A Georgian-inspired newbuild in the Cotswolds that blends modern open-plan living with timeless interiors

The bespoke oak dining table is from The Oak and Pine Barn in Stockbridge; the dining chairs are from Heal’s. The woven lampshades and wall-mounted platters came from Hadeda (now discontinued), and reflect Laura and Jonathan’s love of travel in Africa.

Mark Nicholson

‘We wanted our home to look as though it had been here for ages, so we wanted to avoid an overly symmetrical look, and create the sense of it having been added to over the years,’ says Laura. ‘Christian Fleming and his firm appealed because he is very, very good at making a house not feel brand new. And he is as passionate as we are about all the little details, such as using just the right colour of Cotswold stone – not too red or too white.’

The picturesque results belie the months of frustration involved in obtaining planning permissions and the enormous impact of the Covid pandemic. Building works began in 2019 and were hit by all the challenges of the lockdowns of 2020.

Laura wanted to create an intimate space for smaller gatherings and weekend breakfasts in the garden room, which flows from the open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting room. She had admired similar banquette seating in a smart Cotswold pub, so Clare Fontes tracked down a specialist to custom-make this design, upholstered in Racing Stripe Indigo from Mulberry. The large faux olive tree was Laura’s very first buy for their new home.

Mark Nicholson

It feels almost surreal to Laura now to remember that period of time, when they were living in the bungalow on-site, home-schooling two young children and looking after a tiny baby, alongside making daily decisions for the build and interior decoration.

Given that the couple had sold much of their former furniture, Laura made the decision to collaborate with an interior designer friend, Clare Fontes, to bring to life her vision of a joyful, colourful and contemporary family home. ‘We're only going to do a project like this once, and to enjoy it in these particular circumstances I was going to need support. It was quite amazing to find another creative head so in tune with mine,’ she says.

Curtains in Lustmore by Jean Monro draw together all the colours in the drawing room scheme, from indigo and delphinium blues to raspberry and hot pinks.

Mark Nicholson

For Clare’s part, her job was facilitated by the fact that Laura and Jonathan knew exactly what spec and effect they hoped to achieve. ‘They wanted zones to entertain and little pockets for moments of calm, but most of all to create a home in which they could always feel connected to each other as a family,’ she says. ‘As a footprint, it’s a big house, but the aim was to ensure it felt homely rather than grand.’

The floorplan was already there when Clare came on board, so she worked closely with the architects on detailing, cabinetry and on some of the exteriors, and worked with Laura on the colours, textiles, flooring, furniture and fixtures.

‘Although we both worked there for years, we weren’t really “London people”,’ says Laura, ‘and always knew we would be drawn back to the countryside.’

Mark Nicholson

Although the interiors continue to evolve with artworks and accessories, Laura is currently focusing on shaping the gardens and blending them with the wider landscape. Alongside the kitchen garden, cut-flower garden and wildflower meadow she has established, she intends to develop a ‘wellness garden’, ‘for education, workshops and immersive experiences centred around mindfulness, gardening and the healing benefits of the natural world. We already have bees and hope to introduce Longhorn cattle for conservation grazing and biodiversity,’ she says. ‘It feels like a very special slice of secluded countryside here, which we want to share. We are so glad we took the plunge.’