BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL

Set on a leafy cobbled lane in a friendly community, Alexandra Rishworth's Cotswolds home offers her the perfect country bolthole

- ALISON GIBB

Alexandra Rishworth was looking for a home in the West Country, close to her father and sister, where she could escape from London at the weekends. And it was a house in Tetbury that most appealed. With its pubs and restaurants, the charming market town would keep her London-bornand-bred partner happy, while offering the peace and community that Alexandra craved. "The house was in perfectly good condition when I bought it, although a little tired,' Alexandra explains. She wanted the décor to be much more vibrant. Her London home is calm and soothing, a little 'vanilla' she feels, and she wanted her country bolthole to be the opposite. I wanted it to be fun and somewhere to entertain,' she says.

Alexandra was delighted to find local interior designer, Sean Symington, who understood her requirements. I found choosing paint colours very hard. Sean also introduced me to colour and pattern, with GP&J Baker and Schumacher fabrics and wallpapers. I wanted the interior to be bold but not too bright, so it was a hard balance to strike. The whole journey was a real education actually.'

Sean started Alexandra's project by opening up the interior spaces, removing a few of the internal doors and replacing some with Crittall options to allow more light to flow. He also installed tongue-and-groove panelling in both bathrooms and the kitchen. This was very cost effective compared to the expense of tiling and gives the house a lovely country feel,' says Alexandra. Other additions were attractive window seats in the sitting room, the master bedroom and the shower room, with contrast piping to add to the vibrant result.