Anthea Biggs' Stunning Georgian Home

Today's Home Tour is with Anthea Biggs, whose gorgeously styled bedroom first caught my eye on Instagram, a little while ago. Anthea's home is a stunning Georgian detached house and she has decorated it sympathetically to the style while also modernising her home.

The muted palette, period features, colourful kitchen and gorgeous bathroom have left me rather jealous!

Please read on to find out more about Andrea and her home.

Hi, I’m Anthea and I live in the sleepy village of Bradwell in the Essex countryside with my husband Daniel and our three children Alfie, Teddy and Lily. We moved here three years ago after falling for our Georgian rectory. 

I’ve been in love with Georgian architecture since we hosted our wedding at a stunning Georgian stately home in Somerset. Becoming an owner of a house from the same period is somewhat of a dream come true. We kissed a few frogs before we found this one, that’s the thing about old properties surveys tend to throw up things such as ‘it needs a whole new roof’ or a complicated listing that will make it impossible to make it the family home you hoped for. Happily, having discounted it initially as too expensive, our house became a possibility after the owners reduced the price. It’s not got a listing and has been renovated over the years to create perfect spaces for modern family living while leaving most of the original character.

I’m a huge fan of what Drew Pritchard calls ‘the country house aesthetic’. The sort of style you see in the really old stately homes that have passed from generation to generation. Mismatched patterns, Persian rugs, elegant armchairs that have been reupholstered a hundred times and the odd bit of taxidermy here and there. Having said that my husband much prefers clean modern lines so our house has become a comfortable mix of a nod towards period house charm but updated for modern living. I suppose you could call it ‘classic’ in style. While you won’t spot much in here that keeps up with the latest trends, it hopefully avoids feeling dated. With three ‘littles’ in the house it also has to be practical for everyday living....no ornaments can be precious heirlooms.

We are taking our time collecting meaningful art which means we have more bare walls than full ones. But I can tell you a long, complicated and sometimes funny story about each piece that is displayed and that to me means so much more than worrying about the empty spaces.

I love antique gesso mirrors and frames. You’ll find one in almost every room of our house. The detail in the gesso is so beautiful and it always amazes me that they survive through the years. Huge oversized ones are my favourite like the one in our hall which is more than 6ft tall. I’m currently on the lookout for another big one for our bedroom so if you find one please let me know!

Seeking out the perfect period antique to mix with modern furnishings is my favourite pastime. I never want our house to feel like a museum but at the same time some of the antique furniture that is unloved and overlooked at auctions and house clearances are far better quality than anything I could buy on a small budget today. With a little tlc or a trip to the restorers they can be transformed. The balloon back chairs in our dining room where bought for just over £100 for 10 chairs at auction. Even with the cost of some restoration and reupholstery the set cost a fraction of what even a modern set of 10 matching chair would have cost. 

I also have an addiction to cushions! Give me any blank space and I will make it my mission to transform it with a cushion or six. It has been known for me to lose several hours is the cushion department of Homesense.

I started posting pictures of our house only around 2 months ago. The interiors community on Instagram is just so friendly and supportive and I’ve been lucky enough that a few ‘insta pals’ have become real life, ‘pop over for coffee’ friends. To be able to turn my love of interiors into a job sometime in the future would be a total dream come true but for now I’m enjoying sharing my pictures and chatting with other cushion obsessed people.

Please do pop over to my account @antheajanebiggs, and say hi; I love meeting like-minded people and hearing your views on all things interiors! 

The Girl with The Green Sofa