‘I have always wanted to live in a period property, and the quirkiness of this house is so appealing to me,’ says artist Mink Yip of her Worcestershire home. ‘It’s actually made up of three old properties so has two staircases and plenty of unexpected corners. It feels like a magical rabbit warren and I still can’t believe it’s ours.’
A leap of faith
Mink, her husband, and their four children – Max, 22, Seb, 21, Estella, 18, and Aurelia, 16 – relocated here from an open-plan 1950s house in London. Initially, it was dismissed as being too far a commute from her husband’s work, but with little on the market, they decided to broaden their search. ‘I was thrilled to be looking at this house and knew, even before arriving, that it was meant to be our home. Somehow it felt like kismet,’ says Mink.
A house with history
The house was originally built by the local quarry master: the main house dates from around 1820-1830 and is connected to two workers’ cottages, constructed in 1850. In the 1990s, a previous owner combined all three dwellings to create the layout that exists today. With a full renovation project off the cards due to her husband’s work commitments, finding a property that could be transformed through decoration alone was high on Mink’s agenda. ‘I wanted somewhere I could stamp my own mark on decoratively,’ she says.
Mink gradually returned warmth and character to the space, which had been completely whitewashed. ‘I could tell that it had once been a very loved home, and I wanted to bring that back to it,’ she says. When she lifted the carpet on the Victorian side of the house, Mink discovered the original floorboards were painted in the exact yellow she’d picked out. ‘It was quite incredible. It almost feels as if someone – or the house – was guiding me,’ she says.
Collected and layered
Believing that old properties are like a tapestry woven from the lives of those who came before, Mink has made her home look and feel as though she’s always lived there. Warm colours, layered textiles, and collections that range from French fabrics and modern art to Chinese and Thai pieces all contribute to its bohemian aesthetic.
She also describes herself as an ‘accidental collector’. ‘My love of vintage and antiques was passed down by my parents, who filled their home with an eclectic mix of furniture and ornaments – some of which I was lucky enough to inherit when they moved back to Thailand,’ she says. With an aunt and uncle also prolific antiques collectors, many other pieces have been handed down to her over the years. ‘It makes me happy to tell the children that the chair they’re sitting on, or the cabinet where I keep my art supplies, once belonged to their grandparents.’
The Yip family are keen travellers with Thai and Chinese heritage, so have gathered meaningful items along the way. ‘I bring a memento home from everywhere we travel; anything from studio pottery to a vintage kimono,’ Mink explains. Loving to fill her world with beautiful objects – be that a malachite specimen or a pretty vintage dress – Mink says, ‘there is a thrill and addiction to collecting, and when you have a moment to sit down and admire things, there is also a completeness.’
Heart of the home and creative sanctuary
Mink has countless treasured possessions, but two pieces in the kitchen stand out as favourites. ‘Our reconditioned AGA – a vintage model converted to electric for modern living – is not only gorgeous to look at, but also a workhorse that instantly transformed the mood of the kitchen,’ she says. Also taking centre stage is an Italian marriage chest from the 1700s, repurposed as both a kitchen island and crockery storage. ‘I searched tirelessly for a piece that could work in what is a very limited space, exploring all sorts of options, from vintage shop fittings to butcher’s blocks.’ This piece was eventually found in Campbell’s Antiques in Northumberland.
In terms of feeding Mink’s creative spirit (she was previously a doll artist and now takes commissions to paint beautiful watercolour interiors), the house has given her so much. In the conservatory, she’s created an art studio, complete with a work table crafted from a marble-topped antique washstand, bought from Retrovation. ‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to create a space like this for myself. I have a framed copy of the cover of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own hanging in there, to remind myself that it’s necessary for women to own a space without apology.’
To find out more about Mink’s home and paintings, visit @white_rabbit_living, @white_rabbit_artist
