French interior designer and designer Astrid Houssin produces soft, comfy, and welcoming areas with a fondness for spirited color. An experienced architect, Houssin worked under Turner Pocock in London for 6 years before opening her own studio off Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris. She’s a Parisian who does conventional English actually well, as illustrated in this Somerset boot space designed with a color-blocked wall, custom cabinets and a cafe drape sink. The intention here is as excellent as is offered to the majority of well-equipped kitchen areas, with a lot of ideas to co-opt for several spaces.
The boot room is part of a 4 bed room country home in Bruton, Somerset of a North London family looking for an English home style complete with patterned wall coverings, rich color, and a collection of curated antiques. The previous owners added a rear extension to the original residential or commercial property which no homes the boot room and a little restroom. Here, Houssin remodeled the full property from joinery and electrical to finishes and lighting.
Photography by Paul Whitbread for Astrid Houssin Interiors.
Above: The paint palette is comprised of Farrow & Ball’s Off White on the upper half of the space reaching the ceiling paint, Farrow & Ball Red Earth on the lower half, and a border produced with Little Greene Purple Brown. Houssin sourced the bamboo ladder at Kempton Market in Surrey not understanding where it would wind up, but the little corner in between counter top and door was fitting for a slender linen rack.
“I had done this color combination in a chalet project in Morzine however without the border,” Houssin describes. “The colors were chosen to create a sensation of connection on the ground flooring, and I have actually been consumed with terracotta for several years. It discovers its way into almost every task.” The tiles are terracotta synthetic tiles, the Seville Hexagon from Marlborough Tiles. “I have actually used them in the past. They’re unbelievable and less porous than true terracotta.” Here, the coir matting from Tim Page Carpets is recessed and flush with the tiles.
Above: The quartz countertop is from Fugenstone, the French style faucet is the Britannia Antique Brass Mono Sink Mixer (for more see our post 10 Easy Pieces: Deck-Mounted French-Style Country Kitchen Area Faucets), and the sink is the Classic Belfast Ceramic Kitchen Sink from Rangemaster. The existing upper cabinets were restored and the cafe curtain was made by The Harper Collection. 
Above: A door opens into a pocket-sized WC off the boot room where hexagonal floor tiles continue meeting Alice Palmer Co. Okra Wallpaper in Poppy Gas on the walls. The waste bin in a coordinating pattern and nautical rope mirror are amongst the little accents coupled with a Burlington corner sink and black seat loo. 
Above: A custom bench with a rack and hooks above were created by Houssin and made by a local chipper. The bench is finished in Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth to match the wall. Keep in mind the door on the right is the same door leading to the WC where the color block pattern continues throughout the outside and the interior door is painted in full Red Earth. The cushions are upholstered in Polo from Mark Alexander, an all-time favorite pattern of Houssin’s.
For more English and color-blocked interiors see our posts:
N.B.: This story initially appeared on June 20, 2024 and has actually been upgraded.
(Checked out 17,926 times, 6 gos to today)