Houzz Tour: Styles and Eras Mix in a British Former Stable Block

A lust for natural light and more space for her burgeoning antiques collection attracted designer Henriette von Stockhausen to this converted former stable block in Dorset, England. “It was built around 1730 and was converted a while ago, but it hadn’t been lived in for a couple of years when we bought it,” says von Stockhausen, of VSP Interiors. “It was in pretty bad shape, but the main thing for me was the space: the huge windows, the light and the high ceilings — that’s what I fell in love with.”

Von Stockhausen’s previous home — a beautiful but small cottage, also built in the 1700s — was bursting at the seams with her collection of antiques, leaving little space for it, or her family, to grow. Renovation work on the rundown stable took around 12 weeks and involved installing new heating and plumbing, as well as redesigning the interiors.

“I wanted to respect the character of the house, but it was important for me to have a modern canvas for all my bits and pieces,” says von Stockhausen. “The finished house feels really current, and I absolutely love it, but because I’m a designer, I’m always thinking about what I can do next. It’s never finished!”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Henriette von Stockhausen, her husband, their 3 children and 2 dogs
Location: Dorset, England
Size: 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms

Von Stockhausen was attracted by the property’s size and the fact that nearly all the rooms have large windows. The entrance hall, however, is an exception. “There’s very little natural light in this part of the house, and it’s quite compact,” she says.

She still went for a dark color here, though. “I believe small, dark spaces actually need stronger colors and definition. It’s a complete misconception that they should be painted white,” she says. “The strong color here gives this space a real purpose. Everyone loves it when they come into the house.”

The wall paint is by Little Greene. The bench is an antique from von Stockhausen’s grandmother’s house in Vienna that she had reupholstered in Ralph Lauren fabric.


The spacious living room is a feast for the eyes. It’s filled with a blend of old and new finds that shows von Stockhausen’s love of mixing styles and eras. “It’s a busy room, but it’s very big, so it needed a bit of interest everywhere,” she says. “When I walk into a room, I like to have things to look at, and this space always makes me smile.”

The Verdure wallpaper by Zoffany is a particular favorite. “I’ve recommended it to a few of my clients, but it’s been a little too much for them, so I had to use it myself,” von Stockhausen says. She bought the slouchy sofas from Ikea and hung the industrial-style light, from Rockett St George, quite low to create a soft pool of light in the evenings. The French armchairs are very special — they were her first big antiques purchase when she was a student and have stayed with her ever since.


At the other end of the living room is the drawing room. Von Stockhausen wanted to create a cozy feel — a place where she could pull up a chair and read by the fire. The busts and other pieces on the tables are part of her vast antiques collection. The fireplace, although it looks original, is actually a reclaimed antique French find from Wharton Antiques in Somerset.


The dining room houses more of von Stockhausen’s treasured antiques. She customized her grandmother’s chandelier with new silk shades that direct the light down, rather than up. The plates on the wall celebrate her favorite color — green. “The collection started off with majolica pieces from Spain, but it’s grown over time. There are some Moroccan, German and Italian plates now — anything works as long as it’s green,” says von Stockhausen. The wallpaper is Marlowe Floral in Sterling by Ralph Lauren, which von Stockhausen is gradually customizing by coloring in the birds with green crayon. “I do it whenever I have a bit of time — I’m definitely not finished yet,” she says. The table is an antique find that the designer teamed with chairs from Belgian company Massant.


Bold gray walls feature heavily throughout the house, providing definition and an effective backdrop for the family’s art collection. “I absolutely love strong colors,” says von Stockhausen. “The rooms in the house are generally very big, and I wanted the walls to stand out. White just wouldn’t have worked.” The slate-colored paint, from Little Greene, adds drama to this part of the kitchen, making the painting — a present to her husband by Devon artist Rory Nugent — pop out of the scheme.


“I wanted to mix antiques and modern furnishings to achieve a slightly more current look,” says von Stockhausen. The kitchen showcases her eclectic style to a T, with the antique tapestry and French armchairs happily coexisting with industrial-style pendant lights from Maisons du Monde. Because of the kitchen’s vast scale, von Stockhausen had the table and benches made to fit the space, creating a beautiful, relaxed dining area where the whole family can gather. “We spend a lot of time with the children here, so chandeliers didn’t seem right. I wanted it to feel more relevant and a bit younger,” she explains.


At the other side of the kitchen, an oversize clock from Maisons du Monde looks stunning against the gray walls. The other wall houses a collection of antique African winnowing baskets, collected by von Stockhausen on her travels over the years. The ornamental chair came from her parents’ house in the Alps.


“I didn’t want to see any machines in the kitchen,” says von Stockhausen, “so apart from the open shelving, everything else is hidden behind cupboard doors.” The spacious kitchen is the heart of the house, and the island is extra large so the entire family can gather and socialize in this space. The three-pendant light is from Italian company Catellani & Smith, and von Stockhausen bought the bar stools at Rockett St George, her go-to shop for industrial-style pieces.


The flooring in the kitchen needed to be hard wearing, as it endures a lot of traffic. “Polished concrete creates a seamless look,” says von Stockhausen. “It’s such a versatile material, and it looks very tactile and soft, with lots of movement in it. I love it.”


The corridor leading to the children’s bedrooms got a makeover for a fun, circus-style look. “Before, it felt too serious and grown-up, so I hand painted the stripes with the help of masking tape,” says von Stockhausen. “The stripes are the same size as the roller I used. It was so easy, and the children think it’s great.”


She opted for a more calming tone in the master bedroom. “I love color — and there is still a lot in here — but I needed this room to be a calming space,” she says. Von Stockhausen inherited the chest at the end of the bed from her grandmother in Vienna. She sourced the mirrors in this room from Jonathan Sainsbury.


While the bedroom is more pared down than the rest of the house, there’s still plenty of personality in here. Von Stockhausen shunned traditional bedside tables in favor of an old architect’s drawing chest, and the etchings on the walls show details of equestrian equipment. “I’ve ridden horses all my life, so I collect anything to do with them,” says von Stockhausen. “There are 25 of these pictures, all depicting different bits of riding equipment.”


Von Stockhausen wanted to create a cozy feel in the master bathroom, which she achieved by decorating it with antique furniture and oil paintings. “I like bathrooms to look like rooms and not just a utility space,” she says. “We spend a lot of time in the bathroom, so I wanted it to feel comfortable.”


The dragonfly picture in her son’s room is an Ikea find. “I have a lot of antique botanical prints, but they tend to be a bit graphic. This one’s a bit more jolly, and my son loves insects,” von Stockhausen says. The antique bed is dressed with Ralph Lauren bed linens.

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