LIV Chats To…Rustic Lover Ana About Her Beautiful Vintage Home
This week we're chatting to ANA from @spinks.nest.cottage- her HOME mixes reclaimed vintage and modern rustic STYLE.
Hi Ana, first things first, please can you introduce yourself?
Hi, I am Ana and I work in the IT industry.
I spend all my “free” time running Spinks Nest — a bijoux boutique holiday cottage in North Norfolk — and finishing off Riverbank, our home.
Please tell us more about your stunning home and how
@spinks.nest.cottage came about?
We were in search of a weekend bolthole from our busy London life and organised a 3-day house hunting trip to Norfolk with house viewings arranged every single day. Luckily for us, these two little dilapidated Norfolk cottages were in probate and had only just come onto the market.
Fate played its hand and we knew instantly that we’d found the house for us. It was just what we were looking for; situated in an idyllic rural location with a thriving village pub just a stone’s throw away and close to a small market town, but the main factor was down to its location and aspect within this sleepy hamlet.
Riverbank as the name suggests is situated by the side of a river with woodland views. It’s a far cry from the hustle and bustle of London. It was love at first sight and we submitted an immediate offer and our renovation journey began. @spinks.nest.cottage came about as a way of documenting our journey and very quickly has become a great community for us.
Please could you describe your interior style? has it always been the same or has it evolved over time?
Our original interior design style was modern rustic but as the design process progressed we steered towards a more vintage style. A meeting of reclaimed vintage and modern rustic is possibly the best way to describe our interior style, with quirky, fun elements and a touch of drama.
We have introduced modern elements throughout with the clever use of materials – micro-cement in the bathroom, strip-boards on the ceilings, light pink pamments on the floor, zinc sheet in the kitchen, modern appliances and well-designed mood lighting.
Our style was driven by the cottage itself and its surroundings. We wanted to stay true to the history of the building. It is a total contrast to the modern minimalist gallery style of our previous flat in London.
At the onset of the Spinks Nest Cottage renovation project it was our intention to retain as many original features as possible. Unfortunately, the reality was quite different. Spinks Nest was in such a dilapidated state that many original features crumbled the moment they were touched. Instead, we have sympathetically replaced original features with reclaimed materials.
One of our goals was to keep the feeling that the building had always been there.
What brands or trends inspire you or your home purchases?
We have been inspired by classic British design like Plain English, A G Hendy and Howe London as much as possible within our budget.
What interior Instagram accounts inspire you, could you name your top 3?
Instagram has been such a fantastic source of inspiration, hard to pick only 3 accounts.
1. One of them has to be @ridge_and_furrow, we found Elle’s account and knew immediately that we had found the perfect match for Spinks Nest.
2. I am also a big follower of @tat.london who has a great eye for the vintage modern style that we love, and of course a great selection of vintage pieces herself.
3. @aconsideredspace for a touch more modern inspiration and a reminder of our previous London life.
do you have any tips on how to pair colour with traditional style?
Inspiration from the colours in the cottage came from the natural surroundings, they evoke the greens and the browns that you find in a mallard duck and feel really grounded.
Does having guests stay in your home impact how you choose to decorate it? how do you keep it feeling homely?
Actually, having guests has allowed us more freedom in the design, there is no requirement to be practical as people only come for short stays and there is no need to worry about things like storage space! In fact we allowed a touch of drama and theatrics to the design so that a stay a Spinks Nest becomes a very special experience.
If you had to change one thing about your lovely cottage, what would it be and why?
It is hard to pick anything to change, we spent 18 months agonising over every small design decision, the biggest mistake was a pair of vintage French armchairs that weren’t really suitable for everyday use and have just been replaced by a pair of Scandi leather chairs.
What's your favourite home purchase you have made recently and is there anything on your Wishlist?
The Scandi 70s leather chairs are our most recent purchase, replacing the vintage French chairs had been on the cards for a while and we recently found the perfect pair!
I think it will be our last major purchase for a while!
And finally what does the future hold for @spinks.next.cottage? is there anything left up your sleeve?
We are turning our attention to the garden next and we have some exciting ideas to add something special there as well, stay tuned!
If you have enjoyed reading all about ana and her beautiful home, head over to her Instagram page @spinks.next.cottage to keep up to date.
