A weekend at the home of a textile designer friend was the catalyst Trevor Pickett needed to buy a Suffolk home. Running his eponymous shop in London's Burlington Arcade still requires Trevor to maintain a small flat in town, but it is the 19th-century cottage with its very romantic walled garden that has gradually become his main home – a fantastic base for socialising, riding and gardening. “I had this wonderful weekend away and decided this is really my lifestyle. I am not mad about city life. I don't need the clubs and bars,” he says. “I was going through changes in my relationship, and the day I realised that I had become an independent person, this house came on the market.”

Originally the property was a gardener's cottage for a larger home nearby, and Trevor bought it from the gardener's widow 12 years ago. “She had loved it and cared for it, and when she moved out all I really had to do was lift the veil that had fallen over it.”

Trevor and a friend spent ten days at the house, clearing it out and painting, creating a backdrop for furniture and artwork. Since then, the interior has evolved, reflecting the cottage's transition from a holiday house to more of a full-time house. Central to the decor are Trevor's paintings, rugs and antiques, which are the result of his passion for collecting. Glazed ceramics are always on his shopping list – he has a fantastic collection of glug-glug jugs. Also, his work and social circle frequently take him abroad and he always likes to bring something back. Paintings and furniture are often gifts from friends. “These things have associations,” he says. The effect of his collecting is an interior that is both personal and warm, ideal for relaxed weekend gatherings. “It is not a very immaculate house,” he admits. “It is always a bit untidy, but I love clutter – I can't help myself.”

Six years after he bought the cottage, Trevor was also able to buy some adjacent land and extend the house to the size it is today. He re-configured the long, narrow space to create four bedrooms upstairs with adjoining bathrooms, and a series of interconnecting rooms downstairs. At only 13 feet wide, the house remains narrow in the Suffolk tradition, and the new part runs seamlessly on from the old, rather than forming an L-shape, which would have compromised the garden.

Despite Trevor's feeling that the house still lacks a little in size, there are witty nods throughout to the decoration you would find in a grand family pile. The entrance hall features a portrait of him by the artist Simon Boudard, and mounted antlers sprout dramatically above doorways. Each room is painted in a different colour, with a strong red in the living room referencing the room's original hue, and a dark chocolate for the dining room, which is situated in the heart of the house.

This last room is central to Trevor's social life and is always full of guests and their families. “The table opens to seat fourteen quite uncomfortably for Sunday lunch and twelve comfortably for dinner,” he jokes. The rustic kitchen and larder are a haven for Trevor, who finds cooking the perfect way to wind down. “I order groceries from the local farm shop,” he explains, “so that when I arrive late on Friday night, I know I've got everything here. I love cooking and, after a full week in London, I find it wonderfully relaxing, making pastry or just generally prepping.”

Trevor's other grand passion in life is the garden, which he has added to over the years as he has acquired more land. A line of beech trees screens the house from the road, and peach, pear and apple trees in beds of lavender lead down to a pond. Closer to the house, an outdoor dining space for eight has been added.

The love for the property, first kindled 12 years ago, is as strong for Trevor today as it was then, and he now regards it as his true home. “Whenever I go away anywhere I always enjoy myself,” he says, “but when I turn the corner of the road to my house, it smiles at me.”

WORDS ROS ANDERSON
PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL
APRIL 2007