Based in London, English designer Rita Konig recently renovated her family’s farmhouse in County Durham in northeast England. North Farm is surrounded by rolling pastures and has been in her husband Philip Eade’s family for generations. Konig added her quintessential touch to the dreamy English country getaway with a mixture of elegance, touches of whimsy, classic English references, and plenty of color. “I wanted it to be a bit mismatched, with the feeling that something came together naturally. At a certain point, I did wonder, Have I gone too far?” Konig explained to ELLE Decor. “At the end of the day, we wanted a place where friends and family really like to be.”
This story originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of ELLE Decor with photography by Dylan Thomas and copy by Sadie Stein.

DRAWING ROOM: The 19th-century sofa in the foreground is upholstered in a fabric by Konig’s mother, Nina Campbell, the vintage cocktail tables are from Colefax and Fowler, and the mahogany side table is in the Chippendale style. The antique Ziegler Mahal rug is from Robert Kime, and the walls are in Invisible Green by Edward Bulmer.

DINING AREA: The 19th-century Italian table is from TallBoy Interiors, and the dining chairs are antiques. The curtains are of a Lee Jofa stripe, and the artichoke lithograph is by Sarah Graham. The walls are in Edward Bulmer’s Lilac Pink.

LIBRARY: The Nina Campbell sofa is covered in a Tissus d’Hélène corduroy, and the vintage armchairs are in a Nina Campbell green velvet (left) and a Lewis & Wood fabric. The curtains are of a Claremont twill with Nina Campbell braided trim, and the artworks include a 1970s Neil Forster portrait of Campbell’s late Yorkshire terriers, which Konig discovered at a junk shop in Wales.

KITCHEN: Konig installed a traditional-style kitchen by Plain English. The white-enamel stove is by Aga, and the star pendant is from Pooky.

MASTER BEDROOM: The four-poster William Yeoward bed is topped with a vintage quilt from Katherine Poole. The Regency bench is in a Claremont check, and the curtains are of a Nicole Fabre Designs floral.

GUEST ROOM: Ikea beds are topped with vintage D. Porthault linens, the antique Cotswolds chair belonged to Konig’s father, the pendant is by Antoinette Poisson, the Roman shade is of a Titley and Marr print, and the wallpaper is by Nina Campbell.

GUEST ROOM: The Charles Beckley headboard is covered in a Raoul Textiles fabric; the 19th-century chest is French, the Pooky lamps have shades in a Colefax and Fowler fabric, and the walls are in Edward Bulmer’s Cuisse de Nymphe Emue.

DAUGHTER’S BATH: The walls are covered in a Pierre Frey wallpaper.

EXTERIOR: The Victorian farmhouse.
To read more, please visit ELLE Decor. You may also enjoy Rita Konig’s books, Domestic Bliss and Culinary Trickery. I also recommend the latest book by Rita’s mother, Nina Campbell Interior Decoration: Elegance and Ease. I particularly love Nina’s older books as well, which you can find on Amazon. For more English country homes featured by The Glam Pad, please click the links below.
- AN ELEGANT HOME AND GARDEN IN ENGLAND
- A CLASSIC GEORGIAN HOME IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE
- AN OLD FASHIONED ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE
- BEN PENTREATH’S ENGLISH COUNTRY HOME
- LOUISE TOWNSEND’S IDYLLIC ENGLISH COUNTRY HOME
- ALICE NAYLOR-LEYLAND’S ENGLISH COUNTRY WONDERLAND
- MARK GILLETTE REFRESHES A 300-YEAR-OLD ENGLISH MANOR
- FARM FROM HOME WITH AMANDA BROOKS
- LAST NIGHT I DREAMT I WENT TO MANDERLEY AGAIN
- BOWOOD HOUSE
- INSIDE ENGLAND’S SEEND MANOR WITH AMANDA CLARK
- JOHN FOWLER’S NANTCLWYD HALL REVISITED
- BRITISH ELEGANCE WITH SERENA FRESSON AND ALICE NAYLOR-LEYLAND

Sheer bliss! Now THIS is true English decorating! It all is a bit random but that’s what makes it work. I do believe Rita may be even better than her mother.
Now why didn’t I marry a man whose family had a wonderful house like this that was given to us!
Hi Suzanne,
Isn’t it beautiful?! I am such a fan of Rita’s and Nina’s work… The apple clearly didn’t fall far from the tree! 🙂
Xx,
Andrea
The Glam Pad
I need a English country house really bad, of course, with everything ready to enjoy