Cotswolds Countryhouse: Behind Closed Doors
We are taking you behind closed doors on our brand new #costwoldscountryhouseproject. This is extra special to my heart because it is my very own home! My family and I recently purchased this “countryhouse” in need of a little (or a lot) of TLC located in Oregon. The 2 acre property is surrounded by meadows and nestled in a forest full of native Pacific Northwest foliage (my favorite!). Trust us when we tell you this transformation will be worth the wait. I am completely demoing the interior including replacing all of the windows, tearing down/moving walls, installing all new high-end finishes, and restoring the bones to create a cohesive design that feels both innovative and timeless. The exterior is also being updated to emulate the warm refinement and elevated ease of an English Chateau. The best part? I am taking you along for every step of our design process with weekly updates and insights.
step 1: create or find a floral arrangement
Our elevated design process begins with a deep dive into how you live your everyday life. We want your home to be the perfect reflection of you and your family. From there, we explore cohesive design direction through visuals to establish the foundation of your project. The first visual we focus on is a floral arrangement. Before my career as L&D co-founder and principle designer, I was a florist. My designs and inspiration are constantly drawn from stems of the outdoors and growing up in the PNW, my backyard was constantly my muse. I decided to instill this core principle into our first step when designing a L&D dwelling.
For my project in particular, I created a botanical arrangement that reflected the emotion, palette, and natural beauty I want to see throughout our home. Some of these branches were foraged on the property, I love incorporating native plants into the project’s direct vision.. It is an ode to their homeland! The wild and whimsical feeling will be carried out throughout the whole home and set the tone for everything from layout, plumbing, and materials to furnishings, lighting, and decor!
step 2: curate a mood board
There are hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of selections to review, maintain, and approve. The most important thing about each of those decisions is to create cohesiveness throughout the home. What better way to ensure this than consistently referencing your “north star” throughout the entire process. This is why mood boards are so important! Myself and members on the team create a mood board for each project that our clients approve and use to guide the direction.
The mood board for this project was as difficult as it was a creative breeze. I knew what I wanted, but designing for yourself can be the toughest challenge of them all in this industry. There are SO many options and personal notes to keep track of. This home is going to carry our European aesthetic and house all of my favorite patinad finishes and natural materials.
In honor of our core values, I am choosing to work with my favorite sensible brands, only using quality products that are tried and true to me and our projects. Our most asked questions are related to sources and due to confidentiality and privacy, as a brand we rarely share those selects. This is an exciting and personal opportunity to share more than we ever have before. This will be more than a home, it is a future Light and Dwell showroom for prospective clients, followers, fellow tastemakers, and most importantly, loved ones.