INTERIORS Clare Nolan
THE FAMILY Carolyn, her husband Christian and their four children Galatea, 14, Midori, 13, Alto, 11, and Angel, six. THE HOME An 18th-century listed farmhouse just minutes from the woodland in the vale of York where Carolyn and Christian run Jollydays, their ‘glamping’ (glamorous camping) site. How did Jollydays come about? It was our long-held dream. We wanted to create a business that would nurture our family without taking us away from home. For several years we lived in London, running our business CVO Firevault [an upmarket fireplace company and restaurant], but unfortunately it didn’t help family life – we had three young children at the time. What directly influenced our decision was a trip to the wedding of some friends in Uganda, where we all camped on the snowy slopes of Mount Kenya. That was when the idea really got lodged in my brain. So we rented this house and the land, intending to stay just for a year at first… That was eight years ago. Why did you choose Yorkshire? I’m originally from County Durham, so I’ve always loved this part of England. It’s different to the Yorkshire Dales insofar as it’s warmer and drier. Also, our children go to a Steiner school here, which I guess informs a lot of what we do – taking a more natural approach to childhood, nurturing their creativity. That was quite a big piece in the puzzle. How is your work-life balance now? It’s difficult to get stressed in the woods, no matter what’s going on! We had a massive downshift, ±
‘We rented the house and the land, intending to stay just for a year… That was eight years ago’
LEFT, FROM TOP Freshly gathered bay bolete mushrooms from the woodland floor. A tyre swing and muddy puddles add up to old-fashioned fun for junior campers (wellies essential)
LADY OF THE GLAMP
ABOVE Nestled in 200 acres of private woodland close to the outstanding beauty of the Howardian Hills, the Jollydays campsite is sheltered from the harshest weather LEFT The van Outersterps, from left: Galatea, Christian, Angel, Carolyn, Midori and Alto RIGHT Building a den in the woodland: ‘The children start to build them as soon as they arrive,’ says Carolyn. ‘It would make a fantastic book as we have so many amazing ones, with hinged doors and shutters. The children tend to start them but the dads finish’
While many of us yearn for a simpler life, former London entrepreneur Carolyn van Outersterp decided to realise her dream by transplanting her family to a beautiful corner of Yorkshire. Here she explains to Claire Bingham how her idyllic surroundings have inspired the style of her farmhouse home – and how her love affair with the great outdoors kick-started her upscale woodland campsite business
Photographs CHRIS TUBBS 58
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LEFT The tan leather chair in the dining room is a design from CVO Firevault, Carolyn’s former company. On the mantelpiece is a collection of candelabras, many of which were bought on Ebay BELOW, FROM LEFT The walls in the hallway are decorated in a cheery emerald, which Carolyn mixed up herself from leftover paint, while the white staircase brightens it up. The wooden letters, another Ebay find, were glued to the stair risers for decoration. A gallery of family photographs fills one wall in the indigo-painted dining room. Try Sanderson’s Indigo Blue for a similar colour (tel: 0844 543 9500, sanderson-uk.com). The bureau in the porch was picked up at a York Community Store – ‘I try to use it as my office desk, but it’s full of pumpkins and apples at the moment. It’s a constantly moving still life’
going back to scratch and living on much less money with a less extravagant lifestyle. We had a craving for a simpler life, a simpler way of being with people and a simpler way of doing things. Now we give stressed-out people the experience of appreciating the small stuff, such as spending time with the family around a campfire rather than watching the TV or playing computer games. What’s the best thing about the area? It’s a brilliant place as it feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere but in fact we’re only 20 minutes from York. We’re ten minutes from the Wolds, which is really undiscovered, and five from the Howardian Hills and Castle Howard [where Brideshead Revisited was filmed]. How would you sum up your home style? Cosy and nurturing. This house is much smaller than the big barn of a place where we lived before. Here, it feels like the walls are hugging us. The woodland is a big inspiration. I find myself yearning for natural wood in the home. It has definitely influenced my style. How did you choose your colour scheme? We rent the house so what we can do with the décor is quite limited, and when we moved in we weren’t sure quite what to do with it as it was quite cottagey. We opted for a lot of white, because it’s such a great foil for introducing colour. What’s your favourite room? Probably the kitchen, as it’s where we spend most of our time. I also love the dining room lit by candlelight and firelight. It’s a dark room, so when the fire’s going you could be anywhere in the world. Any clever design tricks? Loads of money-saving ones! The tongue-andgroove panelling was fantastic for covering a ±
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‘If we hadn’t come to stay at the house, we wouldn’t have found the woodland for Jollydays. I love the house for that’
With the house predominantly white, where colour has been added it really pops. The vivid green walls add a retro feel to the kitchen (Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen for Graham & Brown, Rising Sap, £19.50 for 2 litres, tel: 0800 328 8452, grahambrown.com). ‘I searched so long for that colour,’ explains Carolyn. For the kitchen makeover the couple kept to a tight budget of just £1,000, replacing the old grey Formica units with new Ikea carcasses and custom-made doors.
