!” North added a porch, replaced the windows and encased the exterior in shiplap, painted off-white. “It’s very in keeping with the local vernacular,” she says.
Two garden baskets on top of the china cabinet in the dining area remind North of when she took care of a neighbor’s goats for a short time. “They were only little, the size of kittens, but they must have had springs in their legs,” she says. “They kept [getting] out of the stable, so we had a fun time with them.”
As a thank-you, the neighbor gave her the baskets with the children’s names on them. “My parents gave us an 18-tree orchard when we moved here,” North says, “so they come in useful when we’re gathering all the apples, plums, damsons and [greengages].”
China cabinet: Providence; china cabinet paint: Hardwick White, Farrow & Ball
As a thank-you, the neighbor gave her the baskets with the children’s names on them. “My parents gave us an 18-tree orchard when we moved here,” North says, “so they come in useful when we’re gathering all the apples, plums, damsons and [greengages].”
China cabinet: Providence; china cabinet paint: Hardwick White, Farrow & Ball
“I love jugs and often pick them up at craft fairs,” North says. “I enjoy making ceramics, but I can’t make jugs. I’m happy just to collect them.”
North broke off from her postgraduate studies in art to write her first novel. These two paintings in the dining area are by Robert Hardy, her former art school teacher. “No one has inspired me as much,” she says.
Chairs: Chinwag Beached, Loaf
Chairs: Chinwag Beached, Loaf
North converted one of the stables, seen here on the left, into a study where she writes. “It’s quite spartan, so there are no distractions,” she says.
North writes or does research every day. “I always have my nose in a book,” she says. This year is the 20th anniversary of her first novel being published. “Since then, I’ve lived in three different houses, had two children and written 14 books.
“The support on my writing chair is a ‘back friend,’” she says. “I’m evangelical about ergonomics, which is why I use a separate keyboard and prop up my laptop.”
The two side chairs, a bentwood and a Lloyd Loom, belonged to North’s late grandmother. A daybed and a fluffy rug from Habitat add a cozy touch. They also keep the study from feeling too formal, as do the pretty patterned curtains from John Lewis.
Hemnes desk and chair: Ikea
Photo by Freya North
“The support on my writing chair is a ‘back friend,’” she says. “I’m evangelical about ergonomics, which is why I use a separate keyboard and prop up my laptop.”
The two side chairs, a bentwood and a Lloyd Loom, belonged to North’s late grandmother. A daybed and a fluffy rug from Habitat add a cozy touch. They also keep the study from feeling too formal, as do the pretty patterned curtains from John Lewis.
Hemnes desk and chair: Ikea
Photo by Freya North
North took her time selecting the colors for the house. “Initially, I had everything white,” she says. “I do believe you need to settle in, see what the house tells you and how the afternoon light falls. It’s good to live in a place for a couple of seasons and experience a pitch-black countryside night, and then choose.”
Wall paint: Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball
Wall paint: Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball
It took about six months of work to transform the house — “although a house you love is an ongoing project,” North says. She opted for a contemporary, double-sided wood-burning stove to sit between the living and dining rooms. “Now it unites the two spaces with warmth,” she says. The artworks show Felix (in orange) and Georgia when they were little. The painting of horses above the wood stove is by Paul Guiramand.
Wood stove: Firebelly Stoves
Wood stove: Firebelly Stoves
The shelving beside the wood stove houses North’s DVDs and CDs. “I’m obsessed with film,” she says. “This is my collection. The kids have shelf space for their stuff in another unit.” The shelves are three Habitat free-standing units that have been mounted on the wall.
“The coffee table from Heal’s is made of bur oak, and I love it,” North says. “I realized that a couple of my oak trees in the woods here are bur oaks. I could make a cabinet out of them! But I love trees, so I’m not sure I could chop them down. I’ll just have to imagine how they would look.”
