Nestled in amongst the rolling hills of Gloucestershire’s Cotswolds lies Jess and Rob’s countryside retreat. Within the calm, comfortable interior of their home the couple have imaginatively incorporated four Charnwood stoves. Here Jess talks us through her decorative style room by room.
Our house is situated in Hampen, a small hamlet that lies roughly 5 miles outside of Cheltenham. We are central to the most beautiful area: we have the cosmopolitan hub of Cheltenham so close, yet we are in spitting distance of the gorgeous market towns of Stow, Bourton and Northleach.
The house is constructed of Cotswold stone and lies within 5 acres of grounds.
The central part of the property dates back to the 16th century, but has been added to and remodelled several times. The previous owner extended it to the home it is today. It was always a beautiful house, however we wanted to put our stamp on it so before moving in we undertook the two month renovation to bring it up to what it is now.
The interior is I suppose my little bit of the Hamptons in the Cotswolds. I love vintage French chic, eclectic furnishings and Scandinavian antiquities. I wanted a serene interior, with unusual antiques and pieces of interest. It is predominantly a family home though so needed to be practical. I adore a muted palate, but also want my house to feel warm and welcoming with a sense of ease. I found most furniture from The Old Cinema in Chiswick, various antiques stores in Tetbury, a good old boot market rummage and imported several pieces from my favourite holiday destination – Mykonos. I also tried to use ethical, up cycled items where possible and used clay paint from earthborn throughout to give the walls a rendered feel. My inspiration for the house lies Zoe Ellison and Alex legendre and their design philosophy, check out their store in Brighton I Gigi.
The kitchen is the heart of my home, as is most peoples. It is where I cook, bake, feed my family, read with my dogs and drink wine! It has to be cosy. My dogs stretched out in front of a dying fire, means I don’t feel guilty tucking them up at night.
My bedroom burner was the ultimate luxury. On a bitter day there is nothing better than lighting it, getting a cracking family movie and snuggling down as a family. It is also cracking when your full of a cold and feeling sorry for yourself.
The snug is my little haven. Somewhere I go for peace and quiet. I wanted somewhere I could read or study that had no television and no distractions. It is also where our Christmas tree goes, and where we hang the stockings. A wood burner was essential here and is a real luxury.
The sitting room is our adult only room, it is where myself and my partner relax and have very rare time to ourselves. We love to watch a movie and chill out with a cheeseboard. We find our fire is perfect to warm up the cheese and keep a hot toddy warm. It is lit every evening we can, and the dogs all stretch out on the sheepskin. No room on the sofa’s for four!
Our Perfect Day
Breakfast in bed with the wood burner blazing. Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs and a Buck’s Fizz if I may!
Wrapping up and taking the kids out for the day, we love fishing, visiting the local farm park, taking our dogs for a walk or playing on the tractors in the garden.
Coming back and Rob cooking his legendary roast in the kitchen, I can curl up with a book in my big chair by the fire, draped in all the dogs. The kids will bomb around the house!
Eating our roast in the kitchen, then we will ultimately give in to the kids and put a fire on in the main sitting room and watch a movie all together. Preferably, with a hot chocolate and a massive bowl of popcorn. Just heaven.
