Annicka Locket by Rachael Smith

RETROUVIUS – SUFFOLK FARMHOUSE/ANNICKA LOCKET & FAMILY

Photographs – Rachael Smith

Words – Dominic Bradbury

This period family home in the Suffolk countryside, owned by advertising executive Annicka Locket and family, was given a contemporary update by designer Maria Speake of Retrouvius. The spacious and inviting farmhouse was opened up significantly on the ground floor to create a collection of informal and inter-connected spaces at the heart of the building including the kitchen, dining area and a family lounge. This is the focal point for family life, forming a generous central area where the whole family can congregate.

Speake’s design makes much of recycled and characterful materials, which sit well with the layered textures and history of the farmhouse itself, sitting well alongside a blend of antique, vintage and more contemporary furniture while there are also a number of bespoke designs, including the kitchen units and island. Open plan spaces are complemented by a number of more intimate rooms and escapes, including the sitting room, which is arranged around a large fireplace, and the ground floor study. Upstairs, there are six bedrooms arranged over the first floor and the freshly converted attic level.

For Annicka Locket and her family, the revived farmhouse is a perfect retreat, offering her sons a welcoming home but also a valuable sense of freedom, with extensive gardens surrounded by farmland and open views. The aesthetic developed by Speake and Locket is, in itself, an original combination of old and new that sits beautifully in this rural setting.