It is hard to imagine that this eminently

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1 In perfect HARMONY Shaped over time from a sprawling series of farm buildings, this courtyard home has been carefully reorganised to create a calming retreat FEATURE RACHEL LEEDHAM PHOTOGRAPHS RACHAEL SMITH MAIN Neutral upholstery of differing textures on the armchairs and sofa in the drawing room is punctuated with fresh aqua-hued cushions. The bookcase was designed by Emma Sims Hilditch and cleverly conceals a television behind doors panelled with faux books. TOP RIGHT A close-up of the meticulously painted and finished faux-book panelling. BOTTOM RIGHT A beautiful autumnal flower arrangement sits on a Triomphe side table by Oka. 30 THE ENGLISH HOME 30 THE ENGLISH HOME THE ENGLISH HOME 31

2 LEFT Tom found the table and chairs in the kitchen on ebay. The classic ceramic pendant lights are from The French House. Set into the fireplace surround is a stone carving of a pig a reminder of one of the building s previous incarnations as a pigsty. BELOW LEFT The Chichester dresser by Neptune has been painted a shade of mauve and is perfectly echoed by a colour in the kitchen blind and curtains. BELOW RIGHT The curtains, seen in the background, are made using Kennerton Green fabric in Antique/Aqua by GP & J Baker, as is the blind hanging above the sink [right]. Although the original footprint remains unchanged, the layout has been transformed It is hard to imagine that this eminently comfortable country home once housed a rather different sort of resident. Before it was converted in the 1980s, the building was a pigsty and a granary, says Cate Vogel, who purchased the Wiltshire home with her husband Tom six years ago. We wanted a weekend retreat from our lives in London although the long-term plan is to move here permanently, she explains. The Cotswold-stone building, tucked away down a farm track that winds through gently rolling countryside, forms a U-shape of single-depth rooms set around a courtyard in an enfilade arrangement, with each room running off another. When Cate and Tom viewed the house, they discovered it had been for sale for over two years. The rooms were laid out in a very confusing way, which had resulted in the owners only using a small proportion of the space. It felt cold and unloved and I think that most people who looked at it probably struggled to envisage what it could become, Cate recalls. With the help of their architects, the couple have altered the layout to such an extent that just one of the rooms the master bedroom has kept its original use. Key to the changes was the decision to turn what was once the living room into a kitchen and informal ABOVE Rolling Fog by Little Greene has been used to paint the bespoke kitchen cabinets, and the flooring is Buscot tumbled limestone flooring by Artisans of Devizes. The lights above the island are Foster by Jim Lawrence. 32 THE ENGLISH HOME THE ENGLISH HOME 33

3 The vaulted ceiling adds to the sense of grandeur in the formal dining room, which is furnished with a mahogany table and chairs designed by Emma Sims Hilditch. The chair fabric is Lismore Heather by GP & J Baker; the Charlotte chandelier is by Villaverde. The vaulted ceiling adds to the sense of grandeur in the formal dining room dining area and open this space up to the courtyard with French windows. The courtyard was formerly a gravelled area where you parked your car, but as all the rooms look onto it, it made sense to turn it into a lovely garden, Cate explains. The original footprint of the house remains unchanged, although various outbuildings have been annexed to create a pantry, boot room and laundry room close to the kitchen, as well as a study and gym at the opposite end of the building. An enfilade layout does not come without its compromises, one of which was positioning the formal dining room at a distance from the kitchen. You have to walk through the hall, drawing room and snug to access it, but we worked around the problem by incorporating a drinks area in the snug and creating a small butler s kitchen just beyond the dining room, notes Cate. We only use this space when we are entertaining large numbers, so there are always several pairs of hands to help transport things, she says. As the building work commenced just after the arrival of the couple s daughter Clara, now three, and with both Cate and Tom juggling demanding jobs in the City, the pair were aware that they needed help with furnishing the house, so they approached designer Emma Sims Hilditch. I was particularly conscious of the need for the design to have a sense of flow, because invariably you have a vista from one room to the next, Cate explains. Whilst they were open to suggestions regarding design schemes, they were keen to have a palette of subtle hues that incorporated soft mauves and pinks favourites of Cate s. They also wanted the main living spaces including a family room on the first floor to ABOVE LEFT The snug serves as an intimate retreat for after-dinner drinks, and is hung with grasscloth in Charcoal from Altfield. The curtain fabric is Flying Ducks in Camel/Grey by GP & J Baker. ABOVE RIGHT Cubbyholes for the post are incorporated into this panelled wall by the back door. 34 THE ENGLISH HOME THE ENGLISH HOME 35

4 LEFT Painted in Blue Gray The by Farrow wallpaper & Ball, in the master the panelled entrance bedroom hall features is Chatsworth a striking Stripe by Oak Leaf & Acorn Colefax chandelier by Fowler. Richard The Taylor headboard, Designs, which fits the cushions country and setting the ottoman beautifully. at the BELOW The palette foot of of aquas the bed and purples are all covered has with been carried through Lewis to this & guest Wood s bedroom. Indienne fabric. The wallpaper is Indienne Tint in China Blue by Lewis & Wood; the Bureau bedside tables are from Chelsea Textiles. LEFT A stone-hued wallpaper One Hundred Acre Wood Map by Jane Churchill for Colefax and Fowler ensures that this guest room, which adjoins Clara s bedroom, suits boys and girls alike. The Chichester Housekeeper s Cupboard base is by Neptune. have a relaxed country aesthetic, but wanted to create a slightly more formal feel in the ground floor drawing room and the vaulted dining room. By his own admission, Tom is obsessively organised and presented Sims Hilditch and the architects with in-depth spreadsheets listing the practical features required of each room. He worked out exactly how we would use the spaces and then noted down every detail, from how many plug sockets we would need, to the storage requirements for our possessions, Cate says. Examples of his exacting eye include the neat cubbyhole system for the post incorporated into a panelled wall by the back door, and the boot room s aesthetically pleasing niches for storing muddy apparel when the family and their friends return from tramping through the surrounding countryside. A gentle palette of stone hues, greys, mauves and aquas flows through the spaces, effortlessly linking each room with the next. We have a lot of friends to stay and many of them comment on how there is a wonderful sense of continuity to the interiors, notes Cate. The house also feels incredibly warm, THE ENGLISH HOME 37

5 and in part, I think, that is because it looks so cosy. It encourages us to use the entire building, even when there are just the three of us. Patterned fabrics and wallpapers enliven the subdued palettes, whilst antiques, including the kitchen s nineteenth-century fruitwood table and set of wheelback chairs bought by Tom on ebay add to the home s lived-in feel. When pieces could not be found to suit the scale of the rooms, they were crafted by a cabinetmaker. These include the glossy mahogany table in the dining room and the master bedroom s striking walnut four-poster bed. Although little remains of the building s previous layout, the couple did keep one memento a handsome sandstone carving of a pig which the builders deftly incorporated into a new fireplace surround in the kitchen. It s a lovely reminder of what these buildings once were, says Cate, adding, It s been incredibly rewarding steering them into a new phase of their history. n ABOVE Shades of purple and mauve complement the rich Brazilian walnut of the master bedroom s bespoke four-poster bed and the bedside tables. RIGHT The writing desk is from the Gustavian range at Chelsea Textiles and the curtain fabric is Mereworth in Aqua by GP & J Baker. 38 THE ENGLISH HOME