One of the things interior designer Rebecca Roundell Jones and her husband Matthew love about their Falmouth home is its dual personality. ‘From the front, it looks like an elegant Islington townhouse,’ says Rebecca. ‘But walk through to the rear kitchen-diner and there’s a more crafted feel, like Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, or Barbara Hepworth’s home and studio in St Ives.’
The couple came to Cornwall 10 years ago to escape the hectic pace of London. ‘Matthew had studied fine art in Falmouth and brought me down to Cornwall on a mini-break one very wet October,’ Rebecca recalls. Initially, she felt it was too far away from friends and family, but all that changed when she saw the house, which dates from the 1820s, and was originally a fisherman’s cottage.
The smart façade that so appealed to Rebecca is a slightly later addition, built on when the house became home to the captain of one of the packet ships that sailed out of Falmouth. With its tall windows that flood the front rooms with natural light, he would have enjoyed keeping an eye on the comings and goings of the harbour.
Throughout the renovation of the rear of the house, the couple decamped to their neighbour’s top-floor flat, which meant Rebecca was on hand to oversee the work. Her goal was to unite the two aspects of the house’s personality while also adding her own. ‘My style is quite timeless,’ she says. ‘I love to explore how texture and pattern express the character of a home, from the patina of wood to the weight of handwoven linen.’
The kitchen, for which she designed zinc-topped units, has a rustic yet utilitarian feel. ‘It was hard to find a kitchen fitter who had worked with this material, so I found a metal fabricator who did a beautiful job. Over time, the worktop has acquired a lovely patina,’ she says.
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Additional texture comes from the walls, where areas have been stripped back to expose old brickwork and pitted plasterwork, while reclaimed tongue-and-groove cladding adds a dash of faded green. This weathered feel continues with vintage metal pendants and wooden furniture.
A poured and polished concrete floor echoes the modern industrial feel of the lighting, which is a particular love of the couple – Matthew works with Skinflint, a specialist lighting company known for restoring vintage industrial lighting. Renovating a house with such a patchwork history was a challenge, Rebecca admits.
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From discovering the roots of wisteria pushing up between the slate-tiled kitchen floor, to the hours spent steaming paper from the walls, it’s been a labour of love. The wooden floorboards were particularly gruelling, Rebecca says. ‘Matthew spent hours on his hands and knees, removing paint spatters with a razor blade – a sander would have stripped off patina, so it was the only way.’
But their hard work was rewarded. In the main bedroom the removal of sheets of plywood from the window recesses revealed paintwork that seemed to mimic shutters that might once have been there. ‘None of the neighbouring houses have this decoration, so they remain a beautiful mystery,’ says Rebecca. ‘It’s rather nice that the house keeps that secret to itself.’
Rebecca has also added elements of her own family history to their home. In the playroom, an antique rocking horse that once belonged to her grandmother stands in the window. ‘When I visited as a child, the first thing I did was rush to play on the rocking horse,’ she says. ‘It’s lovely to watch my own children now taking turns on it.’
By furnishing rooms with family heirlooms and finds from vintage markets and fairs, Rebecca has added further character to their home. ‘It’s lovely to know we’ve paid tribute to this house’s history – and shored it up for generations to come,’ she says.
For interior design, contact Rebecca via rebeccaroundelldesign.co.uk
