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An 18th-century house by the sea in Devon rejuvenated by HÁM Interiors
Loyalty is surely the mark of any good business, and for HÁM Interiors, set up 40 years ago by Nick and Pam Cox, it’s a thread that runs through everything they do. Some of their clients have been with them for decades, as have the decorators, joiners and other tradesmen they work with. Even their two children, Tom and Kate (both of whose houses have previously featured in House & Garden), have come on board and are helping to bring the studio’s work to new audiences.
The family’s work on this lovely 18th-century house on a Devon estuary is a case in point: having already worked with the clients on their London mews house, they were called in again to make this a stylish and practical weekend retreat for the couple and their young children. “It’s an absolutely spectacular house,” says Pam, “but it was just a little bit sad.” It had been in the previous owners’ hands for around 30 years, and although the rooms were blessed with beautiful proportions and there was little in the way of structural work to do, everything from the wiring to the roof needed a refresh. They also worked on the gardens, with Nick bringing in local stonemasons to restore the walled garden.
The brief from the clients was to create a youthful country house look, something that respected tradition but felt like a suitable backdrop for a young family. “They didn’t want it to feel contemporary,” explains Pam, “but it had to feel like young people lived there.” “Not too mumsy or grandma-y, not too many frills,” agrees Nick. It also had to be practical: although it’s a big house, nobody wanted to have rooms that would languish behind closed doors for lack of a function. The decoration also needed to include relatively hardwearing finishes where that was possible. “We have four kids, we know what it’s like. It doesn’t mean you can’t have lovely things, but we did use things like Unnatural Flooring in the snug, which works well for dogs and can withstand spillages.”
On the ground floor the HÁM team created generous spaces for entertaining: an understated drawing room swathed in neutral colours that allow the original plasterwork to shine and a warm, inviting dining room painted in ‘Fowler Pink’ by Farrow & Ball. The rest of the floor is taken up by more domestic spaces – the kitchen and butler's pantry, a boot room, and a snug. The butler's pantry is a particularly lovely space, created in order to make the kitchen less cluttered with appliances, and to accommodate occasional visits from caterers and chefs. Nick added stable-like partitions to separate the room from the corridor, panelling it in tongue and groove for a pleasingly utilitarian feel. He also designed the joinery in the boot room to make the most out of the space, with benches to sit on, storage underneath, and more shelving above.
The house is filled with what have become hallmarks of HÁM Interiors’ style, including the distinctive folk art commissioned and sold through their product wing, Studio HÁM. The more private spaces of the house such as the snug and the study upstairs are particularly fun in this respect, making use of the ‘cowboy style’ that appears in the cabins and cottages they have designed for cool destinations like Atlanta Trevone in Cornwall and Cove Valley in Devon. Here Ralph Lauren fabrics join the pretty florals from Schumacher and Colefax & Fowler and add a slightly rougher edge.
The project is an interesting reflection of the way HÁM Interiors has developed with the family working together. “We’ve spent our life going round country houses and antiques fairs,” says Nick, “and we dragged Tom and Kate round everything when they were children. We’ve always thought that home was the most important thing, and that’s filtered down to them.” The combination of Pam and Nick’s classic country house approach with the playful approach of the younger generation seems to work beautifully for their clients. “There's a point as a designer where you know what works for what you do, and for us that’s country houses,” says Pam, “but the kids just push us a little bit, and that’s fantastic.”
Christopher Horwood1/22The entrance to the dining room faces the matching doorway to the drawing room.
Christopher Horwood2/22The walls in the dining room are painted in ‘Fowler Pink’ by Farrow & Ball, with the original plasterwork picked out in white. A landscape painting by Studio HÁM hangs above the fireplace, and the chairs are ‘Bill’s Chair', also by Studio HÁM. The 19th-century oak cabinet came from Lorfords, while the chandelier is from Richard Taylor Designs.
Christopher Horwood3/22The kitchen was kept light and airy without top cabinets. Studio HÁM's ‘Bill’s Chairs' surround the dining table, and their ‘Frog Handles’ adorn the cabinets.
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Christopher Horwood5/22Nick refurbished this existing set of shelves to serve as a home for glassware.
Christopher Horwood6/22The butler's pantry has stable-style partitions to separate the space.
Christopher Horwood7/22The bespoke joinery in the butler's pantry is painted in ‘Sang de Boeuf’ by Edward Bulmer, while the hardware is ‘HÁM Hardware Cup Handles’ by Studio HÁM. A Belgian bluestone hand-chiselled counter and sink anchor the space.
Christopher Horwood8/22The bespoke joinery is painted in ‘Calke Green’ by Farrow & Ball. The ‘Wolfe’ artwork is by Studio HÁM, and the antique chest of drawers was sourced locally.
Christopher Horwood9/22In the snug, a variety of artworks by Studio HÁM hang on walls painted in ‘Oval Room Blue’ by Farrow & Ball. The tole lamp on the left is also by Studio HÁM, as are the picture lights.
Christopher Horwood10/22A 19th-century Italian armchair stands in the corner of the room.
Christopher Horwood11/22A bespoke headboard is covered in Schumacher's ‘Tiger Palm’ in the main bedroom. At the foot of the bed is Studio HÁM's ‘West Stool’ in Berber Stripe. Vintage Casa Pupo table lamps stand on antique tables from Brownrigg.
Christopher Horwood12/22A Swedish Rococo secretary from Lorfords Antiques occupies the other side of the room.
Christopher Horwood13/22The study on the first floor has one wall papered in Pierre Frey's ‘Lakota’ design, along with an antique kilim-upholstered chair from Studio HÁM.
Christopher Horwood15/22A guest bedroom on the top floor of the house has a calming backdrop of Veere Grenney's ‘Folly’ wallpaper for Schumacher. The bespoke headboard is covered in ‘Aurora on Nivelles Oyster' by Paolo Moschino.
Christopher Horwood16/22At the other end of the room is an antique Chesterfield sofa, covered in ‘Hardy Stripe’ by Colefax and Fowler. On the chest of drawers is a ‘Leaf Table Lamp’ by Studio HÁM with their ‘Wolf Hound’ artwork above.
Christopher Horwood17/22Another guest bedroom has a bespoke headboard covered in ‘Stanhope’ by Guy Goodfellow, with bespoke cushions in ‘Palmyre’ by Le Manach and a bedspread from Domestic Science. Artworks by Studio HÁM hang above their ‘Palm Column’ table lamp and ‘Woven Scalloped Edge Lampshade’.
Christopher Horwood19/22An antique campaign chest of drawers has a woolwork ship picture from Studio HÁM hanging above.
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