Victoria’s English Country Cottage

Name: Victoria
Location: A Small Country Village, England

I bought my home in 2014, it’s a 1970s semi-detached bungalow in a lovely friendly street in a pretty village in the south of the UK. I’m very lucky to have wonderful neighbours and everyone on the street looks out for each other – it’s one of the best things about country living. I actually grew up in this village, and after several years of living and working in London decided I wanted to return to the area to be near my friends and family.

The house was in good shape structurally when i moved in but in terms of decoration it was an empty shell and I was excited to bring my own style to the space and design it so the layout worked for me. I am a big fan of vintage furniture and country style but I also like to keep things simple, so with each room I started off with a simple color palette of white walls, natural flooring (wool carpet) and white or pale grey furniture then I added warmth and character with vintage pieces, handmade accessories and art.

I added rose pink, soft grey and metallic gold and copper as accents throughout to keep the rooms feeling cohesive. But each room has it’s own style too. The bedroom is quite calm and pared back as I wanted it to feel really soothing, so it has more grey, but the bathroom is bright fresh white as I wanted it to feel really light and clean. The kitchen has more color.

Because the bungalow is 1970s it doesn’t have any period features like fireplaces or picture rails, so I really wanted to add some soul and character and I think vintage furniture and accessories are the best way to do this. I created a focal point in the living room by adding an artificial wood burning stove, building in a mantlepiece and placing sideboards either side of it to create symmetry and a focal point to the room.

Since these photos were taken I have added more pieces to my home including an original Victorian church pew that I saved from a local church that was getting rid of it. It is now in my dining room acting as a beautiful dining bench!

Thanks, Victoria !

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