LEICESTERSHIRE HOUSE
Helen Parker’s tucked-away house gave her space to express herself after the end of her marriage, and is the heart of her new love affair with village life
EXTERIOR
Helen walked past the cottage for a number of years before snapping it up when it finally came up for sale
HALLWAY
Helen’s home is filled with vintage finds that give it a welcoming vibe, while the tiles add a subtle hit of pattern
Helen Parker’s trajectory in the design world happened, in part, because of a chance meeting with Paul O’Leary, co-founder of deVOL Kitchens. Helen was working as a manager of the delicatessen in a neighbouring village. As she got into her car after work, suddenly a stranger jumped into the passenger seat. After assuring her he had no ill intentions, Paul said he had been watching her at work and thought she was the perfect person to manage the small furniture showroom he’d opened with his design partner. She told him she had none of the skills needed for the job.
Paul convinced her to go home and draw a plan for the kitchen of her dreams. Helen decided she had nothing to lose and accepted the challenge. The next day, she slipped her plans under the door of deVOL. Not long after, she was selling the kitchens. And as the business grew, she designed the new shops. Fast forward to today, and Helen has now been working with deVOL nearly 20 years and is the creative director of the company.
After Helen’s kids, Max and Zoe, had grown up and she and her husband had separated, she and Paul began dating. Every time she walked to Paul’s from the small place she was staying in, she saw a house that called to her. ‘After many years of marriage, I bought a little mouse house – it was a tiny cottage. I then started going out with Paul and he lived down the road,’ she says. ‘Whenever we walked by this house I would always say, “I love that house so much.” When it came on the market, I bought it. I’ve loved doing it up. Now when we go to antiques markets, I can also buy for my own house.’
Helen wanted her home to feel comfortable and inviting, and she achieved this with her signature relaxed style, complemented by vintage finds and items with sentimental meaning. Pelargoniums and other houseplants bring life to the rooms. While she spends much of her time at Paul’s house, when her children come to visit, she loves to spend long hours with them gathered in her own kitchen, cooking and catching up.
The kitchen is definitely the heart and soul of the home, with cabinets from the deVOL showroom. The floor, in black and white marble squares, lo
