Designer Veere Grenney's Palladian temple folly has garnered a great deal of print and online coverage, and with good reason. Simply put, it's splendid. Built in 1760 and once inhabited by David Hicks, the folly is modestly-sized: one room deep and made up of two floors. The bottom floor consists of a kitchen and bedroom, but head upstairs to the second floor and one will find a spacious drawing room that belies the folly's compact size. As Grenney once said, "I live in a cottage and a palace at the same time. Downstairs is like a cottage-my bedroom lies off the kitchen- and upstairs is like a palace."
The most recently published version of Grenney's folly shows a drawing room that is decorated in soft putty-tones and solid fabrics. But in the version that you see here, and which was published in the January 1998 issue of British House & Garden, the drawing room's walls were painted candy pink. The choice of wall color was a bold one, especially considering that candy pink can go all bubble-gum and sweet sixteen quickly. And yet, in Grenney's deft hands, this shade of pink flatters the room, making it a sophisticated yet colorful companion to the room's impressive (and somewhat mannish) interior architecture. Grenney also struck a balance between those pretty, ornate balloon shades (which are still present in the room today) and the furnishings, which were comprised of modern pieces and elegant antiques.
If you want to compare the two versions, click here to see the temple's current incarnation on Veere Grenney's website.
Image at top: The folly's setting is equally as captivating. Flanked by two hedges (which were planted by Hicks upon the recommendation of John Fowler,) the temple looks out upon a canal and parkland.
The three images above show the stately drawing room and the view from within.
The kitchen table and chairs were covered in a check-print fabric by Colefax & Fowler.
The guest-house bedroom.
All photos from British House & Garden, January 1998, Jeremy Young photographer.