A 17th-century house in the Cotswolds is transformed into an idyllic family retreat by Jessica Buckley
It is no wonder, given the beauty of the Cotswolds, that so many urbanites yearn to escape the city in favour of the region's idyllic surroundings. Among the many metropolitans to have done so are the clients of Edinburgh-based interior designer Jessica Buckley, who, for their “first foray into weekend country living”, purchased a recently renovated 17th-century, Grade-II listed country house near the Cotswold town Stow-on-the-Wold.
Jessica's clients hoped to transform the sprawling, six-bedroom house, which had been poorly modernised by its previous owners, into a retreat that would honour its history. “The house was very white and very plain when I first saw it,” says Jessica. And whilst the previous owners kept certain original features including the vast fireplaces, exposed wooden beams and internal architecture, the house nevertheless “did not have a ‘country feel’ and the modern renovations did not live up to the vernacular architecture of the house.”
Jessica began her redecoration as she always does, with fabric, pattern and colour. “I first find the key two or three fabrics for my projects,” says Jessica, “and then develop the scheme from there.” To realign the house's interiors with its traditional country roots, Jessica opted for patterned wallpapers and fabrics, including fresh chintz and florals. For the latter, Jessica was unafraid to “pile them on” in order to give each room a very “layered, acquired look that gave the impression of being developed over time.” Also adding to the house's evolved aspect were Jessica's integration of antiques and soft furnishings, all of which added to the rooms' relaxed and comfortable English style.
Certain rooms had been particularly heavily modernised in the earlier renovation, namely the kitchen and the bathrooms, and these presented more of a challenge to Jessica's quest for the traditional country look, but here it became a chance to repurpose what was already there. “We worked with what we inherited,” says Jessica, unfazed, “so it really was about decorating the existing units.” The house's bathrooms, for example, were left relatively unchanged: instead of ripping the vanity unit out of the powder room, Jessica instead had it repainted in a deep olive green, which contrasts well with the room's patterned wallpaper; in the downstairs boot room loo, Jessica did the same, opting to repaint the vanity in a pale pastel green. The modern kitchen, too, was largely unaltered, as it was not a “major focus” of the project; however, to help soften the room's angularity, the room's cabinets were repainted from their original-off white to a calming stone colour, one that Jessica says is “as neutral as it gets.” Also added to the kitchen was a dresser from the antiques dealer Ron Green, a “key piece” that helped marry the room's more modern elements with Jessica's more traditional scheme.
For the house's living, drawing, dining and bedrooms, however, Jessica felt like she had “a greater potential to do what we fully envisaged” for the project, and it was in these spaces where she had the most freedom with layering and the use of colour and pattern. Working with a chosen palette of raspberries, celadons, greens and reds, Jessica unapologetically infused each room with a certain feminine softness – especially the bedrooms – her favourite rooms to design, the ones in which she feels she can “indulge in gathered balances, pelmets and subtlety”. With its large windows overlooking the house's verdant gardens, the drawing room is a light-filled oasis, made even more serene by Jessica's delicate, graceful colour and fabric choices, ones she made to ensure the house would “look elegant and not super ‘OTT’,” she says. Fitted with furnishings from her trusted suppliers including the elegant and pretty Kingcome sofa with its old-time fringe – Jessica's favourite, and the – the living room, too, is another example of her breezy, refined approach to the house's decoration.
Relaxed, elegant and comfortable, this Cotswolds country house has finally returned to its pastoral roots – and Jessica agrees. “I really feel like I have given the house exactly what I had set out to,” she says, “No whirling in and out again, no sharpness suited to a city developer, just a comfortable, evolved English country house feel.” How's that for a first foray into weekend country living?
Jessica Buckley Interiors | jessicabuckley.co.uk | See Jessica's profile on The List
Mike Garlick1/21The house's light-filled entry hall is the decorated to provide the ideal welcome.
Mike Garlick2/21In the drawing room, the comfortable sofa – “Stratford” by Kingcome – is upholstered in “Tree Peony” by Robert Kime. The drapes were made by KLS for Jessica Buckley Interiors, using “Aquitaine” in glazed cotton chintz by Hazleton House.
Mike Garlick3/21In the drawing room, the velvet sofa, “Fairfax”by Kingcome, is upholstered in Linen Velvet in the colour “verde” by George Spencer Designs.
Mike Garlick4/21The snug is painted in Edward Bulmer's “Drab Green” colour.
Mike Garlick5/21The snug makes for a comfortable reading area in the house.
Mike Garlick6/21In the sitting area in the kitchen, painted in “Cord” by Farrow & Ball, features two “Colridge” chairs from OKA.
Mike Garlick7/21The sofa in the kitchen's seating area is “Eaton” by David Seyfried upholstered in “Althea Print” by Lee Jofa; the plain linen pillows are from OKA and the patterned cushion is a bespoke design by Jessica Buckley Interiors. The side table is a vintage find, and the painting hanging above the sofa was made by the client's father. The standing lamp is from Robert Kime; the pink ottoman – an anchor in the space – is the “Victorian stool” by David Seyfried.
Mike Garlick8/21The white bamboo chairs in the kitchen dining area are antique finds from Ron Green Antiques.
Mike Garlick9/21The dresser in the kitchen, from Ron Green Antiques, was an important addition to the space.
Mike Garlick10/21The kitchen was quite modern upon arrival and did not necessitate a total overhaul. To add a more country house aesthetic, Jessica repainted the cabinets in Farrow & Ball's “Green Smoke”.
Mike Garlick11/21The dining room is elegant, yet still welcoming. The table was an antique find from Prior & Willis, as were the dining chairs, covered in “Javan weave” by Guy Goodfellow Collection.
Mike Garlick12/21The fireplace is original to the 17th-century house and was a feature the house's previous owners chose to keep. The lamp on the mantlepiece is from Besselink & Jones and the small chair is an antique Regency rosewood chair from Christian Davies Antiques.
Mike Garlick13/21The boot room loo is covered in the “Bees” wallpaper by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler; the vanity was painted in “Calke Green” by Farrow & Ball.
Mike Garlick14/21In the downstairs powder room, walls are covered in "Donatello” by Nicholas Herbert, the vanity is painted in “Ball Green” by Farrow & Ball. The blind fabric is “Indhira” by Pierre Frey.
Mike Garlick15/21In a spare room, the white floral headboard is upholstered “Bowness” by Jean Monro. The lamp on the bedside table is a stoneware lamp from Max Rollitt Antiques and covered by a custom shade made using Claremont's “Nathalie”. The pink bedspread is Jessica’s own.
Mike Garlick16/21The en-suite bathroom is covered in the same wallpaper as the bedroom, “Honeycombe” by Sanderson.
Mike Garlick17/21In another bedroom, the walls are covered in a light pink patterned wallpaper, “Berkeley Sprig” by Colefax & Fowler. The pink striped headboard was custom made by KLS for Jessica Buckley Interiors using Ashok Stripe by Robert Kime. The lamp and lampshade are by Penny Morrison Accessories.
Mike Garlick18/21In the same bedroom, the blue armchair is “Lambourne” by Balmain & Balmain and is upholstered in “Mini weave” in sky by Susan Deliss. The dresser was an antique find; the drapes were made by KLS for Jessica Buckley Interiors using “Anatolia” by Vaughan.
Mike Garlick19/21The master bedroom is a comfortable, decidedly feminine space, a comfortable and calming space ideal for her client's to relax during their weekend getaways to the Cotswolds.
Mike Garlick20/21The off-white bedside tables in the master bedroom are from Chelsea Textiles; the lamp is a vintage French ceramic lamp with a silk shade by Nushka.
Mike Garlick21/21The small reading nook in the master bedroom features a pink armchair by David Seyfried and is upholstered in "Old Flax" by Soane Britain. The cushion is upholstered “Roussillon” by Guy Goodfellow Collection; the lumbar cushion in the window seat was made using “Karsamba weave” by Robert Kime.
