Modern Classic

Renovating this Oxfordshire period country house, complete with coach house, flint barn and party barn, was a labour of love, but one that has resulted in an idyllic weekend retreat that the owners love to escape to from their busy lives in London.

The clients, a family with two children, wanted a relaxed space to host friends and family. ‘It’s a family home, but they wanted it to feel like anybody could drop in and feel comfortable and happy,’ explains interior designer Amy Dalrymple, co-founder with her husband, Hewie, of Dalrymple Studio, who was engaged to breathe new life into the property.

The house was gutted and renovated, with the clients aiming for a carbon-neutral house that showcased natural materials. Practicality was at the forefront of the design, with each space required to pack a punch and serve a purpose. ‘The dining room, for instance, is not just a place for Christmas and to use your smart china - it’s a real hub, and everybody feels at home in it,’ says Amy. The interior is notable, too, for its considered use of bold hues. ‘We pushed the clients,’ says Amy. ‘Sometimes they preferred calm neutrals, but we brought in pops of colour.’

At the heart of the interior, a classic black and white chequerboard floor, consisting of our Kendal Marble Tumbled and Long Island Marble Tumbled tiles, runs from the entrance hall through to the ancillary spaces, including the utility, boot room and powder room, and continues into the elegant orangery, lending a timeless, cohesive feel. ‘One of the first things that we talked about was having a lovely black and white chequerboard floor in the entrance hall as it felt in keeping. It’s elegant and smart, but also practical. You can scrub it clean,’ explains Amy.

She chose Kendal and Long Island tiles because of their large format, meaning there are fewer grout lines, and also because of Kendal’s colourway. ‘It’s more of a soft grey black rather than a jet black, so a more subtle take on the classic black and white, with more texture and tone to it, and that was really important. It feels cosy yet sophisticated.’

The chequerboard floor has proved the perfect foil for a variety of different room schemes - from the muted colours of the tongue and groove panelled rustic-style bootroom to the exuberant and colourful botanical wallpaper that infuses drama into the contemporary-style powder room.

It is also beautifully showcased in the classically elegant orangery, where its timeless appeal complements the roof lantern and the arched windows that bathe the room in light.

Upstairs, the main bathroom is a celebration of the beauty of stone. A sculptural freestanding bath forms the focal point of the scheme, while our Bijou Marble Obsidian and Bijou Marble Iceberg tiles are combined to form an exquisite black and white floor. ‘The client really liked the tile samples, and the floor tiles were the starting point for the bathroom,’ says Amy. ‘The room is an amazing space with high ceilings, so we wanted a feature on the floor to draw the eye across the space, rather than it feeling like a large void. The tiles soften the aesthetic and make it more three-dimensional.’

Marble-effect Book Match Porcelain was installed on the shower wall, creating a statement, opulent look. It was chosen for its beauty and practicality, with complementary marble used in the shower niches and on the vanity worksurface.

The daughter’s bathroom, meanwhile, has a more playful feel, with its soft pastel palette and selection of fun tiles. A statement is made with the arched alcove that features our Plume Marble Flamingo Mosaic tiles. ‘The tiles are heaven,’ exclaims Amy. ‘They are so beautiful that we knew we just had to do it.’

Gelato Mosaic Porcelain tiles in Mint are showcased on the shower splashback. ‘We incorporated pinks and greens rather than going all out pink. The view over the garden from the bathroom is stunning, so it was designed to pull in some of the greenery and textures of the garden.’

Perhaps the pièce de résistance is the gorgeous indoor swimming pool, with its stone pillars and generous roof light. A sense of serenity is evoked with our Buscot Limestone Etched Finish tiles and Buscot Limestone Etched Finish coping stones, which provide an opulent, spa-like surround for the swimming pool. ‘We wanted the pool to be really classic because it has stone pillars that conceal the steels, so it has a classical architectural feel,’ explains Amy.

The limestone was specially chosen for its soft hue and natural texture. ‘We were keen to create a very natural look and an indoor-outdoor feel because the doors open onto a lovely terrace.’