“The coffee table from Heal’s is made of bur oak, and I love it,” North says. “I realized that a couple of my oak trees in the woods here are bur oaks. I could make a cabinet out of them! But I love trees, so I’m not sure I could chop them down. I’ll just have to imagine how they would look.”
A comfy brown leather sofa sits at the far end of the living room. “This is our TV sofa where we watch the one and only TV in the house,” North says, “all three of us [squished] up on it!’
The striking artwork of North’s horse is by Sarah O’Toole. “I’ve had Nathan for 13 years and have taken lots of photos of him, but nothing captures his spirit like this,” North says. “It’s a huge piece. My mother saw it and said, ‘It’s like a shrine to your pony!’ I love it!”
The striking artwork of North’s horse is by Sarah O’Toole. “I’ve had Nathan for 13 years and have taken lots of photos of him, but nothing captures his spirit like this,” North says. “It’s a huge piece. My mother saw it and said, ‘It’s like a shrine to your pony!’ I love it!”
The kitchen flows off the dining space via a wide opening with no door. “This was a really dark utility room with black [linoleum] on the floor,” North says. “I wanted a Shaker-style kitchen and added a fake flagstone floor. The tiles are a composite and fantastically cheap.” The countertops are hard-wearing iroko wood. The butler’s sink came from a builders store.
Cabinets: Squarepeg Designs; cabinet paint: Shaded White, Farrow & Ball; flooring: Stoneham Flagstones
Cabinets: Squarepeg Designs; cabinet paint: Shaded White, Farrow & Ball; flooring: Stoneham Flagstones
“Tea towels are always needed in abundance, and I like these neutral colors,” North says. “I’m always on the lookout for a nice new one.”
A colored glass backsplash looks sleek behind the cooktop. “I don’t much like tiles as backsplashes,” North says. “This is glass with a colored film on it, so it’s pink. Unlike with tiles, there are no greasy marks staining the grout, so it’s very practical.”
There are three sets of shelving in the library for practicality and variety. These shelves made of medium-density fiberboard hold North’s vinyl records and her art books.
One set of shelves in the library is devoted to North’s own novels and other paperbacks. Her latest novel, The Turning Point, is seen here. “I’m taking six months off from novels to adapt it for the screen. I want to see if I can create a 120-page screenplay from a 120,000-word novel,” North says.
“My dad gave this chair to me when my parents were downsizing, but it will never be my chair; it will always be Dad’s,” North says. It’s a late-1960s design by Swiss furniture manufacturer de Sede. “There are photos of me as a baby sitting on it and of my children,” she says. “It’s a family heirloom and the most comfortable chair.”
Glass doors ensure that the library is flooded with light. The walnut shelves on the left are used mainly for display.
Walnut shelves: Heal’s
Walnut shelves: Heal’s
“I love my room; it’s a sanctuary,” says North of her downstairs bedroom. “I have two armchairs in here that I’ve had for a long time, and it’s where I have quiet time and just be.” The space is a gadget-free zone. “I work very hard to keep it tranquil,” she says. “Life involves so much running around. Here and the woods are my go-to places for peace.”
Armchairs: Designers Guild; wall paint (except around the bed): Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball; woodwork paint: Charleston Gray and Skimming Stone, both Farrow & Ball
Armchairs: Designers Guild; wall paint (except around the bed): Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball; woodwork paint: Charleston Gray and Skimming Stone, both Farrow & Ball
Custom ash shelves make a gorgeous feature in North’s bedroom. “That wall would have been very spartan without them,” she says. “I have some very personal pictures and possessions, and I tend to group them on these shelves. Everything here is of fundamental personal importance.”
Bed linen: The White Company
Bed linen: The White Company
Among North’s treasured pieces are some first-edition books and, to their left, a photograph of her father as a boy. “The embroideries are by my mum,” North says. “They’re based on Franz Marc paintings that I love.”
