View to the Main Barn, where breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner are served. And at the bar you can taste local beer. Cheers!

Life in the big city can sometimes be quite exhausting. And the longing for peace, green and rural life is growing: many metropolitan residents want only one thing on the weekend: Get out of the noisy din. Nick Jones, British hotel entrepreneur and founder of Soho Houses, recognized the needs of the troubled urban man years ago when he opened his first country hotel, the Babington House, in the east of London in 1998. Three years ago, another country retreat was added to the Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, a 90-minute drive northwest of London, in the romantic Cotswolds countryside. Here, the big city-battered experiences country life by joining, touching or just diving in.

The Soho Farmhouse has a lot to offer for the city tired vacationer. Here you can see the lake overlooking the outdoor pool and boathouse

I’m not the fan of British left-hand traffic and opt for the convenient arrival on the regional train GWR, which stops from London Paddington in an hour and twenty minutes at the station of the idyllic village Charlbury. From here, another 15 minutes by taxi through the hilly landscape of Oxfordshire, which even in January is lit up in green. In addition a bright blue sky – which is not natural for local weather conditions. Almost a shameless luck!

On the left the steam sauna with whirlpool, in the background boathouse and gym

Past the stately, (currently still visible) property of football star David Beckham and fashion-creating wife Victoria, I get to the hidden grounds of Soho Farmhouse. Nick Jones, visionary and inventor of private Soho House membership clubs, is opening his 22nd Soho House in Amsterdam this year. The self-made man operates outlets worldwide, for example in Berlin, Los Angeles or Istanbul. Many of them with an attached hotel, in which also non-members can check in. With the Soho Farmhouse, Jones created a resort in the country according to his ideas: the centerpiece is an 18th-century farmhouse that sits amid 50 acres of land. In between, cultured stream courses and small lakes with 40 cozy, wooded cabins situated in the landscape.

The 50-acre property with cultivated streams and small lakes, in between 40 very cozy, in the countryside sprinkled wooden huts

The so-called “cabins” are of different sizes, some with separate living room and several bedrooms. Wood-paneled walls, gnarled floors, inviting linen couches and cuddly velvet armchairs make each of the cabins comfortable. Including a large bathroom stocked with a rich selection of personal care products from their own brand “Cowshed”. Some cabins have a zinc outdoor bathtub, which can be used in this cold season. But you can warm up after by your own stove and pattering fire wonderfully. Or you can make a tea in your own kitchenette before the comfortable XXL bed, equipped with seven pillows, invites you to take a nap.

Me on a stylish retro bike by the brand Foffa

In the afternoon I explore the surroundings with its picturesque landscape. In good weather, rowboats invite you to take a round on the lake. A personal butler, who is called “Farmhand” here, asks me if he can book me a massage appointment in the “Cowshed Spa”. He could also reserve a small round of golf, a riding or tennis lesson or trapshooting. I opt for yoga at the gym and then swim a few laps in the heated outdoor pool. For accompanying children there is an adventure playground and hourly child care. The ponies and chickens are just another attraction for city kids, so that the farmhouse enjoys great popularity even among young families – with the associated noise level. If you like it a little quieter, I recommend a stay during the week.

Tip Soho Farmhouse: Avoid weekends!

In summer, the indoor pool opens up and, together with the outdoor pool, creates a great swimming and splashing paradise

It is the small details that make the Soho Farmhouse so special: Infront of the door of each cottage, the guest will find his personal bicycle for the duration of the stay. Right next to it some gumboots, because it usually rains pitchforks here. Of course, in the right shoe size, which was previously requested by email. Every morning fresh milk in glass bottles is stored on the veranda. And on request, the breakfast comes to bed – by a mobile cooking bus, the so-called “float”.

19 mint-colored electric vintage cars – former milk trucks – serve as a shuttle and means of transport

Those who prefer to eat in the restaurant can do so either in the “Main Barn”, serving Soho House classics like wood-fired pizzas, giant burgers or grilled chicken. At lunchtime I like to sit in the bright “Pen Yen” restaurant overlooking the outdoor pool and terrace. There are delicious sashimi and sushi variations here. In the evening, the sleeker “Fancy Farm” restaurant offers additional seats. A nightcap in the “Mill Room” is always a good idea. I look into the crackling fire of the large, open fireplace, try a whiskey from the area and think: It could stay that way.  BvH

One of 40 so-called cabins, equipped with one or more bedrooms, living room, kitchenette or large country kitchen

In front of the rustic wooden huts, Wellington boots are ready for the guest. And logs for the cabin-own stove

A peek in my kitchenette. The larger cabins offer fully equipped country kitchens. But even here I can prepare small meals, tea or coffee

So comfortable: My XXL bed with seven pillows …

…from here I can enjoy the view outside and into the stove

Cowshed care products in a range of styles and different scents are available to guests during their stay

A bath in the outdoor tub? That was to me, frankly, too cold in this season!

Chilling out on your own veranda: It’s no coincidence that the cushions harmonize in color with the door frames

Ready for terrain exploration with my chic retro bike …

…which is even provided with my name

Passing endless pastures and vegetable fields…

…and visiting the ponies in the stable. Excursions can also be made with the carriages

Forgot the scarf or hat? Does not matter. “The Store” offers cuddly and relaxing stuff for the country style. Because even here (as in all Soho Houses) the dress code is casual. If you want to adapt the farmhouse style for your own four walls, you can buy crockery, bathrobes, pillows, lamps and even furniture in the Farmhouse shop. Here the deli…

…where one can also be snacked

The boathouse has an indoor pool and a spa area

Next to it the Japanese restaurant Pen Yen…

…where I order sushi and sashimi variations. A portion of Edamame must not be missing!

In warm temperatures, meals are also served on the outdoor terrace

This cabin has a steam sauna and a whirlpool

With the sunset…

…it is time for an aperitif at the Mill Room bar

Later we will have dinner in the Main Barn…

…where the separate restaurant Fancy Farm invites you to fine dining

…before you get tired after a lot of idleness, but happily fall into a cuddly bed

How to get to Soho Farmhouse:

Arrival in London Heathrow: Take the Heathrow Express (£ 25) to London Paddington (taking 15 minutes). Hourly regional trains of the Great Western Railway (GWR) to Charlbury (16 £), travel time 80 minutes. It takes 15 minutes by taxi and 25 pounds to the Soho Farmhouse. A taxi ride from Heathrow to the Soho Farmhouse costs around £ 130. The Soho Farmhouse also has a helicopter landing pad. Room rates in Soho Farmhouse from about 400 Euro per night.

London Paddington: From here there are hourly regional trains of the Great Western Railway (GWR) to Charlbury

Contact Soho Farmhouse:

sohofarmhouse.com

More Mystylery-hotel tips about the Soho Houses you can find here.

The post The Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire appeared first on My Stylery.

The manor of the Fritzen family was built in 1801 by the German noble family Freiherren of Hammerstein

Who does not dream of it? Living in a beautiful country house, with lots of space for the family, surrounded by endless nature and a large garden with old trees. This dream came true for Austrian interior designer Simone Fritzen and her husband. Since 2003, the couple, with their four children and dog Amy, live in a 200-year-old mansion in Schleswig-Holstein, a one hour car ride north of Hamburg. Previously, the Fritzens had their home in the Hansestadt. How do established urban people become convinced landlords? MyStylery visits the north!

Simone Fritzen: “My guiding principle is to meet my customers, their wishes and the object, taking into account the budget.”

MyStylery: Many dream of living in the countryside. You took the step. Was it planned for a long time?
Simone Fritzen: My husband is a hunter and always had the vision of country life. Then we found this oasis of calm through an auction house. When I first entered the house being pregnant, I knew immediately: This is it. Not visible and still located in the middle of the village. My husband lured me with the argument to be able to make a beautiful house even more beautiful. He has plenty of room for tinkering and – most importantly – a plug for his lawn mower. And for children, there is nothing better than to grow up in the countryside and in the midst of nature.

What a wonderful view from the living room into the garden!

MS: Was there any major redevelopment effort or were you be able to move in right away?
SF: We’ve made some spatial changes. Where before was a bird aviary, today is the kitchen. The floors were sanded, walls were trowelled and dyed. And then all this ravaged wallpaper. It had to go away. (laughs)
MS: From my own experience, I know that rural life requires a different organization and logistics than life in the city.
SF (laughs): Oh, yes. As a mother you will be the chauffeur of your children whose school is 45 minutes away from here. Almost everything is done by car. You have to compromise. As a passionate chef, I also follow my passions here, cooking jam, puzzling around in the garden. That fits.

In the beginning of the 19th century the Freiherren of Hammerstein commissioned the Danish architect C.F. Hansen with the design of the mansion

MS: You used to accompany international projects as an interior designer. Do you miss this?
SF: I’ve been working from my home-office for years and am still on the road. Right now I am planning for a real estate broker. At first she was interested in my furniture design. Now I organize the entire object for her. The most beautiful thing about my job is that I see many interesting houses and always adjust myself to the customer and the object again and again.
MS: You’re dealing with a demanding clientele. Does it follow your opinion or does it want to make its own decisions?
SF: This is always different and requires a lot of fingertip feeling and empathy. I remain true to my principles. Firstly, a Tuscan country house does not fit into the metropolis. And secondly, never do everything new. Things that are special to the costumers always get their place.

View into the dining room

MS: Sounds simple, but it is not. What should be considered?
SF: In principle, you should pay attention to where you step. And this in the truest sense of the word: I would otherwise have stepped on a painting of Chagall lying on the floor in a London apartment of a customer. (Laughs) Another customer first commissioned a swimming pool, had an excavation pit excavated, which then was subsequently reprocessed. Instead he now wanted a billiard room. As an architect, you always live with the spontaneous decisions of your customers.
MS: What is important to you in your own four walls?
SF: I love colors, a passion that was shaped in my time in England, where I studied color theory. The furnishing is a certain casualness. I do not like it when everything is so sterile and stereotyped. Furnishings is linked to a story that tells something about its inhabitants. It is authentic. Like our home.  BvH

“I love colors, a passion that was shaped in my time in England”, Simone Fritzen says

Soon it will be Easter, as evidenced by Simone Fritzen’s decorations

About Simone Fritzen:

Grown up near Kitzbühel, Simone Fritzen studied interior architecture in Rosenheim. After a year in England, where she worked with color theory at Coloroll, the Austrian went to Hamburg. She knows how to pad chairs and distress furniture. S.F. worked for well-known architects and realized hotel and boarding house projects, among other things such as the “Madison” in Hamburg and Berlin, as well as the “Elbflorenz” in Dresden for the interior installer Holger Stewen. As an independent interior designer, Simone Fritzen looks for an international clientele. She designs furniture and specializes in high-end fabrics such as Rubelli, Pierre Frey, Osborne & Little, Nobilis and Nina Campell.

Beautiful porcelain painting by Simone Fritzen:

Since for years multi-talented Simone Fritzen has also been a porcelain painter

The Danish architect C.F. Hansen, a well-known architect of his time, built whole streets in Hamburg and various mansions with classical facades in Schleswig-Holstein according to the Italian model of the Palladio villas

The wardrobe is guarded by hunting trophies

The corridor with zebra skin on antique tiles

The large kitchen was designed by Simone Fritzen in collaboration with kitchen builder Hecker. Eye-catchers are the red Panton chairs

Next to the kitchen the playroom of the children, where Simone also supervises the homework of the kids

The gray lacquered wooden kitchen table lit by Tobias Grau lights

Doggy Amy, a Parson Russell Terrier

Simone Fritzen mixes the old and new: The antique secretary is Viennese Biedermeier and was a wedding gift from Simone’s father

The fireplace corner with a black and white fashion photography by Philipp von Hessen

Classically elegant with modern elements is the furnishing in the house of Simone Fritzen

Soon it will be Easter, as evidenced by Simone Fritzen’s decorations

Large wing doors frame the magnificent viewing angle

Simone Fritzen discovered the golden wall-holder at Holger Stewen, beside it a zebra photograph from a Hamburg gallery, the side-lamp with the orange-colored glass base is made of Murano glass

Beautiful view …

… and love to detail

The studio of the Interior Expert …

… on the wall a black and white photograph of the “Wilde Kaiser” in Kitzbühel, Simone’s Austrian home

From the white-lined corridor on the first floor, which is also used by the Fritzen boys as an area for car racing …

… the children’s and bedrooms are separated

Daughter Emma’s room

The guest’s bathroom

The room of Simone’s youngest son Willem

The neo-classical entrance portal

Magnificent is the rosery, which has accurately cut bushes, from which you have a view to the orangery with its original metal windows

From the city to the countryside: Simone Fritzen and her family fulfilled this dream in Schleswig-Holstein

Contact Simone Fritzen:

simone@fritzen-interior.de

Merken

Merken

The post At home with Interior Designer Simone Fritzen appeared first on My Stylery.

Baron Enno von Ruffin says about himself that he’s a ‘car-driving rambler’

“The baron is coming in a second”, says the friendly woman and pleases me to wait. And then he’s standing in front of me – in red cords, a for him typical cardigan, of course with a breast pocket handkerchief: Baron Enno von Ruffin falls down on his sofa in his salon. “There was a problem with the cables for the Christmas illumination”, he explains his delay whilst being a little bit out of breath. But everything is sorted now. Like always. Even after 2 a.m., when a hotel guest stands in front of his door – without a key. Then it’s Ennos mobile phone that rings.

Since 400 years, Gut Basthorst is the home for the Ruffin family

Since 35 years Enno von Ruffin is leading Gut Basthorst in Schleswig-Holstein, a 650 hectares big estate, which includes next to its agriculture a company for gardening and landscaping, as well as a hotel and gastronomy with its own Basthorst Bier. And since 400 years, Gut Basthorst is the home for the Ruffin family that originally comes from Bavaria and Meran in Tirol. This is where Enno was born. Where he was raised. He knows every corner, every tree, and every shrub. He went to the village school, pending between mornings and afternoons, because there was only one classroom. Afterwards Enno has been sent to boarding school. At this stage he was only ten years old. He couldn’t really cope with the rough world of boarding. Suddenly there were different rules. Rules, which didn’t include cigarettes, beer or girls – Enno was, as a lover of liberty, truly not a fan of these rules. “In fact I was an easy child”, says Enno and grins. “Others probably saw that differently”. So he changed the boarding schools in periodically intervals, “I have no idea how many.” His protest against the establishment, “but never against the family.”

The manor: in the former private rooms of the old Baroness – the mother of Enno von Ruffin – today the hotel resides

After school he went to Bavaria, was lieutenant for the mountain infantry, completed an agricultural apprenticeship earlier. And spent one year near Dallas, where he dealed with the American agriculture. It seemed to be fascinating and deterred at the same time. This anonymity. “There was no caregiver, nothing familiar.” Instead there were miles of fields. “This literally broadened my horizon.” Enno von Ruffin returned to Germany to his home in Schleswig-Holstein. Because it was clear; he as the male heir takes over the farm and the responsibility for the business and the therefore involved people. At just 27 years of age. He structured, modernized, rented the empty buildings to craftsmen. The former horse stable nowadays contains an inn; events take place in the barns, from dog competitions to the ‘Players Night’ – a night where the polo cup, which regularly takes place at Basthorst, is celebrated.

