Cotswolds Countryhouse: Behind Closed Doors Pt. II
Welcome back to the Cotswolds Countryhouse: behind closed doors. This monthly journal is a tangible resource where you will be able to reference all of the BTS and never before seen details about my most personal project yet. I am taking you on a before tour, walking you through my exterior plans and inspiration, and giving you a sneak peek of some of the hard finish materials and vendors. Instagram saw it first, so make sure you’re following us over there @lightanddwell and if you haven’t seen last month’s posting, find it here (I make a floral arrangement inspired by the project)! I have spent many years designing homes for others, and to have the opportunity to design my personal home is a dream! Throughout the years, I’ve curated all of my favorite products and concepts in my personal archive…I cannot wait to finally be able to share them in a project this special.
BEFORE TOUR
Our family is so excited to plant our roots on this new property. The year long transformation will be full of blood, sweat, and tears; but the designs are going to be so elevated and beautiful. For my personal dwelling, I am only working with brands that are tried and true to our mission and that we have used for previous projects.
We are transforming this dated beauty into an English inspired dwelling with living finishes and vintage touches that are one of a kind. We have over two acres and the kids are already leaving their little footprints on the land. From horses and deer to future goats and chickens, this countryhouse will be full of light very soon. I am especially excited about the rounded entry as the entry really sets the tone for the rest of the home. The kitchen will be English inspired, with both innovative and classic concepts incorporated. I am also very much looking forward to centering the fireplace and you better believe I have big plans for our breakfast nook. The bedrooms in the home all need work, but have great bones for me to redesign; funky charm coming right up..
exterior plans & Inspiration
When my family and I first saw the house, we were in awe of the land, and then when I saw the home I knew that with the right touches it could be transformed into the Cotswolds English countryhouse of our dreams. With that being said, the landscape has been top of mind during the exterior planning process starting with the paint color. I am going with a rich creamy white so that the surrounding greenery really pops. A few other things that we will be changing to give it the charm that I love so much include adding an arched front door in drab by Farrow and Ball (a beautiful earthen brown/green color), colonial style windows throughout, some oval windows, living finishes, garden-like landscaping, GOATS (of course), and a trellis with creeping vines. See my exterior mood board and sketch below..
curation of hard finish materials
As I mentioned before, with this project being my own I am able to share all of my favorite products and sources with you, most of which have been used in previous projects and are tried and true. We are starting this deep dive with some of the hard finishes which include the tile, hardware, plumbing, paint colors, and millwork.
Let’s start with tile! I will be working with Zia on all of the tile in our home. We will be using the zellige in casablanca in a couple of the showers, and their new limestone product in our entry and baths. In the entry and main bath, I will be doing the limestone in a check pattern using their lighter tone and a medium tone, both pictured below. We plan on using roman clay in the main rooms to give it a beautiful patina’d finish. Another exciting feature will be our Devol light switches. They will be getting installed in some of the main rooms. They are definitely a luxury item and have such a big impact; truly works of art.
For all of the plumbing and hardware I am working with Chown; we work directly with them on all of our plumbing and hardware orders. I am going with the brass from Waterworks, using mostly the Easton Collection for all my plumbing and then from Rocky Mountain I have this really beautiful brushed light brass color for all hardware knobs and door hardware throughout the home.
& you know there won’t be any shortage of vintage lighting, marble countertops, and warm white walls throughout! See my first lighting purchase below, vintage Italian sconces from 1st Dibs. I’m in love!
