TOWN IN COUNTRY Generations of one family have enjoyed this London-style house located in Oxfordshire farmland

Emma and Will Deeley’s characterful period home is the stuff of legend and not what you would expect to find in the middle of farm land

There is a reason that Emma and Will Deeley’s house might look out of place in the Oxfordshire village in which it is located. ‘Legend has it that, back in the 19th century, a wealthy landowner fell in love with a city lady, who said she would only marry him and move to the country if he built her a London-style townhouse,’ explains Emma.

Although the couple have no connection to the original owners, the house has been in the Deeley family for several generations. They have farmed the land here for more than 500 years, and it continues to provide for the family. Will’s brother and parents manage the farm, while Will and Emma run a successful events venue business in the 14th-century Tythe Barn, which they renovated. ‘Transforming the barn into a venue for weddings and parties sparked my interest in interior design,’ explains Emma. ‘I love searching for unusual pieces to use as decoration.’

With the barn transformed, Emma started to make their home more suited to 21st-century living. ‘The house was set up for how people used to live, with lots of small rooms,’ she explains. ‘The kitchen was at the front of the house and we had separate dining and sitting rooms. I wanted a bright and airy space that looked out

best buy ‘I love the wooden kitchen shelf that Will bought for me on a birthday trip to an antiques fair. Filled with glasses and jars, it adds interest to an end wall’

onto the garden, so that I could watch our children – Stan, Isaac and Florence, who are now 13, 12 and 6 – playing while I cooked.’

The couple extended out into the garden to create a kitchendiner and knocked through the sitting and dining room to make one large living space. ‘There were a few fiddly things we had to do to ensure the new part of the house was in keeping with the old,’ explains Emma. ‘This included sourcing glazed black brick to match the existing building, which took us a long time to find.’

While she adores the style of the house and all the character and features that go with it, Emma also likes the contrast that can be obtained by mixing contemporary and vintage styles, which explains the kitchen’s modern feel. She chose simple white handleless cabinetry and then added a stainless steel worktop, inspired by a design she had seen in a Bulthaup showroom. ‘The worksurface is brilliant,’ says Emma. ‘It doesn’t stain and it also helps to add to the industrial look of the room. I kept some of the brickwork exposed in both the kitchen and dining areas to continue this theme.’

This eclectic mix is carried on throughout the property. ‘I love the high ceilings in all the rooms and, although it’s a big house, we’ve made it feel cosy by keeping the main focus on the

fireplaces, and then dressing the sofas, armchairs and beds with plump cushions and soft throws,’ explains Emma.

A warm, neutral palette forms the backdrop to the sitting room and hall, but Emma has been braver with colour in the playroom and master bedroom. Once a kitchen, the playroom, which is painted in a dark grey with blue undertones and is complemented by a lush velvet sofa and vibrant, striped rug, has been designed as a chill-out space for the boys and a crafts-cum-play area for their younger sister. ‘It can be updated easily as they get older,’ says Emma. ‘In our bedroom, I’ve teamed the floorboards with an inky wall paint, which works because the room is lovely and bright.’

With so many requests for the unusual items she fills the barn venue with, Emma has finally got around to collating them in an online store, The Artisan House. Several objects also find their way into her home, which now showcases an ever rotating display of stock. ‘We love that our house has become an ongoing project and that pieces are always moving around,’ she says. ‘After all, that’s the way it’s been here for the last 200 years, and long may it continue.’

design advice‘ Plan ahead so you know what you want and where things like sockets should go before builders and decorators start work’

PLAYROOM Exposed brick lends an industrial air. Walls painted in Down Pipe estate emulsion, £ 43.50 per 2.5 litres, Farrow & Ball. Chairs, £35 each, trade secret

KITCHEN-DINER Mid-century and antique furniture blend beautifully with the modern units. Cabinetry, price on application, Howdens. Wooden shelving unit, £75, Newark antiques Fair. For a statement pendant light, try urchin, £275, Heal’s

sitting room Inviting sofas, plump cushions and a deep-pile shaggy rug make for a cosy family space. antique panel mirror, £780sq m, Looking glass of bath. Majella globe crystal chandelier, £118, the Chandelier and Mirror Company, is similar

Hall The clock makes a big impact in this area. Clock, £55; table lamps, £25 each, all ardingly international antiques & Collectors Fair. Wonky jug, £25, the artisan House