In the former horse stable – built in 1913 by the ancestors of the Ruffin family, the Brusselles – visitors will find a comfortable restaurant, in which German cuisine is served

Basthorst is popular for its seasonal markets. Next weekend starts this years Christmas market. Ten thousands of visitors will come to attune themselves to the Advent season with Negus and deer-sausages. And to sing Christmas songs with Vicky Leandros. In the mid 80s Enno von Ruffin gets to know the famous singer in the once legendary Hamburg nightclub ‘Insel’ (island). First he didn’t know who she is; he did one of his flippant slogans, which she skillfully parried. He introduced her to his – luckily relatively liberal – parents so that Vicky’s Greek origin or the “standardized marriage” were no obstacles. Today they are amicably seperated.

The pond of the village lies romantically in the middle of the hundreds of years old building-ensemble

35 employees and a diversity of temporary workers take care of the farm estate. “I am farmer”, says Enno von Ruffin, “I don’t want to look after chair covers.” The animal husbandry – pigs, cows, sheep, chicken with which Enno grew up – have been abolished in the 60s. Now there are horses again, because Ennos companion, the Swedish Estelle Rytterborg, is a passionate show jumper. A passion that unifies both and nearly leads to a disaster: in fast gallop Enno fell from his horse, suffers from a life-threatening breach in his lungs. “Such incisions make you humble”, he says in thoughts. Since then he doesn’t smoke anymore. “Sometimes I drink enough”, he laughs. Enno enjoys skiing in Kitzbühel during his holidays and says about himself that he’s a ‘car-driving rambler’. “I got calmer, don’t have to attend every party.” The wild times are over now.

Enno von Ruffin with companion Estelle Rytterborg

What is from true importance? The family. Of course. The children Leo, Milana and Sandra. His companion Estelle and her daughter Pauline. Friendships. Basthorst. Milana, who’s meanwhile mother of two children, is going to take over Gut Basthorst one day. Gradually, how Enno von Ruffin emphasizes. Sometimes. Because he cannot completely release: “I always have an ear on the yard.” If it’s raining inside or if the wind whips off the tiles of the roof: it will be his phone, which rings. BvH

Christmas market in Basthorst

Tip:

The Christmas market at Gut Basthorst is one of the most beautiful in North Germany. It starts on the 20th of November (except the 22nd of November) and will be open all Advent weekends: from Friday until Sunday 300 exhibitors offer handcrafts and regional specialties in harmonic atmosphere.
Friday the 27th of November Vicky Leandros is doing a Christmas benefit concert in favor of ‘Ein Herz für Kinder’ (‘a heart for children’). You can auction a VIP-Christmas Tree that will be signed by celebrities like Udo Lindenberg, H.P. Baxter, Johannes B. Kerner, and others.

About the antique secretary the coat of arms of the ancestors

“I’m a human of yard and family, this is what makes my day”, says Enno von Ruffin, who is accompanied by the two Jack Russell terriers Lion and Trouper at every step

Shopping at Gut Basthorst: in the outbuildings of the yard are several shops that invite to further shopping experiences

Over all reigns the neo-Gothic, evangelist Granit church St. Marien – with Baron Enno von Ruffin as patron

Diverse trades have been established at Gut Basthorst: a shoemaker and bassoon-maker, a glider and a felt maker …

… There’s an antiques shop and boutiques for fashion, presents as well as a distillery, a bakery and a whisky-storage

Always with Enno von Ruffin: Lion and Trouper. Sweet!

Pure nature: Gast Basthorst in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Accession at Gut Basthorst is an original ‘Holzhäuserl’ (house out of wood) from Tirol …

… marvelous lodge-feeling – for this no one has to drive to Austria

Impressions of the countryside …

… and one photo opportunity more beautiful than the other

Enno von Ruffin and me

Contact:

Gut Basthorst
Auf dem Gut 3
21493 Basthorst, Germany

www.gut-basthorst.de

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