Textile designer Zoe Davis and her husband James have transformed a Grade-II listed farmhouse with a vibrant pallet and vintage finds
The Davis family were living in a converted barn in East Sussex when they began to consider how they could live a more sustainable lifestyle. “It was a wonderful home for young kids, with a huge open-plan space for them to run wild in,” said Zoe, “but we were keen for a project – somewhere with land and the potential to become more self-sufficient.”
The first property textile designer Zoe and husband James looked at was a Grade-II listed, six-bedroom farmhouse with holiday cottages and outbuildings a few miles away, near Ticehurst. The couple then viewed a selection of other houses but ended up coming back to the farmhouse. “It was more work than we had considered, but it just felt right,” recalled Zoe.
In July 2015, the property was theirs and they moved in with children Oli, Freya, and Sam. Their priority was getting the holiday cottages overhauled so they could start generating an income. The main house was dated and needed new electrics, plumbing and redecorating.
In the kitchen, Zoe kept the existing units and tiles but painted them in vibrant blue and pink. A large table surrounded by colourful chairs sits at one end of the space. “My father- in-law was a builder and when he retired, we inherited a number of work benches – so we turned one into our kitchen table,” explained Zoe. “Obviously it’s been scrubbed a fair few times since then but he’s still a little nervous eating off it!” The biggest project in the house has been the bathrooms, which were completed in 2017.
“The house has low ceilings and small windows which is lovely and cosy when it's cold and dark outside but, in the summer, it can sometimes feel oppressive,’ said Zoe. In an attempt to optimise the light, Zoe started off by painting most of the downstairs walls white but was uninspired by the end result. “It made it feel gloomy. We realised that painting it darker gave a warmer, more inviting feel and the brighter colours worked better against the exposed brickwork and beams,” she recalled.
Zoe has included plenty of vintage finds. She is guided by putting together things that she loves rather than overthinking whether or not they tie in with the rest of a room scheme. “I love visiting auction houses and we have collected a lot of our furniture from them over the years, including the butcher’s block, benches, chairs, stools and old lamps that we’ve had re-wired. I get very excited about a bargain and love restoring and reupholstering projects,” Zoe said.
Back in 2003, the couple’s work took them to China for four years. They lived in Shanghai – a place which provided a great deal of inspiration. They sourced their hand-made teak bed there, as well as the antique Tibetan chest which is used as a side table in the sitting room. “It was one of the first pieces of furniture Jim and I bought together. It is unusual to find one that size and has become such a useful storage space,” Zoe said.
In addition to the main house and cottages, Zoe and James have converted another outbuilding into an office and studio for Zoe’s textile business, Zobo Designs. Her vibrant fabrics can be seen peppered throughout the house, notably lining the walls in the upstairs corridor. “Our next project is to add a modern kitchen extension,” said Zoe. “We are also keen to restore some original features, including the windows that are currently a bugbear. Plus, we are investigating alternative energy sources to make the whole set up more efficient and environmentally friendly.”
The age of the house inevitably means it has its own charm. “Through the years, it has subsided (although remains structurally safe), and while that might have put some people off, it gives the home a wonderful quirky feeling,” said Zoe. “My sister is an architect and can’t bear that there is not a single right angle in the house!"
The property entails a lot of work but luckily the Davis’s admit they aren’t very good at doing nothing. “It is definitely a lifestyle choice as there is always work to be done – in the veg garden, with the animals, the holiday cottages, fixing and maintaining the buildings and the land, the list goes on,” said Zoe. The animals Zoe is referring to – in addition to Labradors Luna and Buzz and cats Lola, Blackberry and Simba – are pigs Chop and Bongo; alpacas Moji and Monsoon; plus, chickens, runner ducks and guinea fowl!
Keeping the animals has been a huge learning curve and they have had their fair share of mishaps. “There have been pigs on the road, escaped alpacas, a holiday guest who had to call for help when 50 sheep decided to herd themselves into the cottage garden...” revealed Zoe.
It’s clear, however, that the family relish their new lifestyle. “With what's been happening in the world over the last few years, I will never underestimate how lucky we are,” expressed Zoe. “When I breathe in country air, I can physically feel the stress leaving my body. I love the open space, the greenery and being surrounded by the animals.”
Photographs: Richard Gadsby/Living4media
Words: Amy Maynard/Living4media
For more on Zoe’s textiles visit: zobodesigns.com