Contemporary Interior Design in St Dogmaels
14th Oct 2016
Perched on a hillside, with exceptional views up and down the beautiful Teifi estuary, in the conservation village of St Dogmaels sits the home of Dawn and Mike Marshall.
Visitors to this Welsh village might be forgiven for overlooking a 1970’s bungalow in favour of the postcard pretty Georgian houses and the quaint two storey cottages built with bands of hard brown stone and layers of blueish-grey slatey marlstone, a traditional building style for the area. However, Mike and Dawn immediately saw the potential of the place.
Looking for somewhere to retire to, having searched France, Scotland, England and elsewhere, they were drawn to St Dogmaels (or Llandudoch as it’s known in Welsh) by the enthusiasm of friends and were immediately captivated
“It’s such a lovely community,” said Dawn, “with so many facilities in the village within walking distance, such as the shop, post office and weekly local producers’ market at the Abbey where we can buy fresh local produce”.
With a clear vision of how to remodel their new home to fit their lifestyle (and to make the most of their exceptional views), they quickly employed local builders, architect and craftspeople. Moving the front door, enlarging windows and knocking down walls to open up rooms were all part of their grand plan.
Spending money locally is important to the Marshalls. “It helps to keep the local economy thriving” said Mike. That is indeed how Dawn and Mike came to know Celtic Sustainables, just across the river from St Dogmaels. They popped in to our Cardigan showroom with the intent of finding environmentally friendly paints in the perfect colours for their new home.
“We had heard so much about Earthborn paints” said Dawn, “but hadn’t used them until we moved here as we had never had a local stockist. It was the textured chalky finish along with the environmental credentials that most attracted us to the brand”.
The couple have a keen eye for design and craft. Although not formally trained in the art of interior design, their bold colour choices and attention to detail have a distinctly professional quality.
The entrance to their bungalow is now through the south facing conservatory. Dawn chose Toy Soldier for the main interior wall and skirting boards which contrasts dynamically with the brilliant white of the conservatory frame and light fittings. The dark blue walls really make the colours in their outdoor clothing “pop” as they hang on their golden-coloured art deco coat stand.
Walking into the long hallway you are embraced by the warmth of Jemima on the walls. At first you may only notice that Dawn and Mike have continued the bamboo flooring into the open-plan living space enhancing the feeling of space, however Jemima flows into the main Iiving space too. It is only when you enter the main room that you find that the couple have done something very clever with their colour choices. Looking back into the hall your eyes will deceive you into thinking that all the walls are painted in Jemima, however some of the walls opposite the big windows area are painted with Humpty Dumpty, several shades darker. The increased light levels on these walls wash out the intense colour of Humpty Dumpty and deceive your eyes into believing there is only one colour in the room.
Jemima continues on the ceilings. Further enhancing
the feeling of spaciousness.The change in room use in the open plan living space
is defined by the bold colour choice of Trilby in the dining room and kitchen
with, again, Jemima on the ceiling and the common wall. The expertise of the building
and decorating firm used by the Marshalls is exemplified by the way Trilby was
beautifully “cut in” to the lighter colours by Ioan the painter.
Dawn says categorically that she does not do white ceilings so another Earthborn paint, Donkey Ride, enhances the fully-tiled bathroom achieving the feel of spaciousness that she prizes and allowing the eye to drift.
A further surprise awaits guests to Dawn and Mike’s home. They were determined to make their smallest room a stand-out, fun feature and decided to go Belle Epoque in complete contrast to the other rooms. Ruby Ribbons provides the perfect colour to achieve the effect they sought combined with a Toulouse Lautrec poster and a period mirror.
We would like to thank Mike and Dawn for showing us around their lovely home and for allowing us share it with you.
For further information visit: