Quiet Interiors
Farmhouses
An abandoned cowshed in rural Spain transformed into a glorious country house
Creating a rustic retreat from her busy Madrid design practice, Belén Domecq has used natural materials, traditional textures and a palette of sandy and ochre tones to evoke a sense of the surrounding landscape
Houses
An 18th-century Gloucestershire farmhouse with a simple, relaxed interior
Having lived in this Gloucestershire farmhouse for several years two decades ago, gallerist Thomas Dane found himself drawn back to it in 2015. Once again, it has become a treasured haven for him and his friends, who enjoy its wonderfully relaxed interiors set off by a beautiful garden
Houses
A calm and uncluttered Grecian villa brightened by a palette of soft pastel colours
It is hard to imagine that this island villa was once flashy and overdone, so beautifully have interior designers Martin Hulbert and Jay Grierson introduced pale tones, natural textures and pared-back furnishings to create spaces that feel at one with the sun-kissed surroundings
Country
An historic rectory in Sussex that deftly brings together the old and the new
Never one to rush things, Emma Milne-Watson has gradually breathed new life into a centuries-old rectory in Sussex, respecting its history while creating a distinctive home for her family by effortlessly mixing classic and contemporary elements
Houses
A once-drab Victorian brookside house revivified by a former House & Garden editor
Even for House & Garden’s former decoration editor Wendy Harrop, extending and reviving a neglected, dark and pebble-dashed brookside house in south west London proved to be a challenge – but her efforts have been amply rewarded
Houses
A 17th-century Cotswold cottage with a distinctly Welsh aesthetic
Faced with the daunting task of reviving this 17th-century cottage in the Cotswolds, Ben Adler and Pat Llewellyn enlisted the help of historic building consultant Hilton Marlton. Together, they restored its original features without losing sight of the need to make it a comfortable weekend base
Houses
An artist's Art Nouveau apartment high in the hills above Barcelona
Not even a resident ghost could dissuade artist Sergio Roger and his partner Fernando Ansorena from creating a heavenly home in this hilltop apartment overlooking Barcelona
Cornish houses
The pure, light-filled spaces of a Cornish house by Marion Lichtig
Making the most of a series of delays, interior designer Marion Lichtig has collaborated with the owners of this newbuild near Padstow to create a coastal retreat with an established feel, thanks to a blend of vintage textiles and decorative antiques
Houses
A modern take on Georgian elegance and symmetry in a storied Hampstead house
Thanks to structural alterations and sympathetic additions this 18th-century Hampstead house has had its Georgian elegance and symmetry restored by its owner Celia Muñoz, in a way that is faithful to its age while appropriate for today
Houses
An interior designer's clever conversion of a farm outbuilding into an elegant, unfussy country house
It was the red clay roof tiles of this former agricultural building on a Wiltshire farm that provided interiors consultant and antique dealer Thea Speke with the inspiration for its calm, warm palette. Furnished with rustic pieces and vintage European furniture that she has sourced, it is now a welcoming home
Houses
The co-founder of Ochre's peaceful country house in Wiltshire
When plans for a kitchen extension turned into a demolition opportunity, Joanna Bibby saw a chance to create her ideal house in the Wiltshire countryside. The clean-lined yet comfortable newbuild is flooded with natural light and epitomises the Ochre co-founder’s mastery of pared-back style
Houses
An artist's layered and light-filled house, arranged with a painter's eye
The painter Haidee Becker has created a serene, comfortable live-work space in her north London house, including a magical, light-filled studio where she paints her contemplative still lifes and portraits
Houses
Skye Maunsell brings simplicity and serenity to a Barcelona flat
Known for their subtle hand, architectural designers Skye Maunsell and Jordi Veciana have created a calm, pared-back feel, which has allowed the Catalan owners’ mid-century furniture to take centre stage
Houses
Interior designer Pernille Lind creates a warm sanctuary in a Victorian terrace
Light-filled and balanced, this ground floor home is a chic blend of natural woods, earth tones and Scandinavian-influenced design
Houses
Inside Suzanne Rheinstein's joyously creative house in Montecito
In an extract from Rizzoli's new book on the late, great American decorator Suzanne Rheinstein, we look inside her supremely elegant house in California
Houses
An interior designer creates a harmonious home for herself from a formerly disorganised mansion flat
With her innate sense of proportion and symmetry, interior designer Pallas Kalamotusis has capitalised on the lofty dimensions of a hotchpotch mansion flat in west London to create a harmonious home
Houses
Two interior designers on their beautifully calm and pared-back Wiltshire farmhouse
Involving an ambitious restoration project and a reconfiguring of the layout, James Thurstan Waterworth and Scarlett Supple’s transformation of a Wiltshire farmhouse has resulted in a calm, pared-back interior defined by James’s eclectic antique finds
Houses
A penthouse in Holborn decorated with layers of texture by Studio Shan
In an effort to keep the bones of her flat neutral whilst not sacrificing character, Lishan Tham of Studio Shan has cunningly layered art and materials in her Holborn apartment.
Houses
A light and calm Victorian flat in Belsize Park by Alice Davies
Having restored the elegant Victorian features of this airy flat in north London, designer Alice Davies set about creating a calming yet eclectic backdrop in which a creative young couple could harmoniously live and work.
Houses
The serenely elegant country house of the couple behind Our Food Stories
When stylist Nora Eisermann and her photographer wife Laura Muthesius acquired a neglected former schoolhouse in the north German countryside, it took a gut renovation to transform it into the calmly beautiful retreat it now is