I WANTED TO RESPECT THE HOUSE'S HISTORY & MAKE IT WORK FOR MODERN LIFE

Becoming the custodian of a listed property involves both challenges and triumphs, as one designer discovered when she bought a Regency farmhouse stuck in the past

- KATE JACOBS

As an interior designer, Gemma Tucker intuitively knew what path to take with her Regency farmhouse in the Wiltshire countryside. 'I wanted to be a good custodian, to respect the house's history and rural setting using materials that suit the vernacular while making it relevant and practical for modern family life. Gemma, founder and creative director of Balance Interior Design, lives here with husband Mark and their children Matilda and George. After 17 years in London, they decided to make the move to Wiltshire a few years back. 'We fell in love with the undulating countryside and the local architecture, with its creamy-coloured Bath stone. We wanted a stronger connection with nature, more space for family living and to give the children a slower pace of life, recalls Gemma. They came to this farmhouse, having looked at several Georgian rectories. This had better lateral space for a family and felt a bit less grand and more in keeping with our relaxed lifestyle. Back then, in 2022, it was dark and full of inappropriate finishes: 90s mosaic tiles, sparkly worktops and lots of stud-walled en suites with dubious lino floors. The house had evolved over several hundred years, fanning out in all directions from the original farmworker's cottage swallowing up the adjoining cowshed and hayloft along the way.