Interior Stylist and a viewing assistant for The Modern House, Brigitte D’Angelo, her husband Simon and their two children left north London in 2010, driven not by a specific pull towards Suffolk, but by the purist architectural vision of their 1960s modernist house designed by John Penn, sold to the couple via The Modern House. 
 
The house near Rendham forms one of Penn’s nine ‘temple’ houses, so-called because of the classical symmetry he picked up working for Richard Neutra in California and installed into his designs. Importing a mid-century American sensibility to post-war Britain, Penn worked on houses given to light, spacious interiors that have become prised assets and gained a cult following. Read on to discover how Penn’s work has endured to be a relevant format for modern living 60 years on. 

Brigitte: “My family and I were in Islington before, in a ground-floor flat overlooking Highbury Fields. It was a red-brick Victorian building, which we loved but had outgrown. 

“We tried to buy a modern house in Highbury, but that fell through and we ended up in a Georgian house that backed onto the Regent’s Canal. It had four floors with a room on each floor…so very different from here.

“We hadn’t fallen out of love with London, we just wanted to try a different life and give ourselves a bit of a break. Simon and I were both self-employed so could work from home. The kids both went to school in the city and we were paying congestion charge every day… I was never organised enough to get the bus! 

“We had seen a couple of places with The Modern House – I was slightly addicted to the website. We really could have moved anywhere for the right house, and didn’t know Suffolk or anyone here when we came to view the house. We loved it immediately, though. It just made sense to us and had so much potential.

“We didn’t want to change it too much and didn’t have a massive budget. I also believe we are custodians of the house and it is important to keep the integrity of it for future generations. That said, we wanted to enjoy living in a modern home without it feeling like a museum.

“We changed the layout to make some of the bedrooms bigger and gain a family bathroom – it has a double shower and big bath so you can lie with the door open to the garden, listening to the birds singing and watching the sunset – it’s bliss. 

“We chose a patterned floor tile for the main bathroom in a cuboid pattern. John Penn often used floor tiles in checkerboard patterns, so we felt this was a modern version of that. Elsewhere we decided not to disturb the original floor and underfloor heating (which does still work a bit). I hope to replace the heating one day with an air-source heat pump.

“We removed the original kitchen and utility room and installed a recycled kitchen from our friends’ house in Islington, and put the utility room in one of the large built-in cupboards. 

 “We are now gradually replacing the Crittall windows that are around the outside of the house. Sadly, the doors were prone to buckling in the wind and had terrible condensation problems even though they were double glazed!

“The house is great for entertaining and parties as three-quarters of the floorplan is living space. Last year we installed a light-up dance floor and mirror ball in the courtyard for our daughter’s 21st…. I had secretly always wanted one and would love to have the setup installed permanently. I like nothing more than a house full of people!

“A good interior should make you happy and comfortable. My house makes me smile every day. I love colour and can’t do beige! There’s not really a plan for the interior, though, just furniture that we love and have amassed over the years. I really don’t like to throw things away, so everything needs re-upholstering right now. The only downside to all the windows it that the furniture fades!

“We had some of the furniture before but not as much because we had just one lounge space in our house in London… here we have three living areas and three sofas! Some I buy on eBay, some from friends who moved abroad, and some classic pieces worth saving for. We buy classic furniture that hopefully won’t date. It also has to be fairly practical with kids and a muddy dog.

“We used to buy art, mostly prints, from auctions, small galleries or edition prints from exhibitions. When we first moved here, I did a pop-up gallery in the house called Arthaus. It was so great to meet people as lots of locals came, mostly to see the house. I exhibited and bought from a local painter Rob Wyn-Yates, whose geometric paintings and vintage frames I love. I have also bought from a very talented young painter Jelly Green, who grew up in the village and was taught by Maggi Hambling.

“I love pottering around the courtyard, full of plants. I started with a cactus and a couple of aloe veras. The aloes love it here and have had loads of baby plants, which I re-pot and give to friends. They flower twice a year, which is joyous. At the moment I am growing tomatoes, aubergines, chillis, and herbs. The smell of tomato plants is my favourite.

“The sun moves around the house throughout the day so you get different sunny corners all day until evening. 

“We are 20 minutes from the sea. We love walking on the beach and Simon swims regularly. Me not so much but, being from the coast originally, I love being near the water.

“We are close to Woodbridge, Saxmundham and Framlingham. Woodbridge has some great shops: New Street Market stocks Margaret Howell and we go to Pascale Store for interior finds, and Vanil for locally made candles by Loggique. Framlingham has some great antique and vintage shops: Dix Sept and In da Cottage. East of Eden in Saxmundham is great for homewares. To eat we love The Station Hotel pub in Framlingham and Butley Oysterage at Orford.

“I also love markets and car boots. Old Jet Market is on at the old American airbase once a month, with DJs, local makers, vintage clothes and furniture. It has a wonderful atmosphere.

“Now that my son and daughter are at home from university, we all work in different areas throughout the day and come together at mealtimes. All of the rooms are used all the time as it is mostly open plan around the central courtyard.

“We have worked from home since the kids were small. It’s been great to be there for them and to make our own system. It means we can have lovely lunches together sitting outside in summer and I can’t really think of any disadvantages – we couldn’t imagine working in an office now.

“Initially I thought we would designate one space to work in. Simon and I didn’t agree which room would make the best dining room, so have two tables and can move around depending on how we feel. Similarly, we can eat in the different rooms too, especially if one of us has work sprawled across a dining table.

“Over the last couple of months, I haven’t missed too much, just seeing friends, really, but now we all meet in our gardens. I have felt immensely grateful for this space, and to be able to watch nature carry on around us… it gives me some perspective.”

Brigitte, how do you define modern living?

 “Our house is incredibly simple, a single storey around an internal courtyard, really modernist. I actually think its simplicity is its strength. We have space, light, comfort and a dialogue with nature.”

Is there a house for sale on The Modern House that’s caught your eye?

“The Concrete House in Bristol.

“I’m really drawn to those early modernist houses – such character, elegance and optimism, like an ocean liner! It takes my breath away. Those curves and straight lines work effortlessly together. Whoever buys this will feel very lucky to be custodians of such an amazing building I am sure.”