As a history buff who loves the Tudor family, I had to post this house this week.I saw it on Twitter a few weeks ago and it was no longer available when I tracked it down, but now it’s showing up Inigo So I guess the vendor changed agency. I think it’s a charming place, and although there’s no evidence that Anne of Cleves (her second divorce and rumored to be the only one to stay on friendly terms with her ex-husband’s tyrant) survived. , three of the survivors. Some historians believe it was part of a group of mansions given to Anne after her divorce. He had previously given it to Thomas Cromwell after taking control of it after its dissolution.
It also belongs to Jamie Theakston, and I thought he wrote about it when he sold it in 2015, but it seems it’s gone.you can see some pictures here. Interestingly, he lowered the price from £2 million to £1.85 million at the time, and now sells for £2.25 million, so it hasn’t gone up much in that time. It could be a reflection of the current housing market, the absence of a housing market in London, or simply, and perhaps best of all, the market plateauing and prices becoming increasingly affordable. It is possible that it reflects what is possible. Thankfully it’s not, but it’s something to be aware of. Prices in London have skyrocketed during this time and will still be significantly higher than they were eight years ago.
So, here’s a little tour. If you like dark beams, character, and whitewashed walls, you’ll love this. I was immediately fascinated by the tall windows in what should have traditionally been low-ceilinged buildings. I wonder if there was originally a staircase here, or if that is the effect of the slight steps in the windows.
One thing anyone who lives in an old cottage like this knows is that it tends to get dark between the low ceilings, dark beams and leaded windows (I grew up there too). . Here, the owners kept the walls white and added pale rugs and furniture to mitigate it.
I am often asked if it is okay to use color in an old house like this, and over the years I have given many examples where color works well. Subdued palettes of designer paints such as Farrow & Ball and Paint & Paper Library work so well and are soft. For example, blue, green, ocher, pink. Wallpaper can be tricky for obvious reasons, but this is probably an example of how a white background can be paired with furniture colors to keep a building as bright as possible.
If you spend a lot of time in your living room watching TV at night, you might want to darken it to make it cozier and more cinematic, just like in other era homes. . But above you can see that furniture, curtains and rugs have color, so that might be the method you prefer.
Another question that often comes up in houses with beams is how to hang the pictures. Above you can see them overlapping the beams. Probably because it didn’t fit inside the box. He could stick to one photo per beambox if he wanted, but I think he could just ignore them and just hang things where he wants. Going neat or more eclectic is up to you. Also, it can be maddening to try to hang just the right things, especially when the beams are irregular like here.
For me, this room is colorful and cozy, and the walls don’t need to be painted. Most of the furniture is lightweight to brighten up the space. Yes the curtains are short. I would still lengthen the curtains and bring the bookshelf a little further forward.
Another thing you can do, and is allowed to do, is paint the beams. It doesn’t have to be dark wood, and there’s no rule that it can’t be changed. It’s perfectly legal to paint the ceiling white to match, if desired. This will cause the ceiling to recede slightly, making it appear taller. That being said, they disappear visually instead of actually disappearing, so if you’re tall I prefer to keep them dark so you can see them and remember to crouch down maybe. My grandmother had plastered pieces of foam on some doors to assuage her warning and feelings.
The kitchen has been modernized since Jamie moved here and here is an interesting layout. He put the kitchen right next to the window in a more traditional layout and looked out over the garden while washing the laundry. However, many people use dishwashers these days, so it makes more sense to put the table near the light and the working area in the back of the room.
A distinctive feature of such old houses is that they are intricate in every corner and have many half landings. I spent years looking for a priest’s hole in my grandmother’s house, but unfortunately it was not there. But, like in this image below, she has an odd little space that doubles as a working nook, or just the perfect space to sit with her 20 minutes of tea with the sun streaming in through a particular window. There were many.
We are zoning open plan spaces to allow for the creation of different work areas, sitting areas and storage areas. So instead of getting frustrated by the odd angles of old houses, you can think about how to make the most of them. It also works great as a desk area or a little play space for your kids when you no longer have to worry about falling downstairs.
It’s not easy to use, but every bathroom is very photogenic and unique. Sloping ceilings and odd corners can make showering more difficult than bathing, and low ceilings can make getting up and out of the bath difficult. But now it’s the age of Instagram, so the photos are beautiful! Since this is Grade I listed, this can be a bargaining point as it can be a contest whether to move or add a bathroom.
Here, a bath is added under the bedroom window for even more headspace. But it’s in the bedroom, which was very 90’s fashion, but you don’t dare to take a shower there.
This bedroom is so beautiful. Again, notice the light-colored rugs and bedding. The curtains are too long here. It is often believed that small cottage windows require short curtains, but I disagree with that theory.
One of the points well illustrated here is the position of the mirrors to reflect light around and into the dark room. It’s probably angled specifically for this shot, but it’s still an easy way to make the most of natural light.
So who would imagine such a thing? Or a cottage with period beams. This made me miss my grandmother’s house with its unstable floors and low beams.
