A County Durham farm has been named one of the best holiday homes in the UK by Condé Nast Traveller.
North Farm in the Durham Dales has been refurbished and decorated by "transatlantically renowned" interior designer Rita Konig and has featured in Elle Decor magazine. Owned by the designer's husband's family, it looks out over the rolling hills from the tiny village of Walworth, between Darlington and Barnard Castle.
The prestigious travel magazine's writers described staying at the farmhouse as "country life that's utterly effortless" and made reference to the rugged landscape of rural County Durham, which was described as far less genteel than neighbour Yorkshire, yet still poetic with its "lumpen fields". However, much of the focus was on the design of the farmhouse.
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Of North Farm, travel writer Annabel Rivkin wrote: "The star of the show is the apple-green drawing room with tapestry-style rugs, ornate carved side tables and heavy, double-lined curtains. There is surprisingly varied art (large Japanese chrysanthemum prints; fin-de-siècle oil paintings; vintage film posters) and a hearteningly American attitude to hot water – Konig wanted each guest to be able to bathe if not simultaneously, then consecutively.
"And there are plenty of bathrooms but no en-suites, as she believes firmly in corridor life which is indeed rather jolly – particularly since North Farm’s hallways are covered in charming, faintly old-fashioned wallpaper. The kitchen is dominated by a large scrubbed table and looks out across fields and fruit trees.
"It is a real take on how to live: gather around the table while the clanking of the washing up happens in the pantry, and be unbridled in getting wet and muddy knowing that there’s a gleaming boot room in which to wash off the mess, then sink into those fabulous sofas and headboard-backed beds with their scalloped linen. Amid the rugged landscape, this is an example of country life that’s utterly effortless."
Despite North Farm's entry on the list, nowhere else in County Durham, Tyne and Wear, or Northumberland made it on. To read the full list of the best holiday homes in the UK, visit the Condé Nast Traveller website.
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