• Contact Us
• About Us
• Other Publications
• KELSEY Publishing Group
• Subscribe
• Newsletter
• Careers

Getting things together

Bettina Vellinga lives in a Georgian house in the Cotswolds, a long way from her native Holland.  
After years working for a charity which organised conferences for young people, first in Europe and then throughout the world, Bettina finally gave in to her real passion: antiques. Now, a full time dealer, the house is a showcase of her hobby turned profession.
As soon as she visited the house, she fell in love with its Georgian style. “I love Georgian houses as they are so well conceived, have high ceilings and large square rooms.” An added bonus was that the house was south facing and bathed in sunshine. “It’s very light and sunny, and the garden was another huge asset, as it has gorgeous Cotswold stone walls, a pond, several terraces and lawns, so it shows different aspects all the time.”
But she had to see past its interior nightmares. The house had been divided into two parts which meant an unnatural layout with, for example, a horrible ‘avocado’ bathroom near the living room!
Despite the drawbacks, Bettina was bewitched. “This house has a special feeling about it : it is a happy house, full of light and warmth and close to nature through the wonderful views of the gardens you have from the windows at the back. Every room is just so special that one could stay here for weeks without going out.”
During renovations, her plan was simple: stay true to the house’s original design and give it back its soul. She explains: “I tried to revive the Georgian style by bringing in bright
colours: deep reds, greens and yellow. It is amazing how a darker room can benefit from raspberry walls: it looks so much lighter!”
Her masterplan included “redesigning the garden and everything that was done within the house to bring it back to its original glory, right down to the handmade Georgian style doors.” Every room, except the kitchen was redecorated. Bettina did a lot of the paintwork and furniture restoration herself, having read through plenty of homes and interior magazines, and she enlisted the help of a builder for the heavy work.
The renovation has taught her two things. “Firstly, it’s best to live some time in your ‘new’ home before starting major structural work, just to make sure that the rooms and floor plan work for you. And secondly, it’s always best to be there all day every day when you have builders in! They always have thousands of questions and being away is a huge risk.”
Bettina describes her style as “slightly eccentric but classical”! I like bringing out the best of the period features through the use of colours which enhance them and I like to use my imagination.” One colour didn’t work out quite as she had planned though. She laughs: “I first chose bright yellow for the drawing room, which meant you had to wear sunglasses to be able to stay in there. It was blinding! So I quickly changed it to ivory.”
The mellow ivory sitting room is now one of her favourite places. Another, is her sanctuary, the plush master bedroom on the first floor where she loves to spend time reading in the sun on the elegant white sofa by the bay window.
Her passion for antiques, and picking up unique pieces of period furniture have helped her transform the house into a perfect example of Georgian chic. And, thanks to her bargain hunting she has found some wonderful pieces for next to nothing. Her best bargain? “I bought a Georgian flame mahogany book case, dating back to 1810 for £30: it is just gorgeous! I also picked up a set of six magnificent Victorian mahogany dining chairs and carvers for less than a tenner each.”
In fact, she is adamant that when it comes to furniture, antiques are the better investment.
“I never buy new furniture (except a good mattress) as it is expensive and loses its value the minute you walk out of the shop. I hunt around at auctions and antique markets and of course also on E-bay.”
“When it comes to decorating, my motto is, ‘keep it simple’. I always choose the colours that I feel go best with the light in each room. I use dado rails both to bring the light paint of the ceiling further into the room and then lower down, at approx. 70 cm from the floor, to break the colour. I like to use the lovely Farrow and Ball whites for that.”
“Another golden rule I follow is: Don't mix stripes and squares on upholstery. And, for that ‘Wow’ factor, I dress windows with opulent silk curtains which are interlined with heavy, thick flannel and let them ‘puddle’ down, rather than just touch the floor.”
As for doing any more to the house, she admits there is one thing niggling her. “I would like to update one of the bathrooms with a walk in shower and roll top bath. Hopefully we can do that before too long. The rest is just fine.”
Now that this project is nearly complete, Bettina is wondering about her next challenge. “I’ll possibly buy a property to renovate as a buy-to-let or perhaps find a house in France to restore. Renovating a property is time consuming but it gives so much satisfaction.”