Isabella Worsley gives a Cotswold cottage a new lease of life
There is a constant tension between the undeniable charm of a country cottage and the equally undeniable difficulties of living in one. Their disjointed layouts, low ceilings and modest footprints make them tricky backdrops for modern family life. That was the essential problem that Isabella Worsley's clients had with this appealing Oxfordshire house. Built in the unmistakeable Cotswold vernacular with a pleasingly symmetrical façade, the cottage has a perfect combination of convenience and privacy, being comfortably located within a village but with open expanses of fields at the back. But with all its outward appeal, it wasn't going to work for a family with two young boys in the long term, and Isabella's brief was to future-proof the house and make it as adaptable as possible.
“It was quite an extensive renovation!” says Isabella. “The house was charming, but it hadn't been modernised and the rooms felt quite disconnected and a little pokey.” It was important, especially with small children, that the layout should become more open, with rooms flowing more easily into one another, and with more space for bedrooms. Her team worked with the Cotswold architect Robert Hardwick to design a large extension that now holds that essential feature of modern life, the open-plan kitchen, dining room and sitting room, along with a spacious main bedroom above. This completely transformed the house. “We essentially doubled the footprint,” explains Isabella. “It had been a cottage before, but it's now a proper family home.” Another key mission in the new design was to integrate the beautiful garden and landscape with the interiors, and to that end the kitchen opens straight onto the patio, meaning that in pleasant weather, the family can have a truly indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
The mission was not just to give the family a larger home, but also to ensure that the layouts would work just as well five or ten years down the line as they do now. Flexibility and efficiency are a hallmark of the house's design at large: Isabella was keen to create as much storage as possible, giving the ottoman in the family living room a hidden divan drawer, and adding pull-out trunks within the joinery, so that there's plenty of room to grow into. The team also managed to add a new self-contained suite in the attic, transforming a previously unusable space into a fully functional second floor by reducing the floor levels in the older part of the house. The family now has a set of rooms that can adapt to the changing needs of the inhabitants–in the future they have envisioned using one of the bedrooms for an office or playroom instead.
While some spaces were designed with the needs of family life in mind (the ‘bulletproof’ boot room, for instance, perfect for muddy boots and sports kit), other parts of the house feel more grown-up. Isabella was keen to differentiate the several living spaces from one another, and colour is the key to giving each room its own individual feel. “Everything is quite close to everything else,” notes Isabella, “so it was crucial that everything had its own mood.” Smaller spaces such as the boot room and downstairs loo have strong, punchy colour schemes in striking jewel tones, while the open plan kitchen is a more serene and airy space. The elegant sitting room has its own fresh colour palette of pale green and ochre, and the glamorous, smoky study has the feeling of a retreat from the rest of the house. “I love starting the scheme around an antique rug or textile,” says Isabella, pointing to the antique kilim which covers the ottoman in the study. This became the starting point for the rich, enveloping colour scheme of burgundy and deep blue.
The overall effect walks a neat line between feeling clean and open but also layered and inviting. Antiques and objects by independent makers and craftspeople lend character, and textures are used to great effect throughout the house, from the woven fabrics that feature on headboards, curtains and trims, to the paper-backed linen on the walls in the main bedroom, which adds warmth and interest to the steeply pitched walls. There are elements of fun and playfulness throughout: in the guest bathroom, Isabella created a vivid scheme in blue and red zellige tiles, and the children's bathroom is given sophistication by a floral Antoinette Poisson wallpaper. With the clever layout, and areas of calm mixed with joyful touches, Isabella has created undoubtedly versatile interiors, perfect for a family to grow into over the years.
1/18In the kitchen living space, a sofa in Kravet Couture's ‘Saddle Stripe’ contrasts with an armchair in Carolina Irving's ‘Amazon’ in burnt orange. On the ottoman is Zak and Fox's ‘Mazan’ in damavand.
Helen Cathcart2/18In the sitting room, Little Greene's ‘Stone Mid-Cool’ makes for a calming backdrop to a collection of fabrics including curtains in Susan Deliss's ‘Theodora’, Claremont's ‘Matelas de Laine' on the bespoke sofa, Robert Kime's ‘Ikat’ on the fender, and a rug from Peter Page's collection with Turner Pocock in a bespoke colourway.
Helen Cathcart3/18The study doubles as a TV room, with a dark colour scheme based around the antique kilim from Susan Deliss on the ottoman. The wall paint is Little Greene's ‘Livid’ and the bespoke sofa is covered in Rose Uniacke's ‘Jumbo Corduroy’ in garnet. Isabella has created a plain blind in Lewis and Wood's ‘Oaksey’ linen, but made it feel richer with with Susan Deliss' embroidered Temera braid on the leading edges.
Helen Cathcart4/18The slipper chair is covered in Claremont's ‘Ikat Stripe’.
5/18Isabella's team designed this new boot and utility room, cladding all the walls in v-groove panelling to discreetly conceal cupboard space. Everything is painted in Paint and Paper Library's ‘Muga’ in a durable eggshell finish. The blind is made up in Soane's ‘Paisley Stripe’.
Helen Cathcart6/18The countertop is made in Belgian stone, with a mitred edge to give the illusion of a heavy solid stone top. A wall light from Felix Lighting is fixed above.
Helen Cathcart7/18This loo has walls and a ceiling in Farrow & Ball's ‘Bancha’ with a gloss finish. A bespoke mirror sets off hardware from Chloe Alberry.
Helen Cathcart8/18In the main bedroom, the walls are covered in Susanna Davis' ‘Birzai’ paper-backed linen. A headboard in Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler's ‘Squiggle’ contrasts with a bespoke side table painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Brinjal.’ Both colours are echoed in the rug from A Rum Fellow. The armchair is upholstered in ‘Zanzibar’ by Peter Dunham.
9/18The main bedroom has an adjoining bathroom painted in Paint & Paper Library's ‘Stone II’ with joinery painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Cromarty’. The blind is in Claremont's ‘Alhambra’.
Helen Cathcart10/18The shower is lined in Arabescato marble, with fittings from Drummonds.
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Helen Cathcart12/18The guest bedroom has walls in Paint and Paper Library's ‘Leather III’, set off by a natural fibre carpet from and a rug from Birdie Fortescue. An armchair in Penny Morrison's ‘Ticking Stripe’ lends a relaxed feel, while the curtains are trimmed in Robert Kime's ‘Tree of Life’ fabric.
Helen Cathcart13/18A headboard in Namay Samay's ‘Hor Seku’ fabric and cushions by Kit Kemp for Chelsea Textiles complete the colour scheme.
Helen Cathcart14/18The guest bathroom, painted in the same colour in the bedroom, includes a dash of fun in the shower, tiled in zellige tiles from Emery et Cie.
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16/18This twin bedroom has walls in Farrow and Ball's ‘Cromarty’, and headboards in a Peggy Angus fabric, ‘Small Damask’ from Blithfield.
Helen Cathcart17/18The adjoining bathroom is papered in an Antoinette Poisson wallpaper with woodwork in Farrow & Ball's ‘Oval Room Blue’ and a vintage mirror from Sudbury Antiques.
Helen Cathcart18/18A Peter Page carpet in a bespoke colourway runs down the stairs.
