Shere Madness, Surrey Hills
A Victorian farmhouse is given a modern makeover by interior designer Charlotte Drinkall, creating a funky farmhouse vibe with Tannery Brown herringbone featuring in the living spaces.
Charlotte Drinkall, founder of interior design practice Shere Madness, has a passion for creating homes for her clients that look and function beautifully. This project though, was a slightly more personal one, as she looked to transform her own family home, a Victorian farmhouse in the Surrey Hills. âWe always saw the huge potential the property had. Over the years previous owners had removed a lot of its character and charm, something I wanted to bring back into the home. Weâve spent the last three years sympathetically updating it to reimagine the spaces and add modern character. We wanted to nod to the buildingâs original heritage, but with a modern twist â creating funky farmhouse vibes.â The farmhouse is home to two connected living spaces, and it was in this part of the house that Charlotte wanted to introduce wood flooring.
"The living room is in an extension that was carried out by a previous owner, and has lots of doors to the garden. Adjacent to this is what we call the piano room, accessible from the front door. When we moved in there was a pale beige carpet in here, but it was entirely impractical with the amount of foot traffic from outside. We wanted to change the carpet to something that would be hardwearing and not instantly show the dirt. The idea of a wood floor also sat nicely with the modern farmhouse vibe I wanted to create."
Charlotte revisited all of the V4 collections and Tannery Brown jumped out as the perfect fit for the project.
Our ZB206 Tannery Brown herringbone combines rich, warm tones with a distressed, rustic appearance. Chestnut brown tones wash across a randomly pitted surface and tumble distressed bevel, giving it a naturally worn and aged look. The boards are finished with a UV-cured natural oil which creates a lustrous glow that adds a modern appeal to the floor, and protects the wood.
âI loved the floorâs warm tones. It has its own strong colour that would hold its own with the other elements and colours in the room. And the size of the boards are great for creating a striking herringbone pattern that has a more up-to-date feel.â
Showing the versatility of our Deco Parquet boards, the living room features a mix of laying patterns creating a truly bespoke feel to the floors.
âWe originally had the idea of an inset rug in the middle of the room, but once weâd finished laying the floor we decided that it didnât offer us enough flexibility. Rather than just infilling the space in the same uniform way, we thought weâd add interest with the framed diagonal pattern. It has also worked brilliantly as a dance floor when weâve had parties.â
Character pieces and new modern elements come together in the design. The couple kept their piano and leather Chesterfield sofa, which brings a âGentlemanâs Clubâ vibe into that area, with more modern furnishings styled into the main living room.
âWhen it comes to my favourite things in these living spaces, I love the diagonal laying pattern on the floor, and the pendant lights. Also, the panelling behind the sofa disguises some very ugly radiators and instead of using mesh, we used a metallic sheer fabric which has worked really well.â
When the couple first moved into the home it was mid-October, and it was the beautiful autumn colours outside that started to inspire the colour palette for the rooms, with the turning of the leaves to oranges and rusts, and warming bonfires. But with so many doors featuring in the living room, the space becomes illuminated in the summer months and feels really light and bright.
âThe wood floors have been perfect to play to this change in seasonal ambience, feeling cosy and warm in the winter, and then having a beautiful golden glow when the sun shines into the room in the summer.â
Featured Flooring
ZB206 Tannery Brown
ZB206 Tannery Brown has a rich timbre of well worn leather with deep chestnut brown notes, with the edition of a randomly pitted surface and tumble distressed bevel that accentuates a time worn aesthetic. Tannery Brown is as well suited to modern design as it is to a classic country home or contemporary urban dwelling or work area. Sealed with coats of UV cured natural oil, this oak floor is given deep lustre that glows, whilst offering practical durability for use in throughout any living space. Unlike traditional parquet blocks, the Deco Parquet Herringbone range of floors are engineered with a thick oak top layer with bevelled edges bonded to a hardwood ply base, which means they can be bonded to any flat surface including over low energy underfloor heating systems. Available in matching Deco Plank DC206 Tannery Brown
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