Kelly & Ed's Modern Country Cottage & Studio — House Tour

Name: Kelly and Ed Smithson
Location: Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
Size: 1,400 square feet
Years lived in: 8 years; Owned

This cottage — home to Kelly, who runs jewellery business Cabbage White England from her studio, husband Ed, their two children and Herbie the border terrier — is a fresh and vibrant take on a traditional English country home.

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With its Victorian tiled floors, original cottage-style windows and doors, beamed ceilings and its location tucked away from the road, it feels at first as if you’ve stepped away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Inside, Kelly and Ed have brought this cottage up to date with their cheerful, eclectic mix of vintage and modern furniture, patchwork throws and Cath Kidston fabrics, fashion-inspired accessories, and impressive collection of urban art. The result is a fun, welcoming, contemporary-meets-traditional family home and work space.

From the entrance hall, with its original tiled floor and little window looking out to the front, there are doors to the living room and kitchen and a narrow staircase rising to the first floor. The cosy living room has windows overlooking a patio area and the garden; and the spacious kitchen-dining room at the back has Cath Kidston-upholstered sofa, a retro-style Smeg fridge and a large family-sized table. To one side of the kitchen is a small study, and to the other are patio doors that lead out to a courtyard, across which is an outbuilding housing a utility room.

Upstairs, you’ll find the master bedroom, with its lovely rural views; daughter Poppy’s room, which has a cushion-filled window seat any young (or not-so-young!) girl would love to snuggle in; and the small family bathroom. A second flight of stairs takes you, via more art on the wall, to a small landing area and Albie’s cool surfing-inspired bedroom.

Until recently, Kelly ran her jewellery business from the small study off the kitchen, but as her business grew she started to needed more space. She looked to the old garage at the bottom of the garden that was used to store bikes and surfboards, and was in a serious state of disrepair. With a new roof, flooring and lighting, white paint and fitted with a mix of Ikea and vintage furniture, it’s a seriously stylish and inspiring base for her burgeoning business. Enjoy the tour!