The blues, despite their reputation, aren’t always somber: With many hues and textures, they can be moody, lush, sumptuous. The evidence" A small Georgian manor house in Dorset, England, untouched for generations, given a Picasso-esque revamp by London designer Mark Lewis. Of the blue palette, Lewis says: “I felt the house needed sympathetic yet modern tones. It is such a beautiful old, old building but needed help to bring it into this century.” Join us for a look inside.
Photography by Rory Gardiner.

Above: The small Georgian home, located in Shaftesbury, needed “substantial renovation,” Lewis says, including replacing the roof and much of the timber framework. Lewis also added a green stone extension onto the back of the house and a small studio in the garden.
Above: A view to the walled garden outside.

Above: The utility room, added with the extension, is one of the few rooms in the house without something blue. The custom cabinetry is by Mark Lewis; the team sourced reclaimed wood flooring. The yellow tiles are from Bert & May. (A similar style is available here.)

Above: The small sink?complete with scrub brush?functions as a post-gardening clean-up area.

Above: In the kitchen Lewis covered the old walls in traditional gray-pigmented lime plaster, which “allows the old walls to breathe” and adds a broody tone. The oven looks original to the house, but is modern: it’s the Everhot range in black.

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