BELOW The blue-painted sideboard is a revamped second-hand find
CALAMITY JANE DVD, £3.79, Amazon.co.uk
THE CONSTANT PRINCESS by Philippa Gregory (Harper), £7.99
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I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT…
My family My husband Christian and my four sparky and utterly gorgeous children. Magnificent countryside Being surrounded by beauty every day feels like the most marvellous privilege. Great food We keep our own chickens, grow lots of our own veg and herbs and are surrounded by some of the best local suppliers in the UK. GREEN EARL GREY LOOSE TEA, £6.95 for Vintage clothing I trained in fashion, specialising in 125g, Fortnum & Mason, corsetry. I adore the craftsmanship and style of tel: 020 7734 8040, fortnumandmason.com vintage pieces. My teenage daughters can’t keep their hands off my collection, though! Hoarfrosts They are unbelievably beautiful and turn the woodland into Narnia. Earl grey-flavoured green tea I drink it by the pint! Watching old movies with the children Doris Day makes everything all right. A good read The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory is Catherine of Aragon’s amazing story. 61
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horrible wood-chip finish on the walls. We also spray-painted the range in the dining room black, which had been a biscuity oatmeal colour before. Also, the fire surround only cost me about £10 as I found a piece of wood from the barn and made it myself. What do you love most about the house? The setting. Plus, if we hadn’t come to stay at the house, we wouldn’t have found the woodland for Jollydays. I love the house for that – it led us into a completely different life from the one we had before. What plans do you have for next year? To focus on tents for couples a bit more, which have less of a family focus and are more about a rural retreat. Jollydays is open all year round; visit jollydaysluxurycamping.co.uk for more information, or tel: 01759 371776. Prices from £110 a night for a bell tent (sleeps four) ±
SURVIVAL KETTLE (uses any solid fuel), £38.50, Kelly Kettle, tel: 00353 87 2864321, kellykettle.com
CAROLYN’S YORKSHIRE BEST
GLOVES, £62, Jo Gordon, tel: 020 8299 3369, jogordon.com
Priestley’s Vintage Clothing, 11 Grape Lane, York, tel: 01904 631565 The Antiques Centre York, 41 Stonegate, York, tel: 01904 635888, antiquescentreyorkeshop.co.uk Bettys, for delicious cakes and bread, 46 Stonegate, York, tel: 01904 622865, bettys.co.uk Mulberry factory shop, because I love a bargain! 23/25 Swinegate, York, tel: 01904 611055, mulberry.com CAMPFIRE GRILL, £37.50, Sarah Raven’s Kitchen & Garden, tel: 0845 092 0283, sarahraven.com
MUSHROOM GUIDE BOOK by Jane Eastoe (National Trust), £7.99
ABOVE The communal campfire where guests can gather at the end of a busy day
FIRESTEEL (helps start a fire with sparks in any weather), £17.95, Pedlars, tel: 01330 850 400, pedlars.co.uk
…AND LONDON LIKES
Anthropologie, 158 Regent Street, London W1, tel: 00800 0026 8476, anthropologie.eu. I love the quirkiness. It’s a one-stop shop of lovely things. Twenty Twenty One, 274 Upper Street, London N1, tel: 020 7837 1900, twentytwentyone.com Eco, 213 Chiswick High Road, London W4, tel: 020 8995 7611, eco-age.com Alfies Antiques Market, 13-25 Church Street, London NW8, tel: 020 7723 6066, alfiesantiques.com
RIGHT, FROM TOP Swathed in fabric, the interiors of the Deluxe tents feature two ‘sheds’; one houses the kitchen, the other the bathroom. A wood-burning stove sits centrally within the space. Many of the tents are decorated with vintage accessories and furniture. ‘I’m a terrible car-boot visitor,’ explains Carolyn, ‘and had hoarded massive amounts of “finds”. It wasn’t so much a conscious thing, but the result came out very English, relaxed and quite nostalgic. As time goes on, it’s evolving with a slightly funkier edge.’ The Deluxe tents are mainly style-led, with mid-century furniture contrasting with contemporary pieces. A brilliant feature of Carolyn’s Luxury and Deluxe tents, a roll-top bath and shower really put the ‘glam’ into ‘glamping’
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