A beautiful renovation of the elegant residential home of Katharine Pooley and her family
Internationally acclaimed interior designer Katharine Pooley is delighted to announce the completed renovation of The Coach House, a beautifully refurbished residential house in the English Countryside designed for her family. Set within extensive gardens and parkland, the property showcases Katharine’s vast collection of antiques, art and unique objects from her many travels and adventures abroad. Described as ‘an artful balance of English eclecticism and Asian statement pieces’, Katharine has made the house a country home full of surprises, stories and personal mementos for her family.
Surrounded by nature and trees covered in spring blossom, the beautifully refurbished, honey-coloured stone property is an elegant coach house and stable, which was sympathetically renovated in the 1970’s to create an impressive residential home. The architectural style of the building denotes its original usage; it has fabulous large arched windows and doors where the horse-drawn coaches would originally have resided. Deemed of significant historical importance, any changes to the development had to be carefully undertaken.
Katharine came across the coach house 17 years ago and decided to turn it into a perfect country home dedicated to her beloved family. Throughout the years, Katharine has made the house a serene and beautiful backdrop to family life, with the interior design featuring a refined yet eclectic aesthetic, full of thoughtful and personal details. This autumn, she oversaw a partial transformation of the interior, with the addition of a new kitchen, boot room and utility since her last update. She also added in a more delicate and layered interior while keeping durability and function in mind.
New pieces of artwork, soft furnishings and accessories
Large arched windows fill every room with natural light, while a soft, tonal scheme in gentle colours creates a graceful and timeless elegant interior. Katharine cleverly applies the combination of vast soft textures to gently indulge guests to settle in this luxurious yet cocooning home. Several of these changes, including the soft toned fabric in pinks and blue hues sit beautifully against the classical arched window reveals, can be attributed to a number of Katharine’s favourite English suppliers including Holland & Sherry, Claremont and Rosanna Lonsdale.
This impressive private country home features a disparate and unique collection of antiques and artworks curated from across the world. A Chinese Collectors Cabinet warmly greets guests upon the entrance, a piece that Katharine sourced from Asia. The carved Burmese Buddhas, silver antique candelabra and collection of ceramics by Timothy Langston bring vibrant life to the inviting dining room.
The turquoise chinoiserie desk appears as one of Katharine’s favourites, and sits perfectly at a corner of the living room for her quiet moments. Professionally selected by Katharine’s team, the crystal artwork by Emily Swift Jones in the dining room and the pink artwork by Nancy Cadogan in the living room further reinvigorate those spacious areas.
New Kitchen, Boot Room and Utility
The crown jewel of the new interior has to be the new dove grey kitchen created with English cabinetry makers Humphrey Munson. With the wall painted in “Mainsail”, the understated dove grey tonal paint colour creates a hushed and calming feel throughout the kitchen, incorporating a mix of painted finishes with aged wood effect and new quartz worktops.
Looking out at the gardens beyond, it is an idyllic family space with beautiful details such as the La Canche stove, hand carved grocery drawers and a fabulous antique mirror splashback.
