Playful Touches (Scalloped Stone! Rhubarb Shelves!) Grace Every Room in This English Home

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yellow entry with blue tile floor

It was never the plan for Katy Mitchell, the owner of a Victorian townhouse in West Sussex, England, to hire an interior designer once she got the keys last summer. But having moved with her husband, Alex, and their 9-year-old daughter, Chloe, from a 500-year-old cottage and selling most of her antiques in the process to its new owners, she conceded that she needed a little help in filling their space with stylish new furniture. Not to mention, as a busy working mom (she is the managing director of a commercial laundry business), Mitchell admits she just didn’t have the time or imagination to bring their new home to life herself. “Left to our own devices, it would have gone in a really ordinary direction,” she says. 

Luckily, the couple’s project manager, Will Vaughan, who was managing the single-story kitchen extension and renovation of the property, is married to Holly Vaughan of Vaughan Design & Development. “In a very cute way, the scope turned from me asking Holly, ‘Can you help me sort out my furniture?’ to her saying, ‘Let me design your house for you!’” says Mitchell, laughing.

yellow entry looking into kitchen
Floor Tiles, London Encaustic; Swan-Neck Wall Lights, Baileys Home
green paneled powder bathroom

Right off the bat, Holly pushed the envelope with her time-poor but open-minded client with blue geometric floor tiles and clashing yellow tongue-and-groove wall paneling in the foyer. “I just can’t help but smile when I see it; it’s so visually striking,” notes Mitchell. They saw the adjacent kitchen-dining room as an opportunity to embrace a more classic feel. “Katy wanted Shaker-style cabinets and I’ve long loved Edward Bulmer’s Azurite Blue,” explains Holly of the bold, spray-painted finish. To add a touch of texture, the designer clad the walls in ribbed tiles and popped out the upper cupboard fronts and replaced them with fluted-glass panels.

blue kitchen. cabinets
Wall Tile, Ravens Tiles; Pendant Lamps and Table, DM Lights

Holly reimagined the few pieces of furniture Mitchell and her family had saved from their previous home to chime with the new decor. That included a dated ottoman, once swathed in floral Laura Ashley fabric (now it’s covered in a bouclé-like textured finish by Tibor) and a wingback armchair, which she made over in a graphic Flora Soames fabric. “The print is so busy that at first I wasn’t sure,” says Mitchell. Fortunately, she agreed to it on a whim at the end of a very tiring week. “Now it’s one of my favorite pieces,” she adds. The tranquil library is also her go-to hangout, thanks to the addition of rhubarb-colored shelving: “On the days I work from home, I’m in there and it always feels so fresh.”  

big green sofa
Sofa, Camerich, covered in Tibor Fabric; Ottoman, covered in Tibor Fabric; Hand-Dyed Velvet Cushions, Kirsten Hecktermann
pink library shelves
Gray Armchair, Cart House, re-covered in Kirkby Fabric; Patterned Armchair, re-covered in Flora Soames Fabric.  
yellow dining bench

One of the challenges Mitchell threw at Holly and Will was her need for built-ins throughout. In the entrance, that took the form of a neat corner bench with lift-up storage to stash shoes and the dog’s leashes. In the main bedroom, Holly embellished the wardrobes with diamond-shaped cane inserts and brass bow-shaped hardware by Beata Heuman. “I use them every day, and simple touches like those handles make such a difference,” says Mitchell of the elevated detail. 

cane closet bedroom doors
red striped headboard
Bedside Tables, Scumble Goosie, painted in Slipper Satin by Farrow & Ball; Bedside Lamps and Shades, Hill & May; Custom Headboard and Valance by John Haswell, covered in fabric by Cloth Shop; Bolsters, re-covered in Beata Heuman Fabric.

To keep costs down, Holly and Will relied on their in-house carpenters for these bespoke projects as often as possible. The designer also embraced affordable work-arounds, such as sourcing fabric for blinds from Haines Collection, which sells end-of-roll and defective prints from big-name brands, and having a stonemason create a charming scallop detail out of marble offcuts for the utility room’s countertop and backsplash. The dining chairs look luxe, but are actually from Zara Home, while the custom-made headboards are positioned on top of budget-friendly divan bases (you just can’t tell because they are hidden behind coordinating valances). 

green bathroom wallpaper
Shower Tile, Mosaic Factory.
orange tub
Wallpaper, Soane; Hand-Painted Tub, Aston Matthews.
marble laundry room counter
Pendant Light, Retrouvius; Blinds Fabric, Vanderhurd.  

Although the project was completed more than six months ago, there are still plenty of finishing touches to be added, a task that Mitchell is relishing, now that all the major work is done. “When I’ve got 10 minutes to spare, I’ll look online for a beautiful cushion or a new lampshade,” she says. And when she’s totally stumped, Mitchell knows it’s always okay to ask for help. 

cozy bedroom with red bed frame
Pendant Light, Zara Home; Curtain Fabric, Cowtan & Tout; Custom Headboard by John Haswell, covered in Merchant and Mills Fabric.

The Goods

Ash Wood Chair with Rattan Seat, Zara Home ($200)

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Palm Drop Sky fabric, Beata Heuman ($155)

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Cruz del Mar tile, London Encaustic ($110 per square meter)

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Astonian Rimini Tub, Aston Matthews ($2,400)

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Go-to local vintage shop: The Country Brocante in Midhurst (and its fairs!).

Favorite local home stores: Hambledon Home and Vintage on the Vine are Instagram sