English Mannor House: Easton Neston

 I have to say, I am endlessly infatuated with the idea of The English Manor House.  My favorite monthly magazine is the British edition of House & Garden.  I wait with baited breath every month for my issue to arrive, because they almost always have a beautiful estate as one of the featured articles. This month, however, my fix came from a different source.  Easton Neston, the stunning English Baroque style manor home of fashion designer Leon Max was just published in Architectural Digest

Easton Neston was build in Northamptonshire, England in 1702 by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor.  It is thought to be the only house designed solely by Hawksmoor.  In collaboration with Sir John Vanbrugh, Hawksmoor designed Castle Howard and Blenheim palace. The original design shows a much more ornate facade with statuary, a small tempietto on top, and wings on both sides.  As grand as the house looks to me today in the 21st century, the original design makes the house look simple by comparison.

 Max worked with Ptolemy Dean, Architects and Interior designer Henrietta Spencer-Churchill to renovate and refurbish the house.  Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill grew up in Blenheim Palace, and has written many books on English interior design.  I can't imagine a better pedigree to design the interiors for Easton Neston.  The interiors are extremely beautiful...but definitely feel more like a museum than a home.  I'm trying to imagine how much it cost to renovate and decorate this home full of museum quality antiques and important art.  I get a little dizzy thinking about it.  I can't even fathom the amount of money it must cost for regular maintenence and upkeep on this house.

The kitchen "below stairs" is really quite fabulous.  Apparently these original structural arches were restored to create a space for the main kitchen. You can imagine the hustle and bustle of busy servants in this amazing kitchen.

Photos by Oberto Gili for Architectural Digest