How A Luxury Hotelier Transformed Her 1930s Home Into A layered Georgian-Style Manor

Is a house ever finished? I hope not. For me, some of the most interesting houses are those that evolve structurally or decoratively – and ideally both.

The house in the New Forest we bought more than 25 years ago has many attractions, including a five-acre garden and uninterrupted views of the Beaulieu River.

However, when we moved in, it was no oil painting. Over the years, we have added, subtracted and revised so many elements that it now bears little resemblance to the house it once was.

Simon Brown

The most significant changes include adding a new roof with a steep pitch, moving the original staircase and expanding the footprint.

Today, after so many adjustments, it might easily pass for a late Georgian or early Victorian country house rather than a 1930s home, and the planting has done a great deal to soften any hard edges.

cosy living room with floral patterned sofa and rustic decor

Simon Brown

A sofa in the main living room is in Amherst Plumage by Jean Monro

While the interior has inevitably evolved over time, some elements have remained the same: the French limestone chimneypiece in the living room, for instance; the fitted bookcases; and the panelling throughout that lends the succession of downstairs rooms their distinctive character.

warm toned kitchen with red cabinetry, yellow walls and two cavalier king charles spaniels

Simon Brown

A combination of Designers Guild’s Antique Brick and a bright yellow paint brings a warm, vibrant look to the kitchen, a favourite haunt of Cavalier King Charles spaniels Bear and Rupert

Upstairs, particularly on the top floor, the angle of the roof has created bedrooms with an intimate country house feel, which I enhanced with large-scale florals all the way across the eaves.

Throughout these rooms, new pieces, including sculptures and a disparate array of objects such as Ethiopian water jugs, sit happily among older favourites such as a pair of shields from Papua New Guinea.

Unsurprisingly, the kitchen is the place where we spend much of our time. The orangery-style design offers long views down to the river. Cabinetry in Designers Guild’s Antique Brick was one of the most dramatic changes, which lends a wonderful spicy warmth, as does a sofa in the Ozone fabric I designed for Christopher Farr, which I also used for the blinds. It is a big space that comfortably accommodates not just the kitchen but also a breakfast table, a large dining table and a couple of seating areas.

a panelled room furnished with vivid fabrics and accessories

Simon Brown

The panelled room has been furnished with vivid fabrics and accessories

Outside, one particularly striking piece is a work by Tom Stogdon, whose sculptures feature in many of our hotels. He uses natural materials to create graphic forms with a huge presence. The sculpture we have installed here lends a focus to the terrace in front of the house, looking down to the river below. A perfect view.

See more of the house

country kitchen with red cabinets and two dogs

Simon Brown

Kit’s Cavalier King Charles spaniels Bear and Rupert in the Designer’s Guild Antique Brick kitchen

a console table topped with a pair of ethiopian water jugs

Simon Brown

The house displays a rich mix of artefacts collected over the years, including a pair of Ethiopian water jugs

Simon Brown

A bright red upholstered sofa stands out against the deep wood panelling

cosy bedroom with wraparound floral wallpaper

Simon Brown

In the attic bedroom, the bed is dressed in Kit Kemp’s Wiggle Room and Tweak fabrics, while the walls are pattern-drenched in a discontinued GP & J Baker floral