the big easy
Sarah Allchorn has created a light-filled home and design studio in the countryside inspired by Scandinavian simplicity
Finding a barn in need of renovation in Oxfordshire is rare enough, so finding two together was a dream come true for Sarah Allchorn, an architectural interior designer based in the Cotswolds. ‘I was already living and running my business, Style Infusion, in the area, having bought and renovated an old property several years earlier,’ she explains. ‘I then started looking for a house that also had a separate building large enough for my studio. Fortunately, I saw a barn for sale with an adjacent smaller one included in the price. Both were ripe for renovation.’
The main barn, once used for threshing, had been converted into a house in the Seventies and was looking rather tired and in need of a complete refurbishment. The smaller one was originally used for milking and, with some replanning, could be converted into a comfortable working environment for Sarah. ‘Both buildings had exterior character, but inside they were a disaster,’ she recalls. ‘The timber purlins and beams had been removed in the main barn, in favour of Seventies cornicing and twee fireplaces.’ However, Sarah saw beyond the dated interior and proceeded to buy them both.
‘My logic for the old milking barn was to create a design studio and admin office with a bedroom and en-suite shower room to live in while I renovated the main barn and secured planning permission for a timber-framed extension,’ explains Sarah. ‘The main house was habitable, although by the time the studio was ready to move into, the kitsch kitchen, pink, blue and turquoise carpets, peach floral wallpaper and ancient bathroom were becoming unbearable!’ With work complete,
Sarah moved into the design studio and the demolition of all the internal walls on the ground floor of the main barn began, followed by the installation of steel girders.
With a love of light-filled homes, Sarah’s plan was to create a Scandi-inspired interior with an open-plan layout. ‘I wanted to gain as much space and natural light as possible, which involved taking the interior back to a bare shell and adding an extension,’ she says. The timber-framed addition arrived in February 2017 and was fully installed by April. The internal fit-out took another eight months, by which time Sarah was desperate to move in and prepare for her family arriving for Christmas. ’My three children arrived on 23rd December and sent me out for last-minute shopping. When I returned they had hidden the uncompleted building work in the sitting room with pallets and sheets of plasterboard.’
Sarah added the finishing touches to her home with a stylish combination of texture and colour from one of her favourite designers. ‘I love the design and colour spectrum of William Yeoward, and most of the rugs, lamps and cushions here are from his collection,’ she says. ‘ With my antique and contemporary furniture, I think it forms an interesting mix.’
Redesigning the garden is Sarah’s next challenge. ‘I am radically changing the outdoor space, including building a new stone wall at the rear of the garden, and planting and creating zones for outdoor dining and entertaining,’ she says. ‘It has taken time to reach this stage in the renovation, but I’m delighted and feel so fortunate to be able to combine both home and work in one beautiful location.’