If ever there was a definition of a comfortable seat, it would be this home. A patterned seat, a colorful seat… the interior is an alchemy of ancient and contemporary objects that are as concerned with comfort and functionality as they are with visual appeal.
In late 2019 when Simon Rayner and his spouse, Jeremy Langmead, moved into their 17th-century farmhouse, they both had specific desires. Simon desired a residence with a long driveway that could not be seen from the street (it can, but barely).
When the garden gates are opened, there is a sense of entering a private realm. Jeremy desired to build a cozy rural getaway. The pair previously resided in a large-roomed Georgian home in Suffolk but desired a more relaxed, country-cottage lifestyle. This Grade II-listed, whitewashed residence touched all the right notes.
“Do we remodel? When they initially moved there, Simon pondered, “Should we relocate the kitchen to the far-off room?” “Because of the lockdown, we knew we would never be able to complete the construction, so we decided to use furnishings and furniture to make the house feel more like a home.”
A pub convinced Simon, a public relations professional-turned-entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, to return to his home county in the Lake District, where his family created the cookware company Lakeland.
Together with business partner Andrew Black, a former publisher at Wallpaper* magazine, Simon refurbished the 17th-century Hare & Hounds Inn near Windermere. Here, the decorating style is characterized by the same bold use of pattern and color that balances the antique wooden furniture. The result is a pleasant, homey ambiance that is both contemporary and unpretentious.
Similarly, vintage furniture in the home is anything but quaint. There is no resemblance to French shabby chic. In its place, there are painted Gustavian cabinets that the couple has amassed over the years, lending a Swedish touch. Add a hint of Tangier with the Moorish ottoman in the living room (acquired on eBay) to the striped ticking fabrics used as door curtains or sofa blankets around the house, and you have a decorating masterclass on layering.
Take, for example, the cozy living room in the oldest portion of the home. In this room, hand-dyed yellow linen blinds are coupled with silk ikat lamp shades, and a red linen chair with blue piping is upholstered by Pierre Frey. Susan Deliss, a textile designer and interior decorator, was responsible for all of these textile endeavors. The ottoman was designed by Robert Kime, while the striped jute log basket was created by Maison Bengal.
Except for the modest dining room, which is painted in India Yellow by Farrow & Ball, the walls are neutral. “If you removed the patterns, rugs, and paintings, the decorating would be bare,” explains Simon. “I believe we are moving away from spaces with strong colors where the furniture is practically an afterthought.”
Objects are organized ingeniously. A major piece, such as the green dresser from Framlingham antique dealer Dix-Sept in the kitchen, was the starting point, with accessories in a variety of designs and supporting colors bringing the room together in a colorful combination.
We didn’t want all the units to be the same color,” Simon explains of the addition of red and blue to the palette, which required more than 40 test pots to achieve the desired effect. “The red in the kitchen creates a feeling of warmth in the winter, while the blue offers a sense of freshness in the summer.” The cream-colored walls contain everything.
When you enter the large, light-filled living room at the opposite end of the home, the atmosphere changes from a cozy farmhouse to an exquisite country mansion. Patterns work in harmony, with jewel-toned pinks and blues as a reoccurring color pairing and the walls painted with Chocolate by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, a sandy brown hue. The sofas are upholstered using reused curtains from a previous residence.
“We enjoyed the process of building it,” remembers Simon. Jeremy, who spent the better part of a decade as head of content at Mr. Porter and is about to launch his skincare line, is famous for his impeccable taste and object placement expertise. Two creative individuals together… this is a highly stylish homemaking partnership.
