COUNTRY CHARM
Playful patterns combine with beautiful colours in a cosy rural retreat
Bold florals and interesting colour combinations fill Mimi Pickard’s home, but it hasn’t always been that way. Mimi and her husband Ed bought the house 20 years ago, and during that time had undertaken a series of improvements. But it was only when Mimi embarked on a new career as a textile and wallpaper designer that she began to let her eye for colour and pattern guide her decorating choices.
Six years ago, with her children grown up, Mimi took a degree in design at Farnborough College. ‘We experimented with different mediums, but as soon as it came to textiles, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue,’ she says. ‘I was lucky enough to be able to do a week of work experience at fabric company Blithfield, which I found really inspiring.’
After graduating, Mimi took the plunge and set up her own business, Mimi Pickard English Textiles. ‘It felt scary, but I believed in my ideas. I knew my designs had to be different, so I opted for unusual colour combinations,
such as pink and yellow, which was originally inspired by a Stella McCartney dress.’
Once part of the farm next door, the house is still surrounded by open countryside. The couple moved in when their children were young. ‘We liked the local schools, and were lucky as we bought the house from friends who’d lived here for a decade – it wasn’t even on the market,’ says Mimi. ‘It had a happy atmosphere and felt like it was meant to be.’
Mimi runs her design business from home. ‘Before that, the study was hardly used, but these days I spend most of my time in here. I love the hidden area, tucked around the corner, where I store my fabric swatches.’
Mimi’s love of pattern is most evident upstairs, where the bedrooms have a romantic and feminine style. ‘There’s something about pink and cream that I find very calm and peaceful,’ she says. ‘I chose the same Cabbages & Roses Hatley wallpaper for our ensuite bathroom as our bedroom – it’s what my parents used to do and I think it enlarges the space and gives continuity. The freestanding bath was in here when we moved in.’
Downstairs, the couple opened up the space to allow more natural light to flow through. ‘We removed the wall between the kitchen and the corridor to create a big, spacious hall,’ explains Mimi. ‘To make the kitchen feel lighter, we opted a for a combination of pale neutral shades, with units painted in Stone 1 from Paint & Paper Library and walls in Slipper Satin from Farrow & Ball.’
One of the first rooms she re-decorated was the glasshouse. Inspired by a visit to the Ham Yard Hotel in London, designed by Kit Kemp, Mimi decided to add lots of colour and paint the brickwork: ‘I love matting, so chose this for the floors as it instantly adds interest and texture.’ Throughout the house, Mimi mixes family heirlooms and more recent purchases, as well as vintage patterns with her own designs. She had the armchair in her office, which had belonged to Ed’s grandmother, recovered in a classic Jane Churchill fabric, while a pink sofa in the glasshouse is brightened up with cushions covered in her own design – Naked Angelica Dusk. ‘Lola, our English Cocker Spaniel, loves snuggling up here with me.’ And in the dining room a set of chapel chairs has been painted cream, with Ed’s grandmother’s carver chair painted in Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue.
Room by room, Mimi’s love of bold patterns has gradually taken over the neutral palette that featured throughout. ‘When I set up my business, I started replacing the plain curtains and wallpapers with my own designs,’ she says. ‘And I love how strong colours and shapes have given the house a new lease of life.’
‘I LOVE having PEOPLE round for big FAMILY gatherings’