Contemporary Country

Taking cues from the colours of the South Downs national park, Angelica Squire and her team have created a welcoming retreat for a busy duo

Jane Sacchi recounts the experience of updating a twelfth-century tower in Italy, originally restored by her architect husband Bruno in the Seventies

Using a combination of textures, antiques and botanical prints, Nina Carbone has brought warmth to this expansive family home

Though originally converted in the 1990s, this former mill in a steep-sided Wiltshire valley retained a frustrating layout that made moving through the property awkward. Rising to the challenge, architects David Liddicoat and Sophie Goldhill reconfigured the floorplan and added an extension to create a more coherent space.

The sense of peacefulness that so enticed 19th-century city dwellers is perfectly embodied at this former vicarage in Combe Down This was the feeling that Anna Haines wanted to evoke when she revitalised the Grade II-listed former rectory on the outskirts of Bath. From the predominantly pale palette of natural hues to the layering of antique textiles, her choices have brought harmonious charm to its interiors.

Surrey meets Scandinavia in a Norwegian family’s light-filled Arts and Crafts villa, which country-house specialist Todhunter Earle Interiors has imbued with a touch of magic

Eildon Hall, a 19th-century house belonging to the Buccleuch family, has long been cherished for its relaxed conviviality. Now, current custodians Walter and Elizabeth Dalkeith, with designer Olivia Emery, have retained its charmingly domestic feel, but with a considered contemporary twist

As the pandemic hit the architect John Pawson and his wife Catherine moved to their newly converted farm in the Cotswolds with their sons. Fifteen months later they are all still there, and a new book 'Home Farm Cooking' documents their first year in rural England

Gallerist Tobias Vernon’s cottage in Somerset is a study in juxtaposition, with white walls throughout providing a background for his creative arrangements of art and eclectic pieces

Behind the unassuming exterior of his Australian home, Cameron Kimber has created surprising interiors that reflect his love of English country-house style

Looking for a greater connection to the outdoors and a more sustainable way of life, Matthew and Nicky Lyttelton commissioned architect Sarah Featherstone to design their ideal green retreat in Rutland

Having lived in this house in Cornwall for two years, the owners of the coastal retreat knew exactly what they wanted from its redecoration – stylish but robust and family-friendly interiors, which would enhance the spectacular ocean views

With extensive experience of restoring other people’s houses, designer Julia Barnard could see the possibilities for a damp cottage in Somerset, which is now a showcase for her collection of fabrics

The dynamics of a family business can be complicated, especially when the time comes to hand it on, but interior decorator Chester Jones and his son Toby have managed a seamless transition as evidenced by their collaboration on this 19th-century house in Oxfordshire

This seventeenth-century chalet in the Swiss Alps has been imaginatively modernised by architect Jonathan Tuckey, who has imbued it with comfort and character

Ashby Manor House in Northamptonshire is a distinguished estate with a fascinating yet chequered 900-year history. Previously transformed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in a grand Edwardian style, it is now enjoying a new lease of life as a much loved home for the latest generation of a family to fall for its charms

A 17th-century farmhouse in Hampshire presented ample creative opportunities for interior-design duo Robinson van Noort, who have blended its period elements with open-plan contemporary comfort in the two-storey barn attached to one side