Fiona de Lys’s 18th-Century Cottage in North London

Key Points

• Fiona de Lys, a stylist and colour consultant, owns an 18th-century weatherboard cottage in north London’s High Barnet area.
• The cottage, built around 1750 and last renovated in the 1970s, was bought by Fiona in 2016 after lying empty for years.
• The décor combines influences from her English and Italian heritage, using evocative hues, art, and antiques to create a narrative for each room.
• Fiona’s approach revolves around “aesthetic narratives,” linking colour choices to emotions, memories, and the function of spaces.
• Each room has a distinct story, such as the sitting room inspired by English woodlands and the dining room drawing from Italian summers.
• The kitchen reflects her Italian grandmother’s rustic style with natural materials and minimal colour.
• Mediterranean vessels with imperfections are prized for their patina, function, and storytelling.

What makes Fiona de Lys’s north London cottage special?

As reported by Beatrice Lowe of House & Garden, Fiona de Lys’s home in High Barnet is “something of a balancing act,” sitting between the town and country. The cottage dates back to around 1750 and had been neglected for years before she purchased it in 2016.

“I could hardly get through the front door because of the brambles,”

she recalls. Although the house required extensive work, the “bare bones were there” to restore.

Fiona’s personal background plays a big role in shaping the home’s atmosphere. She grew up in an Arts and Crafts house in Hampstead Garden Suburb, a community founded by social reformer Henrietta Barnett and influenced by figures like William Morris and Gertrude Jekyll. The large kitchen garden nurtured her passion for the botanical world.

How does Fiona de Lys approach home decoration?

According to journalist Beatrice Lowe, Fiona’s work as a freelance interiors colour specialist and stylist is defined by what she calls “aesthetic narratives.” She explains,

“If someone has a story at play and it involves colour, I can guide them.”

For her own cottage, Fiona’s decorating process starts with the emotional effect she wants each room to evoke, often drawing on childhood memories.

“Once I have that, I observe the light and identify the colour that is the link between the intended emotion and the function of the space,”

she says. Art is integral, serving as the “second layer of colour” in the rooms.

Which stories are told through the cottage’s colour schemes?

Beatrice Lowe notes that every space in the cottage carries a unique narrative. The sitting room, painted a deep and vivid green, is inspired by English woodlands and the effect of sunlight filtering through leaves. Fiona emphasizes the need for “a very rich, solid green” to capture this feeling.

In the dining room, she taps into her Italian heritage, evoking childhood summers with her mother’s family in Sardinia and Liguria. The wall colours reflect “those beautiful villa façades, all terracotta and pinky orange,” bringing warmth and vibrancy.

The bedroom walls display a shade named Edward Bulmer’s ‘Tyrian,’ a deep amethyst inspired by a Ligurian sky’s lilac hues. Since the room faces south, Fiona chose to intensify the colour, bringing the memory of a particular sky above the sea into the space.

The bathroom’s aquatic green tiles recall a Sardinian beach where swimmers float past colourful seaweed to a shipwreck.

“When I’m in the bathroom, I’m submerged in that experience,” she explains.

What Italian elements influence the cottage’s kitchen design?

Fiona’s kitchen evokes the “unfitted, simple and rustic” character of her grandmother’s home in Italy, featuring natural materials rather than strong colours. A richly veined rust and russet marble countertop, paired with a linen curtain, runs along one wall. On the opposite wall stands a vast wooden credenza, once owned by her grandfather.

“It’s just natural wood, stone and cloth in this room, with no strong colour,”

notes Fiona. She wanted the kitchen’s sensory impact to come from the “flavour and aroma of food.”

Why do Mediterranean vessels play a key role in the cottage’s decor?

As reported by Beatrice Lowe, Fiona treasures Mediterranean ceramics featuring imperfections that speak to their history and use.

“I go for those that have the most imperfections – the ones with a story,”

she says. She is captivated by the balance of

“patina, function and the experience we can have by engaging with a piece in a reimagined way.”

The old wooden credenza and rustic vessels in her kitchen help transport her away from Barnet to a place resonant with personal and cultural memories.