A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

The beauty of this characterful Cotswold cottage is the way it balances nostalgic and modern design references

- VIVIENNE AYERS

EXTERIOR

The cottage was once a barn that adjoined the next door farmhouse. Doors and windows in Wood Pigeon, Dulux

SITTING ROOM

Choosing a vivid green for the sofa establishes a modern tone. Walls in Thames Mud, Paint & Paper Library. Sofa, Sofa.com. Cushions, Zara Home. Rug, Crucial Trading

The cottage reminds me of my grandma’s house – I know she would have loved it,’ says Rachel Southern of her Cotswolds bolthole, an idyllic property that dates from the mid 1600s. Originally a barn adjoining the next door farmhouse, it was later converted into two simple ‘one up one down’ cottages, then in the early 1900s it was knocked through to create one cottage.

Rachel describes it as ‘a pandemic buy’. Having bought it in February 2021, building work started in March and the interior was completed by September. ‘Our main home is in London but we wanted somewhere closer to family that we could all enjoy, but also generate some income by renting it out. Lockdown gave me the time and space to do it.’