A 300-year-old house in the Cotswolds thoughtfully reimagined for modern life

They moved in 12 years ago, sensibly deciding to live in the house for some time before making any changes. Eventually, they realised that their priority was to introduce more light and space into the house, which they would do by replacing an old dark connecting corridor with a wide, stone-floored walkway, lined with glass, which would look out onto a terraced garden (to be excavated) and a seating area.

The job that had been estimated to take the proverbial ‘three months’ then became a year, since the hill turned out to be made from enormous rocks and stones, all of which had to be dug out, brought through the house and piled up in the field opposite. Given the difficulty of the terrain, it was tricky to find a landscape designer who would be prepared to take on the all-important task of the garden. They wanted a design that would run the full length of the corridor, providing colour and greenery throughout the year. Here, they were fortunate in being introduced to Sue Hetherington of Courtingtons, who provided exactly the backdrop and environment they wanted.

The kitchen cupboards are painted in ‘Tarlatan’ by Paint & Paper Library; the pink inside the glazed cupboard is ‘Silver Polish’ by Plain English.

Milo Brown

The kitchen table was sourced from Maison Artefact, while the chairs are from Andrew Bewick on Lillie Road.

Milo Brown

And as for the offending stones, these have now been put to good use thanks to yet another fortunate introduction to local stonemason James Elliot who – rather like a genie with a lamp – suggested that the stones might be used as flooring. Another stonemason aged them in situ, and in so doing, discovered a multiple of fossils, which today provide a wonderfully unique floor throughout the kitchen.

The Juliet balcony that originally had gingery-orangey wooden banisters now has ancient bleached ones found in a restoration yard, as was the bell light, sourced from the Home Bothy, that is the key feature of the kitchen. ‘When I first saw it it was hanging in an enormous warehouse, which rather disguised its size, but it became all too obvious when it arrived home,’ remembers the owner. ‘My husband did suggest that I could have simply bought a lantern, but then it would not have provided the obvious talking point the light has now become.’

In the snug an 18th century Swedish wall canvas hanging above a chest of drawers came from French Country Living Antiques, sourced via Battersea Decorative Fair.

Milo Brown

Edward (Ted) Bridges – not an interior designer by name, but the evidence might suggest otherwise – helped with room layouts and sourcing. ‘Anything I was looking for, he could give me the number of someone to call,’ explains the owner. The small sitting room beyond is partitioned by Arabic gates, another restoration find with a floor made from repurposed plastic bottles by Alternative Flooring – an excellent surface for multiple dogs and children. They were fortunate in not having to replace or change any fireplace in the house, other than one in the study sourced from Nicholas Gifford-Mead, which, rather satisfyingly, was found to have been made three or four years after the house was originally built.

It is evident that the owner of the house has not only an eye to colour, but also a great love of fabrics, many of which she bought at sales years before purchasing the house itself, from companies such as Robert Kime and Claremont. Kilims are laid over sisal and wood, paintings jostle for space on panelled walls, and family treasures sit alongside pieces bought not for their value but for the joy or beauty they bring (and constantly joined by fresh finds from weekly trips to Cirencester’s antique market). Under the stewardship of the present owners, this 300-year-old house has evolved into a richly layered home, which sits comfortably between its historic character and modern living.

Sue Hetherington: courtington.co.uk | James Elliott: jameselliott.co.uk