Fancroft Mill House reflects her love of old handpainted furniture, her passion for gardening and her hankering for simplicity.
“I liked the fact that there were no extensions. It was basically the square house plus the courtyard,” she says. What sold it to her was the fact that the property was on an island, with the mill river on one side, and the run-off on the other. The extensive gardens were a bonus, and Jupe has put her stamp on them.
When she first bought the house, she refurbished two outbuildings and turned them into self-catering cottages to ensure a cashflow. Next came changing the kitchen, giving the “horrible” bathroom a makeover and replacing the missing sitting room fireplace with one she found in Northern Ireland.
All the doors were painted and stripped, and the walls were painted
a linen-white shade. “It goes with everything. My whole aim was to keep the decor simple. I collect watercolours and didn’t want too much contrast.” The original timber floors had been replaced with concrete, and Jupe reversed the process using timber from an old schoolhouse.
Advertisement
Her Dutch carpenter made the Douglas fir units for the kitchen, which were painted the same linen-white shade as the walls. The pièce de résistance is the 1950s- reconstructed four-oven Aga with a Liscannor slab overhead. The 1940s refectory table was found in Inistioge, and the chairs were bought in auction rooms.
While she believes the original kitchen floor was sandstone, she went for a French-limestone floor to give an aged effect. An old square schoolhouse clock hangs over the door into the hallway.
Off the kitchen are a series of pantries used as utility areas. A door leads into the conservatory which had been covered with a tin roof. “I opened it up, put in a glazed roof and let in lots of light,” says Jupe. The huge Belfast sink, stained-glass door and slate shelves came from Jervis Street hospital in Dublin.
The 1840s mahogany dining room table and corner cabinet came from the nearby Victor Mitchell auction rooms, and the chairs are covered with green leather. “They were lovely and worn so I left them like that,” says Jupe.
A Victor Richardson painting is joined by a still life by sculptor Richard O’Meara. A mirror bought from Roxanne Moorehead hangs over the fireplace with well-stocked bookshelves on either side. The timber-painted lamp is part of a collection. On display in the cabinet is a collection of handpainted china from 1900 to 1940. The back hallway houses an old press from the north of England, used to store shoes and gardening paraphernalia. An oil painting was picked up in the Paris flea market.
Advertisement
The walls from the front hallway are lined with prints with a gardening theme from the 1700s bought in junk shops in England and framed by Robert Alexander in Birr. The floor is covered in the original red, black and cream tiles. The door is a replica, featuring iron from an old stairs and window panels that open.
Warm terracotta shades in the sitting room provide a welcoming effect. The comfortable sofas include one covered with an old kilim. The handpainted oriental-style cabinet was sourced in a junk shop near Harold’s Cross. Also of Chinese design is the old chinoiserie handpainted lamp. The painting of a woman over the fireplace was bought at auction. “I liked it for its austerity,” says Jupe. Watercolours hang over a neat mahogany writing table bought from Esther Sexton in Francis Street in Dublin.
A Belgian handpainted bed bought in Adams’ in Blackrock adds a romantic touch to one of the guest bedrooms. It is joined by a handpainted marble-top table with floral detail brought back by a dealer friend from eastern Europe. It’s a perfect pairing, with the roses on the table matching those on the bed. A floral duvet, bought locally, is the finishing touch in the pale green room. “A lot of the things in the house were not expensive, just pieces I came across and liked,” says Jupe. An iron bed, painted green and terracotta, features in the main bedroom. The Georgian chest came from Dunphy’s in Sixmilebridge while the rug, in shades of cerise, red, blue and green, is from Mitchell’s.
Functionality and practicality were foremost in Jupe’s mind when it came to the bathroom. “It had a cast- iron bath that was far too long. You’d disappear under the water. I wanted a modern bathroom with power showers and chrome fittings that would work,” she says. The bath area features a porthole window.
Jupe has acquired an adjoining mill which is her next big project. The bargain-hunting bug never goes away. A recent holiday in England led to a hop across the Channel to the Paris flea markets once more. “Here we go again,” says Jupe.