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The stable block of a grand country house in Somerset, converted into a characterful guest house
“What should we do with our stable block?” isn’t a problem that many interior designers or clients face in their lives, but then most people don’t own Ven House, the early 18th-century Grade I-listed manor house in Somerset under the stewardship of interior designer Mike Fisher and his partner. Having owned and lived in “20 or 30” houses together over the course of their relationship, the duo were more than prepared to renovate Ven – it’s hard to imagine a more qualified pair of hands to entrust with a country house in need of some TLC.
In fact, such is the scale of the ongoing project at Ven, explains Mike, that refreshing the derelict stable block – which had been used as garages and overfill storage space – was only “phase three” of a longer-term plan. “We started phase one about five years ago – phase one being the main house,” he says. “We restored various parts of the house, and we did a lot of repairs on the outside; we completely re-interior designed and furnished the main house and to make it immediately livable.” In phase two, they rebuilt the old kitchen block, housed in a wing on the right-hand side of the house. And now, in phase three, they have just finished “the left-hand side pavilion: the stables.”
To understand the logic behind the restoration, it’s important to grasp the layout of Ven. The central, square part of the house was built around 1698-1700, then enlarged 20 years later. The house was remodelled by Decimus Burton in the 1830s; Burton added the two wings in a sympathetic style in keeping with Ven’s central, red brick facade. “That right-hand side [housed] the laundry block, with the maids’ accommodation above,” Mike explains, “and the left-hand side was the stables with the grooms above.” While many of the outbuildings had fallen into disrepair, the format of the house was still strong, and Mike says the outbuildings were still “quite charming” under their derelict state. “The saddle room is lovely in its decayed splendour.”
Mike and his partner decided to turn the stables into a liveable guest space. Drawing on his experiences running his interior design company Studio Indigo, Mike knew a thing or two about making grand houses into comfortable and welcoming abodes. “In our office, we often design and build pretty grand and big houses. But once the client’s built or bought the big grand house, as it were, the next level is actually to make the big grand house livable and comfortable.”
Built like a triumphal arch, the stables were on a great scale to turn into a manageable, quirky outbuilding for guests to stay in (Mike was partly inspired by the conversion of the triumphal arch at Holkham Hall in Norfolk into an unusual holiday let). A sort of “humpback bridge” over the archway into the stable courtyard linked two larger rooms once used by the grooms, while on the ground floor, there were still bays for the horses to stand in. “It's a rather old-fashioned way of looking after horses,” Mike notes, “because the horses would be left looking at a blank wall all day long, which isn't really how you would stable them these days. But I guess in days gone by, the horses would have been out all day and quite frankly, would come home at night and be glad for the rest, I should think.”
After a careful restoration using period techniques and reclaimed materials, including huge cheese boards from Frome Restoration that were turned into flooring, Mike and his partner turned to decorating. Following the furnishing of the main house, much of what Mike decided to use was off-the-cuff and drawn from extra pieces that the couple had in storage. “The apartment above is variously called the Stables,” he says, “or it’s called ‘Bubble and Squeak’, because it's all the leftovers.”
A melange of antiques and contemporary furniture have been put together in a happy mishmash of styles that Mike explains reflects the 30 years he has spent collecting. “What I did was just to mix everything and throw everything together. I've used all the leftover bits of furniture from my life in there, and the paintings. It's turned out rather well.” In the sitting room, views of the House of Lords hang near a fireplace designed by Sir John Soane – the former as a nod to the fact Mike’s partner sits in the Lords, and the latter because he is a fan of Soane, as well as of Nicholas Hawksmoor and John Vanbrugh. A painting by South African artist Gregoire Boonzaier, the father of Cape Impressionism, attests to 22 years Mike spent living in Cape Town. Throughout, the feeling is one of English comfort – the sort of room you want to be in when it’s grey, cold and raining outside, with the fire roaring and perhaps a game of chess or a book on the go.
The Stables are a roaring success of a space, and yet Ven is still not completely finished. Next, Mike plans to turn his attention to the estate’s coach house. "I love the idea of restoring the coach house and actually buying a couple of old landaus or coaches to go in there. You could take out a carriage for high days and holidays. I think that could be quite good fun. And then maybe I'll have a need for horses if I get those.”
Studio Indigo: Architecturally Creative Interiors by Mike Fisher is published by Vendome Press.
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Luke White2/13To the left of the fireplace is a view of Ven House by a local artist, above a painted antique Regency chair.
Luke White3/13The table is by Willy Rizzo from Mark Ranson, and chairs are by John Saladino in a discontinued Hermès Fabric. The sideboard and urn lamps are from The Parson’s Table.
Luke White4/13The chair is a bespoke design by Studio Indigo, made by Ridge Interiors. The armoire is French 18th-century example from Matthew Upham Antiques. The paintings are by celebrated South African artist Gregoire Boonzaier.
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Luke White6/13The art is a collection of architectural prints, and the stool is from Rose Uniacke. The console is an antique from Ireland, and the candlesticks are by Oriel Harwood from the David Gill Gallery.
Luke White7/13The kitchen joinery is painted in Papers and Paints’ ‘SC383’ in oil eggshell. It was selected so all the black appliances would blend in and become invisible, as Mike didn’t want the kitchenette to be so visible and stand out.
Luke White8/13The bed is by Epoc Beds, with a custom headboard with fabric from Claremont. The trunk is a bespoke Studio Indigo design that has a pop-up TV inside. The cushions are by Pierre Frey and Chelsea Textiles and the bed throw is from Rosemary Hallgarten in Alpaca Bouclé. The bath was an antique salvaged from the main Ven House. The walls are painted in Papers and Paints’ ‘SC 486’.
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Luke White10/13The chair is from David Gill Gallery and the painting is from Talisman. The mirror is from the late 17th or early 18th century. The dressing table is by Simon Orrell Designs, finished in vellum and based on a 1930s design.
Luke White11/13This a view of the old saddle room in the stables at Ven; Mike decided to leave them as they were as they have a beautiful patina of age and history. The rosettes represent 50 years of gymkhana wins.
Luke White12/13The timber dado in the stables is painted in ‘HC20’ by Papers and Paints; the metalwork is shade ‘09-097’, also by Papers and Paints.
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