North made these pots. “One thing I never miss is my Tuesday evening ceramics class,” she says. “I’m pretty rubbish and can only do a few basic shapes using stoneware, clay or porcelain.” She doesn’t glaze her pieces, preferring to keep them raw white. “These little vessels look like they’re in conversation with each other,” she says. “I often give them away. Friends know at Christmas their present will be my new book and some pots. Always!”
North painted the white underside of the bath a bold fuchsia. “It just works against all the white in here and is so girlie,” she says. “I moved here as a single woman and thought: Right, I’m having a pink bath!”
Bathtub: Aston Matthews
Bathtub: Aston Matthews
The house is basically an L shape, with the short leg containing two floors with bedrooms upstairs. “I wanted the children to have exactly the same size bedroom,” North says. “When we lived in an Edwardian house in London, one of them had a tiny room, and the other had a huge one.”
“Georgia had a room makeover as her birthday present this year,” North says. “Her room was in a little girl style, so I gave her a budget, and she sourced everything herself, finding lots of things in the winter sales.”
The palette of soft gray and lilac gives the room a chic feel, while pretty blinds add a touch of pattern. Lots of pillows and a comfy throw from Cargo make it feel cozy and inviting.
Chandelier: Homebase; wall paint: Quartz Flint and Lilac Heather, Dulux; desk: Ikea; bed linen: John Lewis
The palette of soft gray and lilac gives the room a chic feel, while pretty blinds add a touch of pattern. Lots of pillows and a comfy throw from Cargo make it feel cozy and inviting.
Chandelier: Homebase; wall paint: Quartz Flint and Lilac Heather, Dulux; desk: Ikea; bed linen: John Lewis
Illuminated signs add interest to Georgia’s windowsill.
Arrow light: The Handpicked Collection
Arrow light: The Handpicked Collection
Twiggy, an English pointer, and Bee enjoy the house and its spacious grounds. “When I was a little girl, I was terrified of dogs. A family friend had an English pointer, and it helped me get over my fear,” North says. “They are big dogs but so quiet, gentle and sweet-natured.”
Felix was also frightened of dogs as a young child. “I knew I’d get dogs when we moved here, so I got an English pointer specifically to help him,” she says.
Felix was also frightened of dogs as a young child. “I knew I’d get dogs when we moved here, so I got an English pointer specifically to help him,” she says.
The house sits on 50 acres of land, and half of it is pasture for horses, with three woods full of ancient hornbeam trees. “It’s an incredible wood, which is extremely dense, so it burns very hot and slowly,” North says. “It used to be made into charcoal for the malting kilns used in the beer industry.”
North used a special Norwegian exterior paint for the property’s siding. “There is a big sky here, and we get a lot of weather,” she says.
“These are hornbeam logs from my woods,” North says. “They will be ready for next winter. I love piles of wood.”
North had new oak doors fitted throughout the house. “It’s [cold] in the countryside, and we needed them to keep the warmth in, while also looking beautiful and rustic,” she says. “I didn’t want to scrimp on the doors. They were quite pricey, but they make a huge difference to the feel of the space.”
Oak doors and ironmongery: Peak Oak
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.
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Oak doors and ironmongery: Peak Oak
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: Freya North, bestselling author of 14 books. Her latest novel, The Turning Point (HarperCollins), is due out in paperback in the U.S. on May 3. She lives with her son, Felix, 15 this month; her daughter, Georgia, 13; dogs Twiggy and Bee; and horse Nathan
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Size: Five bedrooms, four bathrooms
North had long dreamed of life in the countryside. “I wondered if it were possible to give my children an old-fashioned childhood,” she says. Thanks to a 1970s bungalow set on 50 acres of land, complete with stables and pastureland, that dream has become a reality.
North opened up and modernized the bungalow, while her children quickly learned to love the great outdoors. Now there’s ample space for the family, plus two dogs and a horse, and lots of room for North to write (a converted stable is now her study).
“Inside, the house consisted of loads of small rooms, so I sketched out what I wanted, and we created a semi-open-plan space,” North says. “I was after a sort of modern, New England Shaker feel.”