"I firmly believe that pink is a neutral," says calligrapher and designer Henrietta Martindale. "Finding a pink home in the landscape of my childhood felt like it was meant to be."
Approached via a winding country lane, the farmhouse announces itself with a flash of Suffolk Pink (the distinctive shade seen on so many of the county's houses) through the hedgerows. Sold off-market, without glossy particulars, it was something of a leap of faith for Henrietta and her husband to move their two children from London to Suffolk, where Henrietta grew up.
Once she'd discovered the house, however, she didn't need much persuading. "As we were shown around, a little doorway into the walled garden took me straight back to reading The Secret Garden as a child," she recalls. "I wanted our girls to have that sort of freedom."
As you'd expect from her day job, Henrietta has a passion for colour. "I'm fascinated by the stories behind Suffolk Pink and I loved diving into the history of our house," she says. "Suffolk was a pig-breeding county and these traditional pink houses were once created by adding pig's blood to the paint. Thankfully, that's no longer the case."
Once a working dairy farm, the property retains the original milking parlour, cattle barns and apple store, now slowly being restored and repurposed. "What really sold the house for us was discovering all these wonderfully characterful outbuildings," Henrietta says. "I could immediately imagine what they might become." Today, those former farm buildings house entertaining spaces and her creative studio, separated from the farmhouse by a brick-lined courtyard.
Happily, the previous owners had already undertaken the structural restoration, sparing the family major works such as rewiring and roofing. That allowed Henrietta and her husband to focus on improving the flow and finishes instead.
They repainted to better reflect their style and laid new herringbone terracotta tiles, now running through three ground-floor rooms. "It was one of our biggest expenses, but transformative," she says. The tiles bring warmth and texture while proving practical for busy family life, balancing working from home with young children and two dogs.
Seasonality informed many of the decorating decisions. "When we moved in, I was itching to get started, but we waited a full year before decorating," she explains. "I wanted to observe the changing colours of the countryside and reflect those changes inside." The resulting palette of ochres and earthy pinks mirrors Suffolk skies at sunset, while muted botanical tones echo the Victorian brickwork and traditional rendered houses nearby as well as the colours of the surrounding fields and hedgerows.
In the kitchen, painted in Edward Bulmer's Lilac Pink, original beams have been picked out in white to lift the ceiling. "There are a lot of wonky lines in this house," Henrietta says. "They're a nightmare to decorate around, but I love them." A vintage barley-twist trolley sourced locally sits beside the island, while rattan lampshades add a lighter note to the traditional Shaker-style cabinetry.
Upstairs, soft pink walls in Farrow & Ball's Templeton Pink and Paint & Paper Library's Plaster IV provide a gentle backdrop to antique furniture and botanicals. In the recently renovated en-suite, wicker lighting and panelling painted in Setting Plaster, also by Farrow & Ball, create a space that feels relaxed rather than overly polished. "I didn't want it to feel too contemporary," she says. "We like a hint of boutique hotel style, so bringing in a few new additions alongside antique pieces has given us the look we wanted."
The former apple store is now Henrietta's garden studio, its chipped plaster walls and views providing daily inspiration. "I can take a break to gaze out of the window to see what is newly flowering or fruiting in our kitchen garden," she says. It was here that an antique calligraphy set, sent as a gift by her sister from Australia, kickstarted a new chapter. "I was looking for something that would work around family life," she says. "It felt like a sign." Today, her business, The Styled Writing Company, combines her love of lettering, interiors and event styling.
Beyond the studio windows, the garden and greenhouse are central to Henrietta's daily life. The wooden table in the greenhouse, handmade by her father, is a focal point for gathering friends. "I am thrilled with his handiwork," she says. "I use it for sunny lunches and as a bar in the evening."
The garden provides produce throughout the year. "Tending my plants brings a rewarding sense of connection to nature and a feeling of deep calm," she says. "We pick gooseberries in spring, white and redcurrants in early summer, and by July and August the south-facing brick wall is heavy with apricots, grapes, peaches and nectarines. Early autumn sees us gathering figs, apples, plums and pears. Harvesting, juicing, freezing and baking has become a favourite family ritual."
Although she enjoys each season and the transitions, it is late spring that Henrietta looks forward to most. "I love the return of warmth to the sun, and for my work it is the start of a busy and exciting schedule of weddings and events. There's something glorious about the promise of a summer outdoors when the doors can be flung open and the garden becomes part of our home again."
Find out more at The Styled Writing Company and by following Henrietta on Instagram @thestyledwritingco.
Summer in the garden edit
GoodHome GoodHome Sagami Orange Charcoal Egg BBQ
Castlery Sierra Garden Sofa Set
