"I call my style country punk!"

Carla Buzasi mastered using the right amount of colour and contemporary style in her rural period home

1. “Go for the unexpected, like a green fireplace”

‘Through a process of trial and error we’ve ended up with a group of core neutral backdrop colours throughout the house, and then another small palette of pink, yellow and green for accents. In the living room, we’ve added flashes of colour with the painted fireplace and bright accessories. The contemporary elements, such as the artwork and the lightning mirror, make me smile alongside the vintage fringed floor lamp. This room is perfect for lazy Sunday afternoons watching a film, with the woodburning stove lit and a Bloody Mary on the go.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Walls painted in Pavilion Gray modern emulsion, £57 for 2.5ltr; fireplace in Arsenic modern eggshell, £81 for 2.5ltr, both Farrow & Ball. Bluebell three-seater sofa in Prussian Blue velvet, £2,835, Sofa.com, has this look. Try Bridstow glazed display cabinet, £929, Oak Furniture Superstore. Lightning mirror, from £75, Bride & Wolfe at Antipodream

2. “Co-ordinate books to add visual interest”

‘The shelves were here when we moved in and I painted them a deep grey as a backdrop to my colourful books and cushions. Go with your instinct and don’t be constrained by traditional schemes.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES