17th-Century Cart Shed Turned Guest House
Caroline Riddell was hired to renovate a mostly derelict 17th-century cart shed on a piece of property near Lambourn, Berkshire, England.
The family in the main house wanted the old cart shed turned into a guest house.
Caroline had already worked on the main house, so she felt she knew pretty much what the owners wanted for the guest house to look.
The first thing they did was enclose the sides of the building.
The living and dining area is one large cozy space with a wall of windows.
The table is a French farmhouse table. And the sideboard was found on site in an empty barn.
What I find especially interesting are the rough-hewn beams in the ceiling of the guest house.
Bright Blue Hallway:
“I saw a shop in Copenhagen that had a lovely blue on their walls, so I decided to go for a blue hallway after initially painting it rather a boring green,” says Sebastian.
“My family wasn’t so sure about the colour, but I trusted my gut feeling and started to paint and have never regretted it. It feels so welcoming now and I get a peaceful sensation every time I walk in the door.”
The kitchen floor was paved with pamments, and a Clearview stove was installed in the main living space, furthering the cottage-like feel. Caroline kept the colour palette generally calm in the main space of the cart shed.
Caroline incorporated tongue and groove panelling units and slate surfaces in the small utility kitchen.
The guest house has that natural English cottage feel. You don’t see many homes decorated in neutrals in these tours abroad.
The pattern of the flooring in this bathroom is interesting.
Patterns & Colors:
There tend to be a lot of patterns in the furniture and wall coverings. You can’t say that they are afraid of color.
The bathrooms in this renovated cart shed look more utilitarian than decorative.
The result of this renovation is a bright building whose bones have had new life breathed into them.
“I’m really proud that we’ve turned a beautiful building that was derelict into something which is really usable,” says Caroline. “We haven’t destroyed its true inner character. It really does have a purpose. This building has evolved into a modern, functional space.”
What a lovely space! Love the wood beams.
How beautiful! Love the decor and charm.
Love the blue! What a charming space. Thanks for sharing!
If you get to stay there for awhile, you truly are a lucky guest! Very charming space.
That was a beautiful remodel. A lovely space for guests! I’m afraid they’d never want to leave!
I too loved with white walls for years then finally had my great room painted yellow and I loved it! It’s now been painted a soft green and I miss the yellow
terribly!
Well-how wonderful is that?!!! I love it and it is fun to see all the color in it. I am not sure I could live with all that color permanently but it is fun to see it. Have a great day- Diana
Great job on this transformation! It’s lovely.
I can’t believe that was a former shed. It’s huge! Way bigger than I expected! I was thinking it might be similar to a studio apartment or an efficiency. I’m really impressed! The renovations are nice. I wonder what it looked like before it was renovated.
I love seeing renovations from across the pond. I also love how they used color to give everything some personality. I’ve always wanted to be bold with color buy always chicken out and simply add color using accessories.
Good Morning Brenda. I love this sweet shed turned guest house. I could live in that so easily. Happy Thursday.