INSPIRING
Tucked away in a woodland on the North Norfolk coast, a former garage has been carefully updated with a modern rustic aesthetic and sustainable approach inspired by properties from around the world
EXTERIOR
Sarah and Daniel Morton outside their home.
The house stands in a woodland clearing. The dramatic charred exterior cladding is by Toasted Wood
HOME PROFILE
Sarah and Daniel Morton, who co-run Blackwood Norfolk, a holiday lets business, and their children George and Charlotte
A three-bedroom house, which was previously a two-storey garage block, in West Runton, North Norfolk
LIVING ROOM
Earthy colours and varied textures feature in this laidback space. Chair, Imprint House. Linen cushion, Pampa. Side table, Galvin Brothers
LIVING ROOM
A coffee table provides a focal point in the seating area, surrounded by handcrafted objects. Sofa, Tine K Home. Coffee table, Galvin Brothers. Walls in Oyster, Fenwick & Tilbrook
North Norfolk may not share much in common with Scandinavia, Byron Bay or the Mojave Desert, but the interiors in homes in these distant locations provided the inspiration for Sarah Morton’s light-filled house in a woodland clearing by the sea. She moved to the Norfolk coast with her husband Daniel and their children George and Charlotte in 2018 and set about converting a one-time outbuilding into a modern rustic home. ‘It was a two-storey garage with an office upstairs, painted yellow,’ remembers Sarah. ‘Not beautiful – just very functional.’
But though she has gathered ideas from around the globe, her aesthetic is also in tune with the local landscape. ‘Our home is set in protected woodland and I’ve tried to bring the organic feel of nature into the interiors,’ she says.
The North Norfolk coast has always felt special for Sarah and Daniel, who had holidayed here as children, so when they decided to swap commuter life in Hertfordshire for a rural setting, it felt natural to look here. ‘There’s something calming about being within reach of the sea,’ says Sarah. Daniel adds: ‘It’s opened up new activities for our children too, such as sailing and watersports. It feels as if they’ve been able to hold on to their childhood for a little longer.’
Moving here also heralded fresh careers for Sarah, who had been a corporate lawyer, and Daniel, who worked in the City. Now they run holiday lets, with Sarah designing the interiors. ‘I’ve discovered my personal style – ablend of favourite elements from Scandinavian cabins, Californian desert homes and Australian beach houses, all reworked for the British climate,’ she says.
As the couple started planning the renovation, Sarah contacted Australian designer Natalie Walton via Insta
