CAMBRIDGESHIRE FARMHOUSE
Floral stylist Karen Attwood feels nurtured by a calm environment so has decorated her Cambridgeshire farmhouse with a palette of natural shades and bouquets of fresh flowers
Floral stylist Karen Attwood is no stranger to the countryside –she’s lived in rural properties all over Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. But her attachment to the land goes even deeper. ‘My family has been farming for generations, so weekends as a child were spent working with the cows,’ she says.
So when Karen and husband Jules were looking to swap their 16th-century cottage in bustling Coggeshall for something abit more remote, she wasn’t put off by this extended Victorian farmstead just outside Saffron Walden, which shares a dirt track with only afew neighbours. ‘It’s pretty isolated here,’ she explains, ‘but Jules and Iknew it was perfect for us. It felt familiar and comforting, like the land was putting aprotective arm around us.’
Rectory Farmhouse required little in the way of building work and structural repairs. ‘It had already been extended to create the lovely light kitchen with averanda outside,’ says Karen. ‘I simply had to update that room with new worktops and a lick of paint on the previously dark green handmade units. It’s now such alovely sociable space, perfect for gatherings with friends and family who like to come over.’
Elsewhere, the pair ripped up a few old carpets. ‘They had seen better days, so we decided to replace them with natural floor coverings.’ They also fitted anew white and chrome bathroom suite and added marble tiles. They did the same in the en suite and repainted all the rooms with a fresh palette of off-white tones.
‘My style is quite minimal,’ Karen admits, ‘so this house suits me well. It doesn’t feel too traditional; while other people may crave period details such as coving and fireplaces, I’m happy with aclean contemporary style, layering various neutrals with just afew bolder items such as the grey sofas, afew painted pieces of furniture, chunky picture frames and upholstered headboards. Idid try painting aroom burgundy once, but Ifound I couldn’t relax; neutrals have ahugely calming effect on me, so I had to repaint it as soon as possible. And of course, being afloral stylist (@flowersandlifestylebymargot), Ihave fresh flowers in every room, and I believe the neutral backdrop makes them stand out much better.’
AT HOME WITH
Florist and floral stylist Karen Attwood and her husband Jules, who works in financial services, bought Rectory Farmhouse in 2012. They have a border terrier called Millie.
