Think of a cozy home that would belong in the Cotswolds — natural woods, printed florals, muted shades, durable fabrics, heirloom antiques — and you’ve just envisioned English country design. These Northern Virginia homes’ interiors all have English countryside–inspired elements, and the design experts let us in on their process.
Unfussy Elegance
Storie Collective founder and creative director Sara Swabb updated a 2005 Craftsman in North Arlington to fit her clients’ desires for a modern yet livable upgrade. She incorporated natural stone, raw wood, antique furniture, warm colors, and performance fabrics to create an accessible living environment that was both beautiful and “unfussy” for her clients.
A wood-burning fireplace in the living room already gave the home a cozy and welcoming feel, Swabb says. She retained the Craftsman bones while adding Old-World charm with details such as Victorian moldings. Natural stone surfaces like travertine and slate may already have “some imperfections and a tactile quality to it, which is consistent with English country style.” Fixtures, such as an Urban Electric light fixture that’s “a modern take on an old lantern,” can be a way to incorporate English country influence without going overboard if you’re hesitant to lean too far into it, Swabb says.
Swabb also added warmth with textured fabrics (many from U.K. vendors); vintage and antique furnishings sourced from places including 1stDibs; raw and reclaimed wood; and nature-inspired hues. An ochre-colored chaise lounge by Amber Interiors in the primary bedroom was “an elevated way to bring in color for a house like this,” Swabb says.
A reclaimed pine kitchen table from Elsie Green adds a rustic element that, Swabb says, works well alongside finished wood pieces. She encourages those seeking an English country style for their homes not to be afraid of mixing “wood finishes and wood species and stones and stone species. As long as it’s all natural, it’s OK to mix those. And I think that is something that English country homes do really well. If it’s natural, it’s OK to mix, it’s OK to break some rules, but doing it in a very sophisticated and subdued way is the way to accomplish that.”
Cozy Cape Cod
When a couple decided to move closer to family in Arlington, GTM Architects took on the challenge of designing a functional Cape Cod–style home with Steve Smith of Ventura Group LLC as the builder. Both the home’s construction and its interiors have elements of English country design.
The couple wanted “earthy tones, high-end materials, paneling, siding … [and] reclaimed pieces,” says architect Luke Olson. They requested a boot room — the British version of a mudroom — with a side entry space where the homeowner imagined herself throwing off her boots after gardening.
Another custom feature is a reading nook with plenty of space for book-filled shelves off the sloped-roof, second-floor landing. In the study, the homeowners worked an antique fireplace into the paneling in the room and collaborated with a company in Pennsylvania for the stick work. They chose reclaimed wood for the flooring and added touches like a grandfather clock to tie it all together. An antique secretary desk serves as a space-saving, quintessentially European addition that speaks to the project’s style and functionality.
Packing a Punch
“This space feels otherworldly,” says Kristin Harrison, founder and principal designer of Georgia + Hunt Design House, of the powder room she helped design in a McLean home. “I find in British design, they rely less on large square footage when designing and can make even the smallest of spaces impactful. This philosophy is something we abide by as a firm. Instead of small spaces being forgotten, we really try to amplify them so that it’s an experience when you walk into the area.”
For a very small powder room, Harrison says they “relied on natural materials — a custom marble sink basin, an antique wooden mirror, and then we wrapped the room in a beautiful printed wallpaper that immediately transports me to the English countryside.”
Feature image courtesy Stacy Zarin Goldberg
This story originally ran in our November issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
