An historic Cornish cottage given a stylish refresh by HÁM Interiors
It’s tricky enough to conjure a layered interior for a real person, but imagine the difficulty of trying to do it for an imaginary one? When Jessica and Ash Alken-Theasby, who own a handful of beautifully considered Cornish holiday homes under the name Atlanta Trevone, got in touch with brother and sister design team Tom and Kate Cox of HÁM Interiors, that was exactly the brief they were given.
Jessica and Ash had bought a rundown Grade II listed cottage in the buzzy Cornish fishing village of Padstow, the latest in the couple's small portfolio of holiday houses, which had started with the inheritance of a down-at-heel holiday rental in Trevone Bay. Jessica’s childhood home had been bought by the founders of The Pig, Robin and Judy Hutson, and later became the The Pig’s Harlyn Bay outpost. Robin and Judy became friends, and inspired by the comfort and earthy luxury of the hotel chain, they decided to apply something of the same spirit to the clutch of local rental houses they were slowly building.
HÁM’s brief was clear: to transform the cottage into a place of retreat that felt quietly storied, as if it had belonged to someone - a poet, perhaps, or an eccentric collector - for generations. ‘It had to feel like a home with a layered past,’ says Kate Cox, ‘where every object, book, and piece of furniture tells a story.’ That vision - of something gathered and grown into, rather than newly imposed - was the guiding thread of the decoration. The house also crucially had to feel as good to stay in in winter as it did in summer. ‘We imagined someone quietly creative living here, someone bookish and introspective. It needed to feel like a place where time had settled in.’
‘The house had a lot of fantastic original features which we preserved,’ says Tom Cox. ‘The Cornish Delabole slate floors downstairs and the staircase were beautiful, but working within the framework of a listed building is inevitably tricky.’
The first major piece of work was to open up the space between the living room and kitchen. ‘It’s a small space and we had a lot of boxes we needed to check,’ says Tom. A kitchen, dining space and utility room needed to squeeze into the back portion of the house leaving little room for counter space. To address this HÁM designed a prep table-cum-island for the middle of the space. ‘Kate and I envisaged an old dairy table when we started to develop it. It needed to be light enough that you get a sense of the space through and around it but we added a bit of folky detail to the legs, and the brass trim on the top which makes it feel more substantial than it is.’
The addition of the prep table made cupboard doors an impossibility, so shelves were set back within a decorative frame and fitted with pinch pleat curtains in ‘Little Stripe’ by Nicholas Herbert. On the wall above the cooker are hand-painted ‘Delf' tiles made by Decorum, a local Cornish company that nod to local life and folklore, with motifs of mackerels, seagulls, and sailing boats. ‘We were particularly drawn to the Stargazy pie motif, a nod to the traditional pilchard pie that originates from the fishing village Mousehole. Traditionally eaten in celebration of a local fisherman who braved a terrible storm to save the village from starvation…or so the tale goes.’
At the back of the room, to the right of the dining table, a small pantry-cum-utility room is partitioned off with a bespoke glazed screen, something of a HÁM Interiors hallmark, which adds a ‘bit of architectural detail,’ while enhancing the sense of space and light.
‘A lot of effort went into creating the patina,’ says Tom, referring to the specialist paint finish in the newly panelled sitting room, which still retains its original fireplace. The television is seamlessly concealed behind a painting on the wall above. ‘To make it work, it had to glide to one side in front of the joinery, and we also needed to hide the visible tracks,’ says Tom. ‘It was a challenge to execute, but in the end, it paid off beautifully.’
‘Wherever possible, we sought out pieces with history and character,’ Kate says. ‘And when we couldn’t find what we needed, we created it ourselves.’ That includes bespoke joinery and much of the artwork, which was produced in-house by Studio HÁM, the family’s creative studio and shop. Much of this is on display in the hallway which is wallpapered in Jean Monro’s ‘Lancaster’ in Sage, and lit by Besselink & Jones brass wall lights with gingham shades by Merchant & Mills.
Upstairs the bedrooms are decorated in a happy confluence of coloured paint and patterned textiles. Rusty walls in the master bedroom are complimented by woodwork in a knocked-back sage and the ticking bed tester is balanced by headboard on ‘Lavandou’ by Nicole Fabre. In the bathroom, Claybrook tiles, a Water Monopoly bath, and Jean Monro’s ‘Lizzie’ wallpaper evoke the kind of elegant nostalgia that defines this house. Even the children’s twin room, with its antique chest of drawers and HÁM wicker trays, feels considered and timeless. ‘Each project is a way for us to explore the place and its history,’ Kate says. ‘To create something that feels authentic and lived-in, with a bit of folklore woven in.’
Will Slater1/12The small pantry-cum-utility room is partitioned from the dining space using a half glazed screen to give a sense of separation without the weight of a door or wall. A washer/dryer is concealed behind a curtain in ‘Carleigh’ Embroidered Ticking Denim by Ralph Lauren.
Will Slater2/12The Bothy Lantern by Studio HÁM Butter Prep Table used as a kitchen island is by Studio HÁM HÁM Hardware Cup Handles by Studio HÁM
Will Slater3/12The space between the kitchen and living room was opened up and panelled. The deep green wall colour was created by a specialist painter. The chair is in ‘Francestown Coverlet’ in Crimson by Schumacher. The coffee table is the ‘West Stool’ by Studio HÁM.
Will Slater4/12‘The fireplace was another key feature we wanted to retain. As a historic house, its wonky interiors, intricate detailing, and timeworn surfaces all contribute to its charm, so we embraced those quirks rather than smoothing them out.’ The TV is concealed behind a painting of a whale by Studio HÁM which moved on invisible casters.
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Will Slater6/12In the master bedroom the curtain fabric is ‘Ticking Stripe’ in Khaki, and ‘Baker Cotton stripe’ by Schumacher. The headboard is in ‘Lavandou’ by Nicole Fabre. The ‘Rufus’ table is by Studio HÁM.
Will Slater7/12The wall colour in the master bedroom is ‘The Long Room’ by Paint & Paper Library, with woodwork in ‘The Botanist’ by Paint & Paper Library.
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Will Slater9/12The bathroom wallpaper is ‘Lizzie’ in by Jean Monro. HÁM used a glazed half screen to conceal the toilet. The ‘Spool’ vanity by Studio HÁM.
Will Slater10/12Bath is by The Water Monopoly. The floor tiles are from Claybrook.
Will Slater11/12In the twin bedroom the artwork is by Studio HÁM.
Will Slater12/12HÁM wicker tray's by Studio HÁM sits on an antique chest of drawers.
