Warwickshire Family Home 

Ground Floor

It’s hard to believe from the outside, but this house, near Shipton-on-Stour in Warwickshire, was only built in 2005. Designed by the architect Craig Hamilton, who worked at Highgrove for the now King Charles, it was conceived as a series of structures that had been added to over the centuries and stands in an elevated position overlooking an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

The new owners, a family of four with two young children who were relocating to the UK after having lived for a period of time in France, approached Sims Hilditch. They asked us to come up with a light and youthful interior scheme, using a fresh colour palette and playful patterns to better reflect their lifestyle and sensibilities. What started off as a furnishing project ended up as a whole house redecoration, with updates to the bathrooms and a new kitchen, boot room and pantry. 

The main house is laid out over three floors, with a study, family room and boot room radiating from a central reception hall. A spacious kitchen breakfast room, which has far-reaching rural views on two sides, occupies one wing of the house. We removed the original minimalist-style kitchen, which felt out of keeping with the location, and replaced it with a classic country-house design with cabinetry in dark and lighter blue and crisp white work surfaces. Beyond the kitchen is a pantry with glazed doors and walls in a lively rhubarb colour.

In the oldest part of the house, the original barn, lies the formal sitting and dining room. We designed a scheme based on blues and accents of burnt orange with a handsome bespoke dresser at one end. Here, as in other areas of the house, we whitewashed the beams in order to knock back the colour of the oak, which results in a more lived-in and settled look.

First Floor

Two guest bedrooms, both with ensuite bathrooms, as well as the principal bedroom suite are located on the first floor. 

Using a palette of crisp and light colours, we added interest and texture to the main bedroom, cladding the ceiling in rough boarding and introducing an oversized bespoke headboard and a striking pendant. Re-using pieces of existing furniture for the two guest rooms, we updated the rooms and their bathrooms with wallpaper, new joinery, fresh vanity units and colourful accessories.

Second Floor

At the top of the house lies the children’s floor, with bedrooms for each of the boys and a playroom with a useful daybed for sleepovers. Sharply sloped ceilings gave us the opportunity to take a creative approach and wallpaper all over the rooms while picking out the woodwork in bold hues. Working with the family’s furniture, Sims Hilditch designed a few bespoke pieces, including a trundle bed for the elder boy with an eye-catching wavy headboard and a canopy detail for the younger son’s bed. To add a youthful touch to their shared bathroom, we chose a blue star tile detail and a fresh vanity unit.