Country Homes & Interiors – September 2019

H

avingseveralhundredyearsofhistory

tocontendwithalwaysmakesa house

renovationmorecomplicated.For

StephanieandStevenThorne’s17th-

centuryfarmhouse,itsepicagemeanta challenging

journeyasthecoupletransformedthedatedinterior

intoa gracefullyrefinedmoderncountryhome,

learningplentyaboutitspastalongtheway.

Thefarmhouse,setromanticallyamidacresofDorset

countryside,wasnevergoingtobea projectforthe

fainthearted,butStevehadlearntfromtheexperience

oftwopreviousrenovations.‘I discoveredit bychance

whilebrowsinga propertywebsite,butbecauseI’d

promisedStephthatourexistinghomewouldbe

thelastI’drenovate,I wenttoseeit onmyownfirst,’

saysSteve.It wastheheightofsummerandhewas

beguiledbythepropertywithitsextensivegrounds.

AssoonasStephaniewasonboard,thecouple

boughtthehouseandbegantoplotitsinterior

transformation.‘Ourpreviousprojectshadbeen

moreindustrialinstyleandnowherenearasoldasthis

house,sowewantedhelptomakesurewegotit right,’

saysStephanie.‘Welovemutedtones,neutralsand

light blues for understated elegance, and we didn’t

AT HOME WITH...

OwnersStephanieThorneandher

husbandSteve,whois theCEOofa

creativecompany.Theyliveherewith

Steve’ssonConnor,24,aswellas

identicaltwinsSiennaandNola,13.

There’salsoBrodieandBria,the

family’stwogoldenretrievers,Troy

thePyreneanmountaindog, 10

hensanda tortoisenamedDude.

Thefamilymovedtothe

farmhousethreeyearsago.

HouseA 17th-centuryfarmhouse

with eight bedrooms.

Kitchen
A rusticinsetceiling
bringsa countrycottage
feeltotheextension.
Suffolkkitchen; lantern
pendants, both Neptune

>^

COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS 17

DORSET FARMHOUSE