At Home With Genevieve @mrs_trufflepig

This week we are at home with the lovely Genevieve. Meet the colourful, fun loving, nick nack mad lady behind the very popular instagram account @mrs_trufflepig where she shares images of her truly fabulous 15th century hall which is full of colour and curiosities along with lots flowers, cakes and wonderful food along with her country life in general. Read on to discover more about Genevieve, her home and family

 

Tell us a bit about you

Home is a 15th century Wealden Hall House. It’s located 10 minutes from Rye East Sussex on the south coast. My husband and I moved here five years ago with our two children Greta (12) and Rex (7)

 

Tell us about your home

The oldest bit of the building dates back to approximately 1440. Like so many ancient buildings, it has been added to over the years. There is a Georgian addition and a Victorian extension, therefore the different areas of the house all have quite different feels to them. 

 

How would you describe your home?

I would say my interior style is traditionally English…with a hint of eccentricity! 

 

Which is your favourite room in the house?

Handsdown that would be the kitchen. When we bought the house, it hadn’t been touched since the 60s and was in a very bad state. The only thing we kept was the old Aga, and we practically had to start from scratch. I tried to create a kitchen that looked like it had always been there and was warm and welcoming. I’ve always loved ‘unkitchens’ the ones that are more like extensions of the living areas rather than strictly areas of cooking. If the space was bigger I’d definitely have a couch in there.

 

How does your home reflect any passions or interests?

I love gardening, and although there was lots of outside space, sadly all the garden was lawned over as the elderly lady could no longer care for it. The first thing I did was dig flower beds around the front of the house and near every window, so that the garden could venture indoors in a way.

 

 What are your favourite items in the home?

Probably my collection of antique china.  I’m a charity shop addict, so my cupboards are bursting with every sort of knickknack imaginable! 

 

When you moved into your house was it the finished article or was it a project?

It was in a terrible state. The restoration process took us four years to complete. Every window was rotten, and the whole front of the house came off!  Luckily we had an incredibly knowledgeable team working for us who understood historic buildings. 

 

Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?

I wouldn’t really say disasters, but I made some early mistakes with colours. I think I was scared to use colour in such an old house so played it safe and went with neutral tones in most rooms. Eventually I realised, it wasn’t really me, and the colour started to creep in! 

 

What is your top home styling tip?

There are absolutely no right or wrongs when it comes to interiors (in my opinion!) The best ones are those that reflect their owner’s personalities. There is nothing worse than a home that lacks identity and character. 

 

Is there anything in your home that you couldn’t live without?

My old oil fired Aga. It truly is the beating heart of the house. Everyone, including the animals gravitate towards it. 

 

They say that every home tells visitors a story about who lives there. What do you think your home says about you?

Probably that I was born in the wrong era!  

 

 The Home Edit

 

Lived-in or showhome?

Lived in 100%

 

If you could only paint your walls one colour, which one would it be?

Yellow, in all its shades

 

What is your pet hate when it comes to your own or other’s homes?

Minimalism. Life’s too short to deprive yourself of all the pretty things. 

 

Favourite front door colour

Green. And blue. I also saw a really pretty pink one the other day. 

 

Carpet or Floorboards

Floorboards, I’m quite clumsy

 

Kitchen table dining or formal dining room?

Kitchen table most days, but on special occasions it’s nice to go all fancy

 

High gloss or rustic

High Gloss

 

Wallpaper or Brick Walls

Both

 

Want More?

If you enjoyed being at home with Genevieve, you might like to take a look inside other popular home styling accounts on instagram and find out more about the people behind them. You can see more of these "at home with" articles here

You can visit Genevieve's beautiful instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/mrs_trufflepig/