Inside the home of... interior designer Sophie Paterson
Interior designer and Instagram star Sophie Paterson takes us for a tour of her luxurious family home
Interior designer and Instagram star Sophie Paterson bought her country home in 2012 when it was still a concrete shell. Although this meant that there was serious work to do, it also meant that Paterson was able to design the interior architecture from scratch.
"When I first saw this house and walked round we didn’t think we could stretch to it and I recall being so jealous of whoever would end up owning it," says Paterson. "The layout, space and feel was just what I had been dreaming of - it's big but has a great flow to the rooms and a very social layout. It doesn’t feel too big, but equally you can always find peace and quiet if you’re craving it."
The kitchen
"This is the room that sold the house to me when I first saw it, it’s the heart of the home. We live in here all day from breakfast to dinner parties at the weekend. I redid the lighting with John Cullen throughout the house, but it’s especially enhanced this room as it feels so moody but cosy at night now."
The kitchen
"The round piece of art is by Fenella Elms and is my favourite piece in our home. It’s so soothing to look at with the little discs of porcelain in undulating waves. It sits above my other favourite piece of furniture - an antique weathered oak bureau that I found in Holland. I keep all my writing cards, wrapping paper and ribbons in here."
The living room
"We wanted a room without a TV where we could just socialise or listen to music or read a book. This room has the most beautiful silk blue wallpaper that changes colour throughout the day. My favourite thing to do in here is sit by the fire and read the papers."
The living room
"My favourite piece of furniture in here is the coffee table that I sourced from Porta Romana. I had wanted it for years, before we even bought the house."
The utility room
"This is the smallest and probably my favourite room in the house. I redid this room about three years ago and created my ultimate luxury utility room. It’s a room that is so often overlooked but we are in here all the time - it’s where I change my baby's nappy and where we store post and deliveries. I also use the space to arrange flowers and do washing in here."
The nursery
"As soon as I found out we were having a boy, I started designing his nursery - I wanted a preppy vibe and nothing too babyish so it would suit him long-term. The animal heads are from Fiona Walker and the monogrammed bed linen is from my linen collection with Coze."
The master bedroom
"The starting point was this beautiful burgundy wallpaper with hand-painted and hand embroidered magnolia branches from my wallpaper collection with Fromental. I wanted something that felt masculine and feminine at the same time to reflect both of us. I was torn between this and the ‘branches in the breeze’ design in a taupe colourway, but my husband (who has great taste, but also the good sense to leave most interior decisions to me) said he loved the burgundy colour so we went with it - and I’m so so glad we did."
The master bedroom
"The sideboard is one of my favourite pieces - it’s a beautiful Mother of Pearl finish on the doors. I bought it from Luxdeco."
The master bedroom
"The TV is from LG - it’s one of the wallpaper TVs and, after years of trying to dissuade my clients from having giant TVs all over their house, I’m afraid to say I’m a convert to having one big one - it’s so much better for watching movies. These days we mostly use it for watching cartoons with the kids in bed, while we try and get just five more minutes sleep."
The child's bedroom
"I designed this room whilst pregnant with our son last summer. I planned on making Ava’s old room his new nursery so, to make the transition a smooth and happy one, I had to design her something spectacular. Ava loves princesses and animals so a four poster princess bed was a must. When I couldn’t find the perfect wallpaper ,I decided to design one with Fromental and make it available to the wider public as part of my wallpaper collection. It's a very personal design as Ava helped choose all of her favourite animals she wanted in it and insisted they had family groupings with baby animals too. What I love about it is that it has lots of fun details to spark a child’s imagination, but it's also sophisticated so should still be relevant for her when she’s a teen. The rocking horse was a first Christmas gift for Ava from her grandfather; she loves playing on it as she is horse-obsessed. It’s also a future heirloom I hope one day will pass on to her children."
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