Interiors business owner Victoria shares her story of moving to the beautiful countryside home in West Sussex she shares with her family - a unique English country cottage featured in Country Homes & Interiors. Read on to hear more about its unique character - and how Victoria has celebrated its period features with her distinctive, elegant home style.
Tell us a little bit about your home in West Sussex, Victoria, and how this amazing country cottage became your home.
We had decided to move our young family out of London to the countryside, and this lovely old cottage found us! We were looking at a house a few miles away, and the agent suggested we look at one that had literally come on the market. We fell in love with this 400 year old cottage the minute we walked in, with its amazing inglenook fireplace, secret staircase and charming beams
Your home is a quintessential English cottage - with all the celebrated features of a cottage - the low ceilings and wooden beams. Did it take a while to get used to these?
There are certainly quirks of an old building that take a little bit of getting used to. We are so lucky with the great ceiling heights in our cottage but the old doorways upstairs are quite low. My husband and I had our fair share of bumped heads until we got used to these. The fireplace gives out so much heat and the Aga heats the kitchen. It’s great for warming up cold toes after winter walks. It’s also our dogs Hendrix and Bowie’s favourite spot to snooze.
“The cottage is so cosy in the winter and cool in the summer, especially in the oldest parts of the cottage which date back to the 16th century.”
Did the cottage very much dictate the style you chose for your home?
I feel the character of the cottage suits my style of interiors. The beautiful natural beams really work with the light and neutral design. I’ve used a really calm colour palette throughout. Using Little Greene Company Rolling Fog Pale in the sitting room and orangery which is a beautiful creamy grey and Farrow & Balls Pointing which is a chalky white a lot in the rest of the cottage. Both colours are beautiful against the beams. Cottages this old can feel dark and I wanted the interior to feel as light as possible. I really took this into consideration when styling the cottage. For the sitting room, I’ve used light neutral furniture in this room. I chose the Cox and Cox Nimbus rug which brings texture and really brightens the room with the contrast of the white against all the Oak of the floor and the beams.
We have discussed styling for the seasons - how about styling the children’s rooms/bedrooms?
I really enjoyed styling my children's bedrooms. They were only aged nine months and two when we moved in and I want to create really pretty nurseries but also I was mindful the rooms would need to grow with them. I chose beautiful fabrics from Peony & Sage for their curtains and upholstery in designs that were perfect for infants but also now suit my five and seven year olds tastes. I’m sure in another five years they will want to redecorate but for now I’m enjoying their beautiful rooms.
“Storage is a big thing and we have many baskets and under-the-bed storage boxes to hide away all the plastic toys. ”
We do enjoy your style, Victoria; the style is a traditional country home with a pared-back, natural feel. Please tell us more about how you chose your furniture and the decorative pieces.
Thank you. I’m really passionate about design and beautiful furniture. I am an upholsterer and have a small interior business. Due to my work, most of the furniture in our home is antique and has been reupholstered by myself. If we choose something new for our home it’s got to be a quality piece of furniture that will last many years. One of my favourite new pieces is our Lucien Armchair from Cox and Cox. I love classic wingback armchairs and the neutral colour with its contrasting timeless ticking stripe panels just fits perfectly with the design of our sitting room. With its beautiful oak legs, it’s like it’s been made for our country cottage with the oak floor and beams.
“The fireplace gives out so much heat and the Aga heats the kitchen. It’s great for warming up cold toes after winter walks. It’s also our dogs Hendrix and Bowie’s favourite spot to snooze.”
“I’m excited to use our Cox and Cox Alpine Firs this year to bring in even more magic to the cottage.”
We can imagine a very atmospheric Christmas in your beautiful home. Tell us a little about your plans this year.
I’m very much looking forward to decorating the cottage for Christmas. It’s such a magical time of year. I’d say my Christmas look is Scandinavian-inspired. I love your Starry Scandi collection this year. I focus a lot on bringing the outside in to decorate and will forage foliage. Teaming that with lots of twinkly lights, candles and traditional decorations. I’m excited to use our Cox and Cox Alpine Furs this year to bring even more magic to the cottage. We are so lucky to be surrounded by forest and these snow-dusted furs with their hundreds of lights, to feel like we brought some of the magic of the forest into our home.
If you’re inspired by the warmth of Victoria's home, find more seasonal inspiration
with our Winter season Edit and our Christmas collections.
Interior Design by Victoria Gallimore, @cherryvintagehomePhotography by Victoria Gallimore.
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