THE BRIEF

To create a warm and relaxed family sitting room within a beautifully converted Cotswold barn — a space that invited quiet, relaxing evenings by the fire, and weekend moments spent playing board games together.

Central to the brief was the requirement to design and build a new fireplace. One that felt architectural, considered, and in keeping with the scale and materiality of the original building. Ample wood storage and using the clients wood burner was also a practical necessity, thoughtfully integrated into the overall composition.

A key design challenge was to preserve the open-plan feel of the ground floor — maintaining clear lines of sight and a sense of flow — while introducing a level of comfort and intimacy that would allow the room to feel cocooning after dark. The space should feel grounded, inviting, and made for family life.

THE DESIGN

The colour palette draws directly from the surrounding rural landscape, grounding the scheme in its Cotswold setting. Soft creams are paired with nature-inspired blues and greens to create a calm, restorative atmosphere, while deeper tones add depth and contrast. A warm terracotta accent introduces richness and warmth, anchoring the space.

Moodboard

The hard and soft material palette both layer in texture, character and cosiness. With a new statement costswold stone fireplace with oak beam and herringbone oak flooring, layered up with a large wool rug and large family sized sofas and boucle armchairs and footstools for putting your feet up and watching TV.

New accent tables and portable lamps bring the walls in of an evening, creating a cosy pool of light by the fireplace and making the edges of the room recede into darkness.

A large ottoman provides a practical and central space for board games, storage and casual gathering. Styling was kept relaxed and personal, using the family’s existing art, books and ceramics — with a few carefully selected additions to complete the scheme and bring a sense of polish.

A particular highlight was commissioning a landscape artist to create a bespoke piece for the space — a calming, painterly focal point that balances the fireplace and enhances the room’s connection to its setting.