On Modern Country Style today...

FRIDAY, 25 APRIL 2014

Willow Crossley's Home: House Tour

Situated in a tiny Cotswold village, author Willow Crossley's home is a mixture of Manor House and cottage, whilst the palette of understated muted colours she has chosen make my Modern Country heart beat a little faster.... Shall we take a house tour?

Come with me through this beautiful beamed porch, taking note of the hydrangea wreath on the front door...

At first glance, this room looks small and cosy but look again...see how teeny-tiny the sofas look in comparison to the fireplace. Willow Crossley has done a fantastic job at toning down the imposing double height ceiling, and creating a warm cottage-y vibe. The living room is painted in Farrow and Ball Pigeon.

The kitchen, with its bottle green Aga has units painted in Farrow and Ball's Elephant's Breath, and Willow has used Sanderson's Swallows wallpaper. 

The family room leads off the kitchen (also decorated with Farrow and Ball Elephant's Breath paint)...can you spot the Cabbages and Roses cushions?

 and into the conservatory, strung with simple fairy lights...and a hot air balloon!

More cushions from Cabbages and Roses fill the sofa in the bedroom...

Hand-painted walls in a paisley design create a snug attic-chic space...

Willow Crossley's office is lined with Cabbage and Roses Hatley wallpaper...

The gardens contains enormous yew topiary, and parterre, with an ancient well.

The mellow stone and rolling surrounding countryside remind me why I love living in the Cotswolds...

Trouble in Paradise

I envisaged or at least hoped, that I would be writing my first post in the new house from my sun filled office, full of the joys of our new gorgeous house and loving country life. I am in fact sitting on the hall floor surrounded by boxes, writing to the soothing background tones of an electric sander.

We still have no internet and when my Blackberry - my only contact with the outside world - decided to have a breakdown this morning, I wasn't far from a melt down myself. The house is full of builders and hidden under a sea of dust sheets. Builders that break for a fag/ coffee / cornish pastie break approximately every six minutes. If they keep to their seven week deadline I'll eat my shoes.

One of the excitements about moving here was the close proximity to Bicester Village. I sensed that this morning would be a good day for an outing. A change of scenery and the prefect chance to let the builders get on with painting each wall a different shade of grey. Nightmares of being chased by mini kitchen tiles meant I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I was quite weary before we'd even begun. Cub was quite chirpy though; his new hyeana toy and box of juice in hand, he loves nothing more than an outing in a car. Things started well. We got there in about twenty minutes. My heart rate raising by the second upon the realisation of how close we now live to a Marni outlet store. I got my Starbucks fix and that was it. Cub shut his finger in the loo door and from then on, down hill all the way. Despite ice cream bribery nothing was going to get him out of his grump. I zoomed into Mulberry, Ralph, Marni and the White Company faster than I knew was possible. Probably the world's quickest Bicester Village outing. In and out in 17 minutes flat. The return journey was equally as enjoyable. Screaming, hyeanas being thrown at the windscreen and shouts of 'Bad Mummy' the whole way home. Fine family fun all round.

Anyway, since I've started writing this, I'm beginning to feel a little calmer. The sun has come out and my Cabbages and Roses wallpaper has just been delivered. And one of my new neighbours have just brought me a welcome basket of damsons from their garden. Im still waiting for that basket of muffins but things are definitely looking up. And the next time I post I hope to be at least be writing at my desk

Cabbages and Roses

I went for my monthly Cabbages and Roses fix last week to find that they'd had a bit of a revamp. It's looking even more beautiful than usual. I have a bit of a thing for old flower pots and love how they have them piled them all up all over the shop.

www.cabbagesandroses.com