Why Traditional Lake District Interiors Inspire My Designs

National Trust Hill Top, Far Sawrey

I grew up in south Cumbria and, having lived away in my late teens and early twenties appreciated it all the more on my return. In fact, I now can't get enough of it! One of my main design inspirations is traditional Lake District cottage and farmhouse interiors.  On winter days I would love to come in from the cold to this sort of cosy interior with its dark wooden cupboards, fire glowing in the black range, polished pony brasses, rag rugs on the slate flagged floor, handmade rocking chairs, cat asleep on the window seat and the reassuring tick of an old wall clock.  It goes without saying that the pantry would be stocked up with wholesome and delicious food and everything would be set for a weekend of comfortable relaxation.  I don't mind if I am romanticising because I like them so much!

For me these imaginings inevitably lead to thinking about what sort of wallpaper, curtain fabric, and interior furnishings I would like in there, what people would have had through the ages, what would complement this style of interior and the beauty of the landscape seen through the windows. This is what I often think about during my design process.

I also wonder what it is about this type of interior that makes me feel so cosy and secure.  I think it is a combination of things; the proportions of the rooms, the vernacular styling of windows, doors and details, the dominance of natural materials, the visual evidence that human hands created the plasterwork, joinery and furniture and the sense that people have lived there for generations.

Two houses to visit when they open for the season in March are Townend, Troutbeck and Beatrix Potter's former home Hill Top, Far Sawrey, both managed by the National Trust.

Details from the interior of Hill Top, Far Sawrey

Details from the interior of Townend, Troutbeck