The Househunter Room by Room

Two very different properties for you this week. First up might be a bit of a treat for all you Crittall window fans out there – yes that includes me. It was built, in 1934, as the country residence of WF Crittall, the technical director of the Crittall Metal Window Company and it’s on the market for £1,500,000 via The Modern House.

First, glaringly obvious, things first – yes it’s pink. WF, the second son of the company’s founder Francis,  was apparently known as Pink throughout his life. He was the main artistic and technical forced behind the firm and is thought to have contributed greatly to the design of this house in Great Easton, in Essex.

The six bedroom house, which remains remarkably true to its original style, is Grade II listed. The main reception room, pictured below, has the original 1930s wallpaper and handles. The one above is a smaller and more private space.

The other thing that stands about about this house is that outside the windows are turquioise. Who’s ever seen a turquoise crittall? Personally I think I’d rather stick with the black although you’ll note that they are all different colours inside and out as you go round the house – and do visit the website for another 20 or some images – including a rather alarming orange kitchen.

What wouldn’t I give for this wall of glass at the back of my kitchen though? I have boring bifold doors and I wish, I wish, we had put small panes in them. Or not insisted on doors that open all the way across that you open fully for, ooh, eight days a year. A couple of large panes of fixed glass and a couple of opening doors would have been better. I’m just going to put that there for you to ponder if you are considering a kitchen renovation. Especially if it’s Victorian as so much UK housing stock is.

Mind you the colour scheme in this room feels quite progressive with its blue skirting boards and picture rail and yellow walls. Having said that, the pale blue over the rail and the white ceiling does make for a number of different sections so it will be making the room feel smaller. Mind you, as it’s quite big that’s not a problem but if you are planning to take the multi-coloured approach then be aware of that fact.

More coloured crittall here with this green internal window. It looks out onto the verandah you can see in the top picture with the steps down to the garden. That too has been kept as close to the original as possible. The Crittalls were keen gardeners apparently.

The staircase is encased in a glazed tower, which you can’t really see on this picture but the Crittalls certainly weren’t afraid of colour  – in contrast to the way we tend to see their work nowadays in varying shades of black in monochrome households. What do you think?

And now for something completely different. Yes it’s a little look at Cheryl Tweedy, Cole, Fernandez-Versini’s house which she has put on the market for £5m or to rent at £4,000 a week, according to Zoopla.

It was built on the site of a former brickmaker and the tessellated brickwork and kiln shape pay homage to its history. For me the charm ends there but to be fair to our Cheryl, she hasn’t lived there for a bit so it’s no wonder it’s not very homely inside.

It would be pretty comfortable to live in with six en suite bedrooms, a pool, rooftop tub, gardens and cinema room. And it’s highly eco-friendly too with solar panels and a ground source heat pump.

But there’s not much to detain us there – I just thought you might fancy a quick nosy. Come instead to this house which, unlike the first which was pink on the outside, is quite pink on the inside.

Come on in. And let’s just stop a moment in the hall and look at this decor can we? If you’re scared to paint the walls dark then another good trick is to paint the skirting boards and door frames/doors dark and leave the walls pale. That anchors the space and provides a really fresh modern feel but makes the spaces look bigger as the walls then recede away from the dark areas. This is the best picture I have found to show it for some time. The hall is so important as a marker for the rest of the house and this one, with its patterned floor adding interest, says Come on in. It’s modern, it’s different and we are people who care about are environment. And (I’ll take a punt here) we’re not boring either.

Because then, look at the dining room. What do you think? I’ll tell you what I think. Because it’s my blog so I can. I think the pink cupboards are amazing. But I would have had an antique table in dark wood to give it a bit of oomph. Or perhaps just an old scrubbed pine job with some black chairs.

Here you can see how it links to the kitchen with that central wood burner. I would definitely be spending a lot of time in here if this were my kitchen. You might as well see the business end of this room. Suddenly I’m all over the idea of painting the kitchen pink. Like that’s going to happen. We had enough trouble with The Mad House husband when we tried for a pink bedroom although admittedly it was me that pulled the plug on that one. Still, I don’t see see him going for a pink island any time soon.

I’ll leave it here for any of you who fancy it though. And, as it’s a bank holiday weekend, I’ll just imagine myself here with something light and sparkling while you look round the rest of the house. It’s on the market with Savills for £1,850,00 and it’s in Cheltenham.

Have a great weekend everyone.