How to make a cottage that feels country and cosy rather than fuddy duddy

When interior designer Katharine Paravicini and her husband bought this 18th-century brick-and-flint cottage in Wiltshire, it needed love and care, so she started by painting the walls of this cosy sitting room in Farrow & Ball’s Pointing, creating a bright backdrop.

‘The cottage has low ceilings, so it was a priority for me to keep it feeling fresh — hence using this white on all the walls and woodwork,’ explains Miss Paravicini.

‘I wanted the room to feel country and cosy, but light, rather than fuddy duddy.’

Many of the pieces are from the couple’s house in London, including the sofa, which is covered in Christopher Farr Cloth’s Lost & Found fabric with a bullion fringe (www.christopherfarrcloth.com). The lamp bases were found in antique sales or charity shops and the shades either side of the window are by her sister, the Singapore-based interior designer Elizabeth Hay (www.elizabethhaydesign.com).

‘We had these elements in London, but it was the pictures that set the colour scheme for this room. I collected them over the years, some from auctions and others I’ve found along the way including a plate that I had framed in a floating box.’

The blinds are in a small print called Sanobar by Namay Samay from Tissus d’Hélène (www.tissusdhelene.co.uk). ‘The windows were a challenge. I thought about shutters, but the window reveal wasn’t right for them and curtains felt too granny-ish for me.’

The upholsterer John Haswell was commissioned to make the ottoman, which has an antique Suzani on the top and bright-red bobbin legs. An antique side chair is covered in Soane’s Flax Coral (www.soane.co.uk). The rug was made bespoke in India to pick up the other colours in the room.

See more of Katharine Paravicini’s designs at www.katharineparavicini.co.uk