A NEW CHAPTER

When their children flew the coop, Sandra and Darren Fishlock embarked on a new life in the country and haven't looked back

- EMMA J PAGE

Moving to their home in a Cotswolds hamlet a couple of years ago kick-started a series of firsts for Sandra Fishlock and her husband Darren. It was the first time they had bought an architect-designed new build and, with their children having left home, the move also marked a new chapter for the couple. ‘We weren’t intending on such a change, but we drove past the house and were intrigued,’ says Sandra. ‘It’s also close to Bampton, where Downton Abbey is filmed, and we really like the village.’

Having moved from a home that Sandra describes as ‘contemporary in feel’, the couple were keen to ring the changes with a more classic approach that better suited the high ceilings and airy spaces of this home. ‘We felt those features called for a balance between old and new,’ says Sandra. ‘The interiors of our previous home were not always practical; this time I craved natural textures, wood and the kind of kitchen that would be forgiving of the antics of our two dogs, Molly, a West Highland Terrier and Milo, a 20-month-old Golden Retriever.’