Refined style
Carefully chosen antiques, period details and a pared-back palette set the tone for this 19th-century brick-and-flint cottage in Norfolk
Gillian Harwood leads a busy life, dividing her time between homes in London and Norfolk. She thinks nothing of rising at 5am in order to miss rush-hour traffic and heading to Norfolk, where as often as not she’ll meet a friend for an early breakfast before a business meeting. She bought her terraced cottage in the village of Holt five years ago and finds it ideal for brief visits which, due to her full schedule, rarely last as long as she’d like.Until recently she ran a large historic building in north London, which she’d converted with her late partner into studios and individual work spaces. New ownership has given her time to concentrate on new projects, such as the redevelopment of Great Yarmouth, an hour’s drive from Holt.
Wine glasses are kept on the shelves of the 18th-century oak corner cabinet. The Staffordshire dogs on top belonged to Gillian’s antiques-dealer mother, Maggie Harwood: ‘She was amazingly fond of Staffordshire dogs and always had several pairs on view’; 
Gillian bought the Edwardian wing chair and the portrait of a Regency lady in one of Hastings’ many secondhand junk shops during the 1960s. Walls, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hardwick White to emphasise the feeling of light and space, are contrasted with subtle accents of red such as the ticking-stripe fabric on the child’s wrought-iron bed, the window blind in fabric sourced from Antonia Graham and the earthy tones of the oriental rug. The tea chest used as a coffee table belonged to Gillian’s father. 
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was a thriving port for the herring fishing industry, and much of its architecture dates from that period. But its importance as a port has declined, and likewise many of the buildings. Gillian first visited the town 10 years ago and, having experience in repurposing redundant period buildings, she wanted to ensure that Great Yarmouth’s potential for regeneration would be recognised before it was too late. ‘Housing there is more affordable than in many other towns, and it’s encouraging that there is a growing community of artists and designers.’ Before lockdown she bought a defunct 19th-century pub, which she’s currently converting into two holiday ats. ‘Hopefully I’ll be welcoming the first visitors before the summer is over,’ she says.
‘I’m very fond of Norfolk,’ says Gillian, ‘and when I saw this cottage was on the market I drove down immediately and made an o er the same day.’ Exactly who built the terrace in 1830 is unknown, but whoever it was had a taste for the decorative – an ornate brickwork ogee archway frames each front door. At the rear of the property there is a communal alley that provides access to the bins for rubbish collection. ‘I knew that, with a bit of TLC, my section of the alley could be transformed into a secluded li le courtyard garden,’ Gillian says. ‘It’s now my summer living area, scented with climbing roses and clematis.’
The interior underwent a similar levelling-up process. Gillian immediately set about instilling warmth and character into what had been a cheerless, tenanted building. ‘I’ve done up numerous properties over the years, and my guiding principles were to keep to a budget, keep it simple and to give it character by reinstating some period details.’ So, out went the woodchip wallpaper, along with a faux-wood floor in the si ing room, which she replaced with reclaimed wide wooden floorboards. In the kitchen and hallway, Gillian chose traditional Norfolk pamment clay tiles and had them made in a paler shade to bring light in. ‘They’re thinner, too, so that when laid on the screed, the floors were level with that of the si ing room.’
Doors on the ground floor were replaced with reclaimed period doors and door furniture. ‘Fortunately, the doors upstairs were the original ones.’ Panelling, which lines the walls of the si ing room, was made by Gillian’s carpenter from MDF, to which he applied a simple moulding. ‘He also used recycled timber off -cuts to fashion a flat-fronted mantelpiece that surrounds the existing vintage-style re insert.’ The finishing touch was painting the walls in Farrow & Ball’s Clunch.
This blue-and-white fan-shaped Willow-pattern dish was bought in the Holt shop of Richard Scott, a specialist dealer in china and porcelain; 
when displayed together, everyday household objects such as this group of well-used scissors and a vintage corkscrew are given added visual interest. The Tunbridge ware tea caddy was a present from Gillian’s mother-in-law, who lived in the Kentish village of Staplehurst; 
Gillian meticulously planned the compact kitchen, which opens onto the rear courtyard. Units were supplied by Howdens and painted in Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue, with walls in Farrow & Ball’s Clunch. Concealed by the fixed panel of the ‘door’ on the left-hand side is a freestanding fridge. The plate rack is from David Mellor.
Gillian tells her guests the worst thing they can do as weekenders is to arrive with a car full of groceries, and this mantra applies to the furnishing of her weekend home, as well as the store cupboard: ‘I’m lucky in that Holt has excellent food shops and cafes, so there’s no need to bring anything. Similarly, there is no shortage of places to source antiques and bric-a-brac, so whenever I’m here I do a trawl of my favourite shops and markets.’ Gillian’s mother, Maggie Harwood, was a Putney-based antiques dealer, and Gillian clearly inherited her air when it comes to organising objects into a pleasing arrangement. ‘My mother had a way of making even the most mundane collection of things look covetable.’ Gillian felt it was important to create a sense of order in such a small cottage, so whilst she adores antiques, she’s been strict with herself about not letting it get cluttered.
The original handrails on the staircase were stripped of layers of paint and dark varnish. The framed prints, costing £15 for the four, came from Steve Wright in Streatham, while the colourful tassels were junk-shop finds; 
a gathered bed cover in vintage chintz adds a decorative touch to the guest bedroom; the main bedroom is simply furnished with a mix of art and antiques, bought locally or inherited by Gillian from her mother. A Chinese Chippendale-style mirror hangs above the dressing table, 
which was a bargain due to the crack that extends across the marble top; 
a circular Regency pottery plaque found in a junk shop adds the finishing touch to a display of Staffordshire figures and jugs on this bathroom cabinet, painted in Annie Sloan’s Old White.
‘The paintings in the si ing room were my mother’s and, although they look impressive, Christie’s informed me they were of li le value. The oak bureau was also my mother’s and the slightly battered appearance ts in well here, where virtually nothing is new,’ she says. Other furniture, all of which was bought locally, is in keeping with the proportions of the rooms: a decorative child’s wrought-iron bed takes the place of a sofa, and armchairs of varying sizes provide additional seating for her frequent weekend guests: ‘I do get quite a lot of repeat business,’ she says, laughing. catchthetide.net
‘My guiding principles were to keep to a budget, keep it simple and give it character by reinstating period details’
