The dovecote’s original nesting holes are visible on the barn’s stone façade, which has been gently updated with woodwork painted in Little Greene’s ‘Boringdon Green’.
Sarah Griggs
‘The house spoke a certain language in terms of how it needed to look,’ says designer Nicky Mudie, of this Grade II-listed former barn and dovecote in the Cotswolds. It is a sentiment that we often hear expressed by those undertaking a major restoration, but, as Nicky reminds me, the same should be true of every decorative decision in a historic house. Fortunately, the new owners were more than happy to listen to their 18th-century home, and to their trusted interior designers.
A George III oak and mahogany dresser from Lorfords stands in the centre of the reception hall, with a pair of late-18th-century Italian candlesticks converted into table lamps from Brownrigg; the ‘Rust Stripe’ lampshades are from Hum London. The 18th-century Aubusson tapestry and 19th-century Louis Philippe gilt mirror were both found at Lorfords in Tetbury.
Sarah Griggs
Nicky and her team at Violet & George, the studio she set up in 2009, had not long finished work on the couple’s London flat when they got the call about this new project. After a long search, which covered much of the south of England, their clients completely fell for this converted barn in Gloucestershire. It ticked every country-house box: a sense of character, a large, mature garden (with a guest house and a pool), and an idyllic setting on the edge of a village. Better still, the house was in excellent condition and required no significant changes, which is always good news when somewhere is listed. ‘Our main brief was to stay honest to the building,’ explains Nicky, who worked alongside senior designer Annabel Poole on this project. ‘However, they did want a slightly more contemporary look and feel.’ The challenge, then, was to tread the line between sensitivity and modernity to create interiors that reflected both the owners’ style and the house’s history.