COMING UP ROSES

Blowsy florals and vintage pieces create a relaxed country feel in Ruth Taylor’s idyllic 18th-century thatched cottage

- SARA EMSLIE

From spring to late summer the Wiltshire thatched cottage that Ruth Taylor shares with her husband James is covered with creamy white and yellow scented roses. ‘Albéric Barbier,’ banksiae ‘Lutea’ and ‘Graham Thomas’ varieties clamber around the porch and tiny windows. ‘Our colour palette is white, pink and lilac, with a lot of green,’ explains Ruth, of both the garden and cottage interior.

Inside, dusky pastel pinks, duck egg blues and soft sage greens in luxurious velvets and linens add warmth and sophistication. They are the perfect complement to the pared-down simplicity of the lightly painted lime-rendered walls and exposed beams, aided by plenty of cottage garden floral references.

‘I love how florals add life to old properties,’ says Ruth. ‘Large scale rose patterns and blowsy floral designs bring a relaxed informality to a space.’

This is most notable in the living room where Chesterfield sofas, a gilt-framed oil painting and inglenook fireplace are softened by Ruth’s choice of a cabbage rose print for cushions and curtains. It is a firm favourite throughout the house.