A brand-new edition to our location agency: a gem of a location house, with the deep countryside look but just a stone’s throw from London…When people quit the city in favour of the country life, there’s sometimes an expectation that they’ll have to buy into “country style” but, just as we decorate as we please in our urban homes, we should feel free to do the same in the sticks.
That’s certainly been the case for Kirsten, the owner of our glorious new ‘Orchard House’ location house – 5.5 acres of rural Buckinghamshire set into wider farmland – only a short distance from London (just off Junction 2 of the M40 in fact). She’s made her home style work by adding country elements into an already rich mix. ‘I’m drawn to things that are colourful and quirky, my husband likes to joke that he doesn’t know what the rules are for my style,’ she laughs. So yes, there are jewel brights like the emerald green velvet sofa and gentleman’s club style red armchairs in the home cinema, but also bold graphic black and white chevron patterns that run through the house, ‘I’m drawn to them because they’re smart and glamorous’.
Kirsten has always had a love of fashion ‘this is a new chapter that allows me to apply my fashion sense to interiors and I think this could be a great space for fashion shoots.’ A big part of this lies in her confident approach to mixing up materials; wood, stone and all kinds of metallic, plus a good dose of leopard-print, ‘I like the way it sits between glamour and tackiness’. Then there’s the animals – they’re a motif that dots the house, from the zebra rocking horse in the huge hallway, to the colour-splattered baby elephant in the living room. Some of these came from the couple’s former home in Pimlico but the collection seems to have hit its stride in the country. And details like beam-and-brick fireplaces have been allowed a place in this glamorously eclectic home because they reflect the building’s agricultural heritage.
Kirsten and her entrepreneur husband Marcus – who live here with their two boys and two dogs – bought the place eight years ago. The property, a charming red brick and flint farmhouse dating back to 1858 had been rented out, then left unoccupied for a couple of years, so it needed a bit of love. The couple did the renovations in two waves, a first bout after living here five years, where they re-did the downstairs and converted the stable block – before a more recent architectural revamp, where they did the loft and tripled the size of Kirsten’s barn-based yoga studio. In fact, the move to the country was driven by Kirsten’s desire for a better space to offer to her yoga and movement clients.
Having done all this work to create an amazing space it seemed only logical to make it a location for film and photography. A friend who has her house with Fresh Locations gave us a glowing recommendation and Kirsten decided to sign up, ‘I hope it will work well because it’s proper countryside with amazing views, but so quick and easy to get to from London.’ There’s stacks of parking of course and while facilities can sometimes be thin on the ground in such a rural spot, they’re only a short drive from Beaconsfield Services – where the impressive food offering has gained a cult status in the world of motorway service stations!
The location itself is a versatile space. There’s the vast barn conversion as well as the glass stables extension which is quirkily glamorous, while the original house offers more country cottage charm. The kitchen turned out to be one area that didn’t need major investment, as the existing cabinets were an early example of the much-coveted Plain English brand and only needed a colour refresh. ‘It’s the perfect farmhouse kitchen for food shoots, with a counter that can face the camera, an Aga and an Aga electric oven. And there’s a second kitchenette in the annexe, which is always an asset – handy when there’s shooting in the main kitchen or for prepping food shoots.’
The country setting means it’s a unique shoot location and a wonderful family home. ‘The view becomes part of your room in a way that doesn’t happen in the city, we see pheasant, partridges, deer, rabbits, red kites. It feels like the middle of nowhere,’ smiles Kirsten, ‘We love to take in all the changes too; the trees through the seasons and the sky and quality of light through a single day.’