Houzz Tour: Antiques Meet Modern Flair in this Dorset Stable Conversion
A quest for space led designer Henriette von Stockhausen to transform an old house into a chic home where she could showcase her antiques
A lust for natural light and more space for her burgeoning antiques collection attracted Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors to this converted former stable block. ‘It was built around 1730 and was converted a while ago, but it hadn’t been lived in for a couple of years when we bought it,’ says Henriette. ‘It was in pretty bad shape, but the main thing for me was the space: the huge windows, the light and the high ceilings – that’s what I fell in love with.’
Henriette’s previous home – a beautiful but small cottage, also built in the 1700s – was bursting at the seams with her collection of antiques, leaving little space for it, or her family, to grow. Renovation work on the rundown stable conversion took around 12 weeks and involved installing new heating and plumbing, as well as redesigning the interiors.
‘I wanted to respect the character of the house, but it was important for me to have a modern canvas for all my bits and pieces,’ says Henriette. ‘The finished house feels really current and I absolutely love it, but because I’m a designer, I’m always thinking about what I can do next. It’s never finished!’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Henriette von Stockhausen, her husband, three children and two dogs
Location Dorset
Designer VSP Interiors
Size 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Henriette’s previous home – a beautiful but small cottage, also built in the 1700s – was bursting at the seams with her collection of antiques, leaving little space for it, or her family, to grow. Renovation work on the rundown stable conversion took around 12 weeks and involved installing new heating and plumbing, as well as redesigning the interiors.
‘I wanted to respect the character of the house, but it was important for me to have a modern canvas for all my bits and pieces,’ says Henriette. ‘The finished house feels really current and I absolutely love it, but because I’m a designer, I’m always thinking about what I can do next. It’s never finished!’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Henriette von Stockhausen, her husband, three children and two dogs
Location Dorset
Designer VSP Interiors
Size 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Henriette was attracted by the property’s scale and the fact that nearly all the rooms have large windows. The entrance hall, however, is an exception. ‘There’s very little natural light in this part of the house and it’s quite compact,’ she says. She has still gone for a bold colour, though. ‘I believe small, dark spaces actually need stronger colours and definition. It’s a complete misconception they should be painted white,’ she says. ‘The bold colour here gives this space a real purpose. Everyone loves it when they come into the house.’ The wall paint is by Little Greene. The bench is an antique from Henriette’s grandmother’s house in Vienna that she had reupholstered in Ralph Lauren fabric.
The spacious living room is a feast for the eyes. It’s filled with a blend of old and new finds that shows Henriette’s love of mixing styles and eras. ‘It’s a busy room, but it’s very big, so it needed a bit of interest everywhere,’ she says. ‘When I walk into a room, I like to have things to look at, and this space always makes me smile.’ The Verdure wallpaper by Zoffany is a particular favourite. ‘I’ve recommended it to a few of my clients, but it’s been a little too much for them, so I had to use it myself,’ she says. Henriette sourced the slouchy sofas from Ikea, and hung the industrial-style light, from Rockett St George, quite low to create a soft pool of light in the evenings. The French armchairs are very special – they were Henriette’s first big antiques purchase when she was a student and have stayed with her ever since.
At the other end of the living room is the drawing room. Henriette wanted to create a cosy feel – somewhere she could pull up a chair and read by the fire. The busts and other artefacts on the tables are part of Henriette’s vast antiques collection. The fireplace, although it looks original, is actually a reclaimed antique French find from Wharton Antiques in Somerset.
The dining room houses more of Henriette’s treasured antiques. She customised her grandmother’s chandelier with new silk shades that direct the light down, rather than up. The plates on the wall celebrate her favourite colour – green. ‘The collection started off with majolica pieces from Spain, but it’s grown over time. There are some Moroccan, German and Italian plates now – anything works as long as it’s green!’ says Henriette. The wallpaper is Marlowe Floral in Sterling by Ralph Lauren, which Henriette is gradually customising by colouring in the birds with green crayon. ‘I do it whenever I have a bit of time – I’m definitely not finished yet,’ she says. The table is an antique find that Henriette has teamed with chairs from Belgian company Massant.
Bold grey walls feature heavily throughout the house, providing definition and an effective backdrop for the family’s art collection. ‘I absolutely love strong colours,’ says Henriette. ‘The rooms in the house are generally very big and I wanted the walls to stand out. White just wouldn’t have worked.’ The slate coloured paint, from Little Greene, adds drama to this part of the kitchen, making the painting – a present to her husband by Devon artist Rory Nugent – pop out of the scheme.
‘I wanted to mix antiques and modern furnishings to achieve a slightly more current look,’ says Henriette. The kitchen showcases her eclectic style to a T, with the antique tapestry and French armchairs happily coexisting with industrial-style pendant lights from Maisons du Monde. Because of the kitchen’s vast scale, Henriette had the table and benches made to fit the space, creating a beautiful, relaxed dining area where the whole family can gather. ‘We spend a lot of time with the children here, so chandeliers didn’t seem right. I wanted it to feel more relevant and a bit younger,’ she explains.
See ways to warm up elegant greys
See ways to warm up elegant greys
At the other side of the kitchen, an oversized clock from Maisons du Monde looks stunning against the grey walls. The other wall houses a collection of antique African winnowing baskets, collected by Henriette on her travels over the years. The ornamental chair came from her parents’ house in the Alps.
‘I didn’t want to see any machines in the kitchen,’ says Henriette, ‘so apart from the open shelving, everything else is hidden behind cupboard doors.’ The spacious kitchen is the heart of the house and the island was made extra large so the entire family can gather and socialise in this space. The trio pendant light is from Italian company Catellani & Smith and Henriette bought the bar stools from Rockett St George, her go-to shop for industrial-style purchases.
Henriette needed the flooring in the kitchen to be hard-wearing, as it endures a lot of footfall. ‘Polished concrete creates a seamless look,’ says Henriette. ‘It’s such a versatile material, and it looks very tactile and soft, with lots of movement in it. I love it.’
The corridor leading to the children’s bedrooms has been given a fun, circus-style makeover. ‘Before, it felt too serious and grown-up, so I hand-painted the stripes with the help of masking tape,’ says Henriette. ‘The stripes are the same size as the roller I used. It was so easy, and the children think it’s great.’
Henriette opted for a more calming tone in the master bedroom. ‘I love colour – and there is still a lot in here – but I needed this room to be a calming space,’ she says. Henriette inherited the chest at the end of the bed from her grandmother in Vienna. She sourced the mirrors in this room from Jonathan Sainsbury.
Get expert advice for decorating around a pitched ceiling
Get expert advice for decorating around a pitched ceiling
While the bedroom is more pared back than the rest of the house, there’s still plenty of personality in here. Henriette shunned traditional bedside tables in favour of an old architect’s drawing chest, and the etchings on the walls are details of equestrian equipment. ‘I’ve ridden horses all my life, so I collect anything to do with them,’ says Henriette. ‘There are 25 of these pictures, all depicting different bits of riding equipment.’
Henriette wanted to create a cosy feel in the master bathroom, which she achieved by decorating it with antique furniture and oil paintings. ‘I like bathrooms to look like rooms, and not just a utility space,’ she says. ‘We spend a lot of time in the bathroom, so I wanted it to feel comfortable.’
The dragonfly picture in Henriette’s son’s room is an Ikea find. ‘I have a lot of antique botanical prints, but they tend to be a bit graphic. This one’s a bit more jolly and my son loves insects,’ she says. The antique bed is dressed with Ralph Lauren bed linen.
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