INSPIRED BY NATURE

Taking her cue from the wildlife and flowers around her has helped Victoria Gallimore create a serene palette in her period property

- STEPHANIE SMITH

Kitchen

The existing cabinets were good quality so Victoria painted them and added new handles and worktops. Classic Quartz worktop, Surfaceco. Units painted in Purbeck Stone; island in Hague Blue, both Farrow & Ball.

Living room

Victoria dries and hangs bunches of hops to frame the fireplace. Similar stove, Esse. Hops, Essentially Hops. Cushion, Cherry Vintage Home

AT HOME WITH

Owners Interiors expert Victoria Gallimore (@cherryvintage home) lives here with partner Andy Garnham, a health economist, and their children, Huxley, five, and Etta, three, plus Hendrix the dog.

House A four-bedroom 17th-century detached cottage with two modern extensions.

Living in a Victorian terraced cottage on the outskirts of London suited Victoria Gallimore and Andy Garnham well for years, but after son Huxley and daughter Etta arrived, they began to yearn for a different life. ‘I was brought up in a village in the countryside, and that was what I wanted for my children – fresh air and plenty of space,’ says Victoria. ‘We had to be realistic about Andy’s work, so we started looking at places that were an hour or so away from London. We had a list of things we wanted, like a village pub, a good school and a friendly atmosphere. We looked at seven or eight disappointing houses that were all too small or had weird layouts, so we widened the search.’