Real homes: inside a Tudor manor

Original features

When Claire Halsey decided to move out of London in 2002, she went from one extreme to the other, swapping the city where she had lived all her life for a Tudor manor in the wilds of the countryside in Suffolk.  In her rural home she has sensitively mixed the past with the present to create beautiful results...

An area of the original clay wall made with earth and twigs from the garden has been left exposed in the kitchen.

Courtesy of Country Living

Checkmate

Claire\'s French enamel coffee pots are delightfully spotted around the house such as here, above the checked red and white sofa in the family kitchen.

Faded elegance

Distressed paintwork and wild flowers increase the sense of faded elegance in the kitchen.

Art house

Claire has preserved the arty, romantic feel of the house with this aged piano and selected paintings.

Fabulous fireplace

The original Tudor fireplace is a dramatic focal point, complete with wood burning stove.

Vintage fabrics

Claire made the cushions in the sitting room from scraps of old floral materials and tickings, while the curtains were a pair of linen sheets.

Homemade art

A sitting room wall displays paintings by Claire of her favourite French coffee pots, as well as other artwork.

Daybed lounging

A lovingly restored daybed takes pride of place in the upstairs sitting room, scattered with a mixture of cushions and quilts.