Flinterview: Fenwick & Tilbrook MD, Anna Hill
Welcome to a new blog series exclusive to Flint Homes – our Flinterview (or in this season, Winterview, maybe?) – a series of informal chats with lovely local Norfolk peeps & people with lovely Norfolk connections, who share our brand values & love of the big sky county.
We are starting with the delightful Anna Hill – fresh faced MD & colour consultant at Norfolk paint & colour experts, Fenwick & Tilbrook, who are based in Attlebridge, just south of the market town delight that is Reepham.
Anna has run the proudly Norfolk paint brand since 2018 (with husband, Dave joining the business in 2020) alongside brand founders, mum Clare Tilbrook & step dad Simon (not forgetting Gary in the warehouse of course) – making F&T a cherished, local family business who pride themselves on that personal touch.
Still to this day, every exquisite tin of premium, pigment-rich F&T paint is lovingly hand mixed & personally checked & brush tested, with the trademark colour smudge on the tin lid. Utterly charming. Brilliantly bespoke.
Flinterview readers who love their interior design might already know F&T paint for its highest quality, earthy Norfolk-landscape-inspired tones with a delicious low sheen finish – & the star sellers, Oyster, Cley & Still Norfolk.
And those really with their fingers on the homes pulse will know F&T is endorsed by some seriously cool industry players – including the delightful My Tiny Estate crew of Dean Poulton & Borja De Maqua (& beautiful baby boy, Danteo!), as well as industry big brands like colour use experts Sibyl Colefax & John Fowlers & muted Cotswold superstar Bee Osborn Interiors… who all have their own bespoke colour collaboration range with F&T. You can check out these delightful exclusive shades here.
Anna wasn’t always pigment paint royalty.
Her background is in retail & is one that stretches back to when she left college, starting with outdoor brand, Blacks, based in Northamptonshire, before a move to Herfordshire whilst rising the ranks in Mothercare, in the International Merchandise Planning Department. There she was responsible for building big budget international sales in Russia & Saudi Arabia. Serious stuff.
But with the birth of their first child (Herbie, now 8), increasingly frequent trips to visit her mum at F&T HQ in Norfolk & growing increasingly tired of the five mile commute taking over an hour to work, the soft, gentle Norfolk call of ‘slow you down’ started to gently whisper louder…
And with their second child, Milo (who is now 5) on the way, the Norfolk whisper became a voice that was too loud to ignore & Anna & Dave started to look to relocate in 2018 – to coincide with Anna starting her F&T journey.
“I love Norfolk. Coming up to visit family, we used to say ‘wouldn’t it be great to raise the kids near the sea.’ We used to drive up on Friday after work & get pizzas on the green in Heydon & all the other local kids were so nice… playing cricket together & being so lovely, whereas back in Hertfordshire they didn’t seem as kind & considerate of youngsters. We said to each other, ‘we want our kids to grow up nice…’ & that was that, we decided to make the leap over to Norfolk & be part of the F&T family business & start the kids in nice local schools. No more boring traffic jams, unless you get stuck behind a tractor!”
Anna & Dave started looking for houses with a successful (very Flint Homes approved ‘viewing is doing’ approach) strategy.
“Book a nice weekend away to hone down exactly where you want to live & book in loads of nice appointments & see what you want & where you want to be. Before kids, back in Herts, that was easier & I guess it’s not so easy with kids… which is where having a good search agent would be good!”
(Brown envelope handed over…)
Luckily they had some great help from local Reepham estate agents Parsons & eventually (via WH Brown) the family found their home – a Georgian gem of a terrace house in Cawston, just a few clicks East of Reepham & a few miles across rolling estate farmland to the F&T HQ.
“I love our house, with its high ceilings, massive Georgian windows & the beams. It’s full of character & charm. Sadly, there’s no fireplace as it’s the centre house (which was the shop) of what was once a much larger house, but we are considering putting a log burner in the kitchen at the rear. The Marriott’s Way is just down the street & we got a pet dog, Margo the Vizsla (Head of wellbeing at F&T!) after we moved to Norfolk, so local walks are just lovely,” says Anna.
Naturally, when it came to doing up her own home, Anna chose F&T paint & she has a few inside trader tips to impart…
“Live with the space for a while & get to understand the light & how it moves through the spaces. Think how you want to feel in the space. For example, don’t be painting your bedroom walls bright yellow – a colour used to evoke energy – if you want to be chilled in there. Embrace muted, Norfolk heritage tones – they’re timeless. You want to think about bringing the outside in – maximising the use of earthy neutrals,” she muses.
I then ask Anna the obvious question every media type wants to know… 2025 trends/the next big thing in paint colours & styles…
Her response sums up the F&T brand…
“We don’t really do trends at F&T. Our earthy tones continue to be strong & if you are into a seasonal trend & changing colours each year, you’re most likely not really a F&T customer & will be better off with cheap paint in a big plastic tub from the hardware stores.
“There is a bit of a movement of ‘dopamine decor’ with bright palates galore… but our take on this more personal trend is a few notches more muted. Our paints are more nature-inspired. More bespoke. More personal. And our paints are for people to decorate once, properly that lasts & looks great for years,” she adds.
Speaking about life in Norfolk, Anna continues: “I still get blown away by Norfolk’s beauty. I stop & take photos of the sun rise or golden hour sunsets on my way to & from work. I still can’t believe we live here, in such a stunning county. There’s such an enormous pride in living here. I have never lived anywhere like it. Back in Herts, nobody cared about local, shop local or pride in locality. Here… it’s massive, and I love that, both personally & professionally at F&T: it embodies our entire ethos.”
Avocet. Blakeney Point. Puffball. Grandma’s tea party, Before Dawn. Driftwood. Norfolk Flint… tap into the 150+ strong range of amazingly-named, immensely high-quality paints that elevate any space on the F&T website.
Scroll down for Anna’s Norfolk faves…
Flinterview faves
Tell us your favourite Norfolk…
Pub… Got to be the Kings Arms in Reepham, for that fire, drinks & crisps vibe.
Cafe… Heydon Tea Rooms, all day long.
Beach… Holkham. We don’t go enough really, as we have much closer beaches. But it always blows me away.
Landmark… Blickling Hall.
Market town… Holt. It’s got so much to do.
Village… Stiffkey. I love a coffee at the Stiffkey Stores & lunch at The Red Lion after a walk around Stiffkey marshes.
Shop… Bringing The Outside In at Wells. There’s a bit of everything in there. I love the home interiors & the clothing.
Walk… Blakeney Harbour to Morston Quay, with a hot chocolate & cake either end. Perfect.
Estate agent… It has to be Sowerbys, right? Or Savills. Every property I love has one of their sale boards up. One day…
Secret Norfolk… Another shout out for Heydon. It’s an absolute hidden gem, just five minutes from the house! A perfect Summer evening spot.
F&T paint colour… Aged copper. It’s a beauty!
Thanks for your time & insight Anna: A pleasure…
Stay tuned for our next Flintervew coming soon & please do share the link with your friends & family.
Image credits
Studio Optic (portraits)
The CONTENTed Nest (Interiors)