Houzz Tour: Evocative Textures Set the Tone in a St Ives Holiday Home
Eclectic artwork and stunning natural scenery inform the soothing palette of this elegant home from home in Cornwall
A stunning mid-Victorian terrace on the Cornish coast was the starting point for a stylish-but-cosy holiday retreat for the Harvey family. ‘The previous owners had a very individual style that didn’t suit the family at all,’ recalls designer Elaine Skinner. ‘We basically had to strip the entire place back and start from scratch.’
Elaine and the team at Camellia Interiors specialise in sensitive coastal renovations and answered the Harvey’s brief for a relaxed, understated scheme by layering up different textures to give it a lived-in, organic appeal. ‘The family wanted the house to feel homely and not “over-designed”,’ explains Elaine. ‘But it had to be a functional space where they could arrive on a Friday evening and feel totally relaxed.’
A palette of soft grey, white and yellow references artwork the owners wanted to incorporate into the scheme, as well as the local countryside. ‘We also spent a lot of time restoring a number of original features that had been removed or concealed in the property,’ explains Elaine. It was, she admits, a painstaking process, but the rewards speak for themselves. ‘It was always a beautiful house, but now we’ve put back its personality.’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here The Harvey family
Location St Ives, Cornwall
Designer Elaine Skinner at Camellia Interiors
Size 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Elaine and the team at Camellia Interiors specialise in sensitive coastal renovations and answered the Harvey’s brief for a relaxed, understated scheme by layering up different textures to give it a lived-in, organic appeal. ‘The family wanted the house to feel homely and not “over-designed”,’ explains Elaine. ‘But it had to be a functional space where they could arrive on a Friday evening and feel totally relaxed.’
A palette of soft grey, white and yellow references artwork the owners wanted to incorporate into the scheme, as well as the local countryside. ‘We also spent a lot of time restoring a number of original features that had been removed or concealed in the property,’ explains Elaine. It was, she admits, a painstaking process, but the rewards speak for themselves. ‘It was always a beautiful house, but now we’ve put back its personality.’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here The Harvey family
Location St Ives, Cornwall
Designer Elaine Skinner at Camellia Interiors
Size 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Muted Zoffany wallpaper creates a soothing backdrop that works in harmony with the gentle lines of the furniture. The original fireplace had been ripped out by the previous owner, so Elaine reinstated a design in keeping with the era of the house to rebalance the proportions of the room. The fire itself, however, is electric. ‘Because it’s a holiday home, we decided against a wood-burning stove as they require a lot of maintenance,’ she explains.
Wallpaper, Zoffany.
Wallpaper, Zoffany.
The family enjoy entertaining, so Elaine designed a bold kitchen-diner, with concealed appliances to keep the space relaxed. ‘The kitchen is at the back of the house and, unlike the living room, it doesn’t have a particularly nice view, so the interest had to come from within,’ explains Elaine.
An exposed-brick wall and splashes of yellow add interest to the room, which has been zoned to create functional areas within the limited space. Yellow Kartell dining chairs have been mixed with black ones to prevent to scheme becoming too homogenous. ‘It’s a little bit random, but when you have strong artwork throughout the house, I think it’s important that other parts of the scheme have a strong personality, too.’ A simple but stylish white dining table from Bo Concept completes the look.
Yellow Dining Chairs, Kartell. Dining Table, Bo Concept.
An exposed-brick wall and splashes of yellow add interest to the room, which has been zoned to create functional areas within the limited space. Yellow Kartell dining chairs have been mixed with black ones to prevent to scheme becoming too homogenous. ‘It’s a little bit random, but when you have strong artwork throughout the house, I think it’s important that other parts of the scheme have a strong personality, too.’ A simple but stylish white dining table from Bo Concept completes the look.
Yellow Dining Chairs, Kartell. Dining Table, Bo Concept.
‘The owners had always earmarked this painting for the bedroom, so we used this as our starting point – it really informs the entire colour scheme,’ explains Elaine.
The bedroom was originally much smaller with a large en-suite bathroom, which Elaine decided to reconfigure. ‘We made the bedroom much larger by scaling back the bathroom and reinstated the fireplace to inject some personality back into the space.’
The bedroom was originally much smaller with a large en-suite bathroom, which Elaine decided to reconfigure. ‘We made the bedroom much larger by scaling back the bathroom and reinstated the fireplace to inject some personality back into the space.’
Mustard yellow and grey accessories reference the bold hues of the painting in the master bedroom. ‘The gentle colours and Zoffany wallpaper are deliberately muted, as I didn’t want any aspect of the scheme to dominate the room – the artwork and the view do the talking,’ says Elaine.
The oak floor was stained with a grey wash to further soften the look, which is illuminated by St Ives’ famously beautiful natural light that pours in through large windows.
Wallpaper, Zoffany.
See why yellow and grey are a winning combination
The oak floor was stained with a grey wash to further soften the look, which is illuminated by St Ives’ famously beautiful natural light that pours in through large windows.
Wallpaper, Zoffany.
See why yellow and grey are a winning combination
Elaine converted dead space in the loft into a welcoming guest bedroom by layering up textures. Wooden panelling on the back wall lends a beach house vibe to the room, while the bold geometric rug adds energy.
Another guest bedroom in the eaves has been converted into a bunk room and den for the children. The beds conceal further mattresses that can be pulled out from underneath.
‘This room is all about the view,’ says Elaine of the pared-back bathroom scheme. ‘The bath is positioned to allow people to lie in it and gaze out of the window. It’s very simple but effective.’
The cinema room in the basement was a surprise addition to the house following a serendipitous discovery a third of the way through the project. ‘We had to take up the floorboards to lay pipes for the underfloor heating and the electrician discovered a cellar purely by chance. We had no idea it was there,’ says Elaine. The decision was made to excavate backwards, creating extra space that now houses a media room, wine cellar and home office.
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The owners deliberately shunned design classics, such as Eames furniture, in favour of a more original approach to their interior. ‘They have quite eclectic taste, which is infused with a touch of midcentury modern, so the challenge was to marry different pieces effortlessly,’ says Elaine.
A penchant for individual designs led Elaine to commission bespoke, handmade pieces – including the chairs and sofas – many of which are now available to buy through Camellia Interiors.
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