My style evolves – it isn’t really planned

Every room of photographer Abi Whitmarsh’s period cottage is beautifully composed, using vintage and second-hand finds

Heather Dixon

Welcome to my home

A bit about me

I’m Abi Whitmarsh, a wedding and lifestyle photographer. I live with my husband, Neil, sons Lawrence, 9, and William, 6, plus a cat called Pagan and four chickens.

Where I live

My home is a three-bedroom late 18thcentury cottage in a village near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

What I wanted to change

The décor, especially the old kitchen, was dated and there were lots of dark beams and a dingy brick fireplace in the sitting room.

How I made it my own

We laid reclaimed floorboards, replaced all of the kitchen units and painted the whole house in warm tones, including the beams.

My cottage

My favourite part

We love our outdoor space – a decked area directly outside the dining room, where we love to eat in the summer months.

Kitchen/diner

‘The kitchen was a challenge. It was very small, some of the units were broken and there were dark green wall tiles. Neil’s sister was replacing her kitchen and gave us her old units – they were ideal, and free! We simply painted the hideous tiles white, which made them look like new. Neil bought a lorry-load of reclaimed floorboards on eBay and collected them himself. He is very practical and good at DIY, so he laid the floorboards before we decorated each room,’ says Abi. ‘I love the light in this room, which is south facing. In summer, we open the door and use the decked area outside as another room.’