Frances & Dom’s Handcrafted Home

Name: Frances and Dom Rogers
Location: Abingdon — Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Size: 1,300 square feet
Years lived in: 8 years; Owned

Everywhere you look inside this family home are delightful details that have been created by homeowner Frances’ artistic hand: From the murals that adorn the kitchen walls and breakfast bar, to the mosaics lovingly made from salvaged pebbles, to paintings, ceramics, woodwork, textiles and more. And set against the richly coloured walls and surfaces — deep reds and pinks, inky and peacock blues, purple, shimmering gold and yellows — these all combine to create a gloriously vibrant, welcoming and highly individual home.

When Frances and her family moved in eight years ago, this was a very standard three-bedroom home, painted in magnolia throughout. Over the years they’ve lived here, Frances has transformed every surface of the house with paint, paper or handmade mosaics, so that today no trace of the magnolia remains!

At the front, there’s a tranquil sitting room, in which a newly fitted fireplace that Frances salvaged, dismantled and pieced back together takes pride of place; there are also handmade cushions, curtains and ceramics, and a custom-made concrete top to the storage unit. At the back of the house, the former galley kitchen has been replaced with an extension that opens up the back of the house into a stunning open-plan area that encompasses a kitchen, dining area and family room, with a small study area tucked in there, too. There’s space for all the family to cook and eat, to play, to create, watch TV, read and make music. And each way you turn, you discover more unique and quirky pieces — the handpainted murals on the kitchen backsplash and the breakfast bar; the chandelier that’s made from pieces of found glassware and glasses belonging to Frances’ grandmother; the painted wall that echoes the Cole and Son wallpaper, embellished with added butterflies; and everywhere, handmade ceramics, cushions and pieces in wood.

Upstairs, the colour and creativity continue, with hues of deep peacock blue in the bathroom and rich gold wallpaper in the master bedroom. Frances has made a mosaic from pebbles, ceramic and glass for the bathroom; customised wardrobes in the master bedroom with Harlequin wallpaper; upcycled a bedside table with decorative paint; and she has hand-made fabric for curtains and created a bespoke, papered storage unit in daughters Bethan and Florence’s bedroom.

As I was leaving, I noticed that the path to the front door is inlaid with tiny, sparkling mosaics. A little detail, which I had overlooked at first, but one which says so much about the creativity so lovingly expressed in this home.

My Style: Vintage eclectic

Inspiration: Everything!

Favorite Element: Colour; the breakfast bar because I can sit at it and reach the fridge and cupboards without having to move!

Biggest Challenge: Sourcing interesting objects, upcycling and painting everything.

What Friends Say: Nice house!

Biggest Embarrassment: Liking the magnolia walls when we moved in!

Proudest DIY: Frances: fitting the fireplace in the front room; Dom: re-fitting the old lintel from the back door as a fire surround in the family room.

Biggest Indulgence: The pink velvet sofa, upholstered in Schiaparelli fabric by Designer’s Guild.

Best Advice: Don’t buy anything mass-produced! Try and reuse and upcycle.

Dream Sources: Vintage shops, junk shops, Designer’s Guild, the V&A

Items from Masons; Designer’s Guild; Winter’s Moon; Ebay; Dirty Pretty Vintage; wallpapers by Cole and Son; flooring and concrete by Rogers Gardenstone; Habitat; art fairs.

• Art by Becca Marais; Shauna Stanton
• Prints from a vintage fair
• Stair runner – Alternative Flooring
• Woodwork – Farrow and Ball “Mole’s Breath”

• Walls painted in Farrow and Ball “Pigeon” and “Hague Blue”
• Wallpaper by Cole and Son
• Cabinets from Ikea
• Mural on the side of breakfast bar inspired by Marimekko Birches design
• Splashback inspired by William Scott and Jessica Cooper
• Sofa from sofa.com; fabric Schiaparelli pink by Designer’s Guild
• Purple velvet chair (just seen) from Habitat
• Brown sofa, sideboard, mirror all from eBay
• Rug from Frances’ parents
• Artwork by Frances; Vincent Dorner; Frances’ friend from art college Hayden Roper; Stones art by Frankie Wood.
• Vases; cushions (except chicken cushion); chandelier all made by Frances.
• Table and chairs from Newbury Vintage fair and charity shops.
• Wooden cabinet (now painted) from Frances’ sister-in-law.
• Glass cabinet (now painted) from eBay
• Old school map from Dirty Pretty Vintage.

• Bespoke concrete by Rogers Gardenstone
• Sofa “Robin Day’ by Habitat
• Coffee table from Gumtree
• Fireplace: V&A reproduction tiles from Homebase; salvaged surround; cast iron insert from eBay.
• Candlestick and leaves on fireplace made by Frances.
• Mirror from eBay
• Glass art by Jane McDonald
• Painting (above shelf) by Frances; still life by Kristen Vestgard
• Fabric for curtains (just seen) from Masons, Abingdon.
• Rug from Laura Ashley
• Paint colours on walls mixed by Frances.

• Wallpaper “Swan Lake” by Nina Campbell for Osborne and Little
• Handmade cushions, curtains
• Wardrobe (seen reflected in mirror) from Ikea, upcycled with Harlequin wallpaper
• Pottery on dressing table made by Frances.

BATHROOM

• Walls painted in Dulux “Peacock”
• Mosaic made from salvaged pieces from charity shops, the garden, pieces of mirror and the beach

LANDING

• Paint “Dusted Moss” and “Sleepy Kitten” (woodwork) by Dulux
• Sex Pistols montage on wall by Frances
• Mirror made by Frances’ sister Rosemary
• Tapestry from India, a present from Frances’ parents

Thanks, Frances, Dom and family!

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