Step Inside a Modern-Day English Home With Medieval Roots
When English designer Katherine Briggs had to relocate with her family to Warwickshire county in the English countryside, she wanted to find a period property rich with history and design potential. What she got was more than she could have hoped for.
The property sits in King’s Newnham village and dates to the Middle Ages, well before William Shakespeare was born in 1564 an hour away in Stratford-upon-Avon. At least one house was built and demolished on the land before King’s Newnham Hall was built in the 18th century, Briggs says. In 1923, a local farming family bought it, and they owned it until Briggs and her family bought it in 2020.
Since then, Briggs has embarked on a careful restoration of the home, bringing it up to modern-day standards while honoring its deep history. She didn’t knock down any walls but did convert some of the 10 bedrooms into bathrooms — there was only one before — and added original cast-iron tubs from the Savoy hotel in London. In the kitchen, white marble-look quartz countertops provide a durable work surface while nodding to traditional white marbles often used in Georgian times. A furniture-style plate rack and Aga range also honor the past with style.
Love it!
Very chic. Good to read that no walls were removed keeping rooms cozy and warm.
Stunning home! Love everything about it!
Love the simple light fixtures in the kitchen. Where did you get them?
Such historic respect while including modern comforts. Obviously a large financial undertaking yet there is nothing pretentious of stuffy about it. Right on!
Well done….perfect blend of old and new, not frou-frou , but tasteful.
Converting a REALLY old house to something modern takes a lot of thought. Clearly, this family gave the house respect and consideration during what looks like a daunting renovation. The outcome is spectacular- cozy and modern but retaining its history. Bravo!
Thank you for all of your positive comments regarding my house renovation. It was a labour of love but I saw potential in the property and wanted to restore it to its historical former glory, yet achieve a family home for five.
The lights in the kitchen are ceramic and from Pooky - one of my favourite lighting suppliers - showroom next to Chelsea Harbour, London but a good website too.
Ceramic lights are from Pooky - one of my favourite London lighting suppliers in Chelsea Harbour. They have a great website too.
Nice getting validation that my wall color choices are not too over the top and that a top designer would choose the same. I used the same color 20 years ago in my living room--it was a soft artichoke green and I loved it, as did my guests. Used the exact same color blue on my clawfoot tub (painted the feet white though). More extraordinary, I painted my hallway in 2020
, and to see her hallway with identical colors, wow!
Great job Katherine!
Thank you so much for sharing the photos - great colour combinations and I adore the bathtub and bathroom especially!
What a stunning home!
Beautiful snd so respectful anf appreciative of the period, yet very fresh!
Lovely modernization while being true to the house. I love that the original walls were respected.
It looks lovely and is so refreshing to find someone keeping the original room spaces and acting as a custodian rather than a stamper of what are inevitably temporary modern trends on a beautiful old house. But why introduce French chimney pieces from salvage instead of English? It makes them stand out for the wrong reasons. There is a beautiful Regency bullseye chimneypiece in one of the bathrooms that appears to be original, or at least early in the house's history, which could have provided a model for those that were missing. The raised hearth in the sitting room also looks wrong but that may be down to modern building regulations if the fireplace is to be used, especially if the original hearthstone had been removed. But a fender is an alternative and allows the hearthstone to be flush with the floor as it would have been in an old house.
Just watched the video tour and my personal favourite room is the sitting room. A truly tranquil space
You had really great vision. I love it.:)