The Tradition of The Gatehouse

Interior Design is not only about interiors, but about architecture and historical styles as well. The outside of a dwelling should have something to do with the interior (although this "rule" may be judiciously broken for a design statement). And like so many things in life, the more one understands, the more one enjoys...

"A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance."

Because they are smaller than castles and manor houses, these delightful structures were and still are often homes in their own right.

Top to bottom: Barbican gate of Glenarm Castle, Co. Antrim; Caerhays Gatehouse; Caerhays Gatehouse, Cornwall; Lanhydrock Gatehouse, Cornwall; Lough Key Gatehouse, Boyle, Ireland; The Anthony Salvin Gatehouse at Harlaxton College, Lincolnshire; Tregothnan Gatehouse, Cornwall; unknown gatehouse

Such buildings suggest lovely classic British interiors like these, with a wonderfully curated mix of Jacobean, Victorian, and Edwardian elements:

The photo above is of Lee Stanton's stately yet comfortable English-style drawing room in Laguna Beach, California.

And the following image is a cozy drawing room by Broosk Saib. Chintz wallcovering, passamenterie, ancestral portraiture, wainscoting, discreet floor lamps, and a tole table all add up to a classic, timeless style from the British Isles.

Happy designing!