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COMFORT & joy
BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED BY AMANDA AND JAMES, THIS RECTORY IN AN OXFORDSHIRE VILLAGE IS A TRULY SPECIAL SETTING FOR A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Living room
Amanda describes her interiors style as ‘a fusion of modern and classic’ and this room's traditional elegance is enlivened with contemporary art, glass furniture and piles of quirky cushions.
BUY THE KEY PIECES Walls in Lead Colour absolute matt emulsion, £52 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene. Collins rug, price on request, Riviere. Try Howard sofa, from £2,630, The Sofa and Chair Company
GREY WALLS Make the perfect neutral backdrop for an eclectic collection of art
HOME NOTES
Amanda and her husband James live here with their two teenage children and pet cockapoo, Cookie.
A renovated Georgian rectory in an Oxfordshire village
For Amanda and her husband James, the shared vision of a blissful country home motivated them to tackle the most daunting of renovations. Ten years later, there’s nowhere else they would rather be, especially during the festive season when the house glows with seasonal warmth.
WHY DID YOU BUY THIS HOUSE?
‘It was the garden that first attracted us and it’s really the best feature. The annual village fete used to be held on the lawn. The house had been in the same family for well over 50 years and really hadn’t been touched much in that time. It was built in 1806 and was home to the 1st Earl of Selborne and Lord Chancellor, who was born here in 1812. We’ve had many people tell us they came to the fete here for years, even as evacuee children during the war.’
HOW DID YOU TACKLE THE RENOVATION?
‘Our approach was to attempt different aspects of the renovation in phases. We started with all the essential structural requirements before taking on each floor. We wanted the children to be able to enjoy the house immediately, so one of the first things we did was repair the tennis court and swimming pool. The house was also extended with a garden room, built around the ruins of an old structure, using an original window and connecting to the old church reading room next door.’
WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE?
‘Many of the paintings concealed walls that were more structurally unsound than we had expected, and the roof was beginning to leak. We wanted to keep the rather wonderful and traditional fabric of the house, the cornicing, the shutters and the fireplaces, as well as an ornate marquetry floor in the drawing room and an original Arts & Crafts carved staircase.’
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE INTERIOR SCHEME?
‘It’s an osmotic process. I take my inspiration from everywhere, but
