A cosy country home at Christmas you need to see inside

Friday, 2 December 2022 16:00

By Mary Goodsell

As Christmas approaches, Sarah Reed pulls out all the stops to add a cosseting festive layer to every room in her atmospheric Georgian home

The Owner
Sarah Reed, a refurbishment specialist and interior designer, and her daughters, Araminta and Tatiana

The Property
A four-bedroom Grade II listed 18th century house in West Sussex
The house, built in 1790, was extended in 2016

Layout
On the ground floor there is a hall, open-plan kitchen/seating area, walk-in larder, sitting room, dining room, cloakroom and boot room

“I absolutely love entertaining and have a very definite ‘more the merrier’ philosophy, especially at this time of the year, when I relish celebrating the festive season with my family and friends,” Sarah Reed explained.

Sarah has a talent for radically transforming properties, and it’s this expertise and vision that have ensured there’s now plenty of room in her own enchanting rural home for loved-ones to dine, sing and dance together at Christmas, surrounded by treasured antiques and cherished pieces that have been handed down through generations of her family.

cosy country home at Christmas

Back in 2014, Sarah, who runs a refurbishment and design company, Ministry of the Interior, had been renting near Chichester in West Sussex for three years, patiently biding her time while searching for a period property in the countryside that offered enough scope to create a unique home.

Sarah was determined to find somewhere with character, and plenty of flexibility within the living space; a property that she could enhance and enjoy injecting with carefully considered touches and her own bold and confident style.
“It was quite a challenge, since one of the essential requirements was finding a house with enough space in the dining room for my much-loved inlaid figured sycamore and burr oak table and chairs, which I designed about 20 years ago.

cosy country home at Christmas

“The house also needed to have room for my Schiedmayer piano, which I bought about 25 years ago and had completely restored, as well as the other antiques and pieces of furniture that I adore and would hate to part with. These include an antique refectory table, complete with inkwell holes, which I discovered originally came from a Norfolk preparatory school when it was closing down.”

Situated on the prestigious Goodwood Estate’s western boundary, the property once comprised of two cottages were knocked into one during the 1970s and feature attractive flint-knapped exterior walls.

Christmas countryside home

“This extraordinary place is in a breathtaking location, surrounded by woodland, nestling at the foot of the rolling South Downs,” said Sarah. “The secluded location in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is idyllic, and I could see that the walled garden would be large enough for a sympathetic extension, which would sit unobtrusively in this tranquil environment.”

Having bought in early 2014, Sarah took her cue for the new extension from an existing outbuilding that’s a smaller version of the cottage, both in size and shape.

She then liaised with a local architect to devise a concept similar to that of a stack of Russian nesting dolls, whereby each building would, metaphorically, fit neatly into the next. “We decided to link the old cottage and new extension with a striking glazed entrance hall,” she added.

Work on the extension began in 2016. At the same time, the dated cottage was totally renovated, complete with new bathrooms, fixtures and fittings. Both spaces were then decorated from top to toe. “I loved the challenge of coming up with innovative ideas for the house, including storage solutions,” said Sarah. “I designed the cabin bed to fit neatly into Araminta’s cosy bedroom. It incorporates wardrobes at each end, storage drawers underneath and built-in reading lights.”

cosy country home at Christmas

Sarah grew up in a large Georgian house in Norfolk, where beautiful furniture and antiques were handed down through both sides of the family. “From childhood, I’ve always loved antiques and have been very lucky to have been given a number of gorgeous pieces.

“For instance, the pine sideboard that’s now in our drawing room was found languishing in my grandmother’s garage. My mother spent many hours painstakingly stripping layers of paint from it, and it’s now the ideal place to display our family photographs.”

When it came to choosing schemes for this home, the heirloom antiques, artwork and furniture that mean so much to Sarah, naturally dictated the style and colours for each space.

Christmas in the countryside

Although Sarah chose a more traditional palette for the cottage, she deliberately adopted a bolder, more contemporary approach in the new extension. “The windows in the old building are quite small,” explained Sarah. “Instead of choosing lighter shades to brighten the rooms, I deliberately opted for deeper hues to accentuate the cosy feel and period features, such as the fireplaces.

“The extension, on the other hand, is a much brighter space. I felt it could carry a more modern and fun scheme, so I painted an ombré wall, inspired by a Scandinavian forest. This neatly links the white vaulted ceiling and darker tones.

“Warm tones of grey run through both the old and new buildings, pulling our home together and creating a sense of cohesion that’s almost subliminal.”

Christmas in the countryside

At this time of the year, Sarah’s elegant home becomes magical, bathed in candlelight and adorned with accents of gold, red and green, which perfectly complement the season. “I thoroughly enjoy cooking, and on Christmas Day, we tend to gather in the kitchen first for canapés and drinks, before gradually moving through to the older part of the house for lunch in the more formal dining room,” Sarah said. “The table will be beautifully set with my gorgeous dinner service.”

Fully embracing the festivities, Sarah buys two Christmas trees for the new and older parts of her home. These are adorned with delightful decorations that blend with each distinctive theme, and which have been collected by Sarah and her daughters over the years.

“I feel very proud to be the custodian of this historic gem,” said Sarah. “I savour every moment of our festive family get-togethers. When I glance around the dining table and see the people I love smiling, laughing and relaxing in the home I adore, it definitely fills my heart with the true spirit of Christmas.”

Photography: Andreas von Einsiedel
Words: Janet McMeekin

A cosy country home at Christmas you need to see inside

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