{"id":5444,"date":"2022-03-11T10:00:30","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=27566"},"modified":"2022-03-11T10:16:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T09:16:15","slug":"a-19th-century-farmhouse-in-the-somerset-countryside","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-19th-century-farmhouse-in-the-somerset-countryside\/","title":{"rendered":"A 19th-century farmhouse in the Somerset countryside"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Molly Malsom\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 11 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Although it\u2019s been 15 years since Georgie Newbery left Paris<\/a> and the world of haute couture, her sense of style and love of good design haven\u2019t waned. She now runs a flower farm with her husband, artist Fabrizio Bocca, in Somerset, but working with the likes of John Galliano and American Vogue<\/i> has clearly left its mark: more often than not, a rope of pearls and one or two sparkly rings enliven her practical gardening gear.<\/p>\n

The couple met through mutual friends and, following a whirlwind romance during which they discovered a shared love of the countryside, Georgie was persuaded to exchange the glamour of Paris for life on a seven-acre smallholding in the South West. The idea was to live off the land, growing their own food and selling the surplus. Fabrizio, who had been an antiques dealer<\/a>, hoped to supplement their income with an ad hoc antiques<\/a> business on the side.<\/p>\n

They found a charming, double-fronted 19th-century farmhouse with outbuildings, which was perfect for their requirements, despite the need for total renovation. \u2018It was very damp and cold when we moved in,\u2019 recalls Georgie, \u2018and it had been sadly neglected for many years.\u2019 As had the land around the house, which she describes as the kind \u2018that inspired the saying \u2018chalk and cheese\u2019. Chalk being the Wiltshire Downs and cheese the thick Somerset clay.\u2019 Wonderful for raising dairy herds, harder work when trying your hand at subsistence farming, and they found it difficult to make ends meet.<\/p>\n

Sweet peas turned out to be their one consistent crop, and they sold them throughout the summer from a barrow at the farm gate. But it wasn\u2019t until Georgie received a beautiful bunch of flowers from a friend that the couple considered expanding their flower production. Now, eight years on, Georgie and Fabrizio\u2019s business, Common Farm Flowers, offers flower arranging workshops alongside producing glorious artisan bouquets.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> sustainable flowers: what are they and where to buy them<\/a><\/p>\n

With the growing success of their company, so the renovation of the house has edged towards completion, and is a far cry from the dilapidation of 15 years ago. Filled with many elegant antiques (a mix of family furniture and pieces the couple have bought together), Fabrizio\u2019s paintings and, even in the depths of winter, Georgie\u2019s beautiful flowers, it is very much an expression of the couple\u2019s shared aesthetic.<\/p>\n

Both have a magpie tendency and are drawn to a wide variety of styles. They are always on the lookout for antique bargains, and are regular visitors to local auction houses and antiques shops<\/a>. Georgie admits that most trips result in new-found treasures, so the furniture is in a constant state of flux. \u2018Local auction houses are great places for picking up furniture, especially unfashionable brown furniture like the pieces we collect,\u2019 she says, explaining that its appeal lies in the elegance, detail and layered patina<\/a> developed over generations of use.<\/p>\n

Georgie and Fabrizio have two children and family life takes place in the large living space on the ground floor. The kitchen<\/a> is dominated by an impressive dresser, which they created from a large antique base and a top designed and built by Fabrizio. \u2018It\u2019s huge, with lots of space to display our crockery, and I love the theatricality of the swoops and curves he\u2019s added at the top,\u2019 says Georgie. The mid-century<\/a> table, surrounded by a harlequin set of Ercol chairs, makes a stylish contrast. The table and the chairs were acquired piece by piece from local charity shops. \u2018If you look for matching sets they cost a great deal,\u2019 says Georgie, \u2018whereas odd chairs can still be picked up quite cheaply.\u2019<\/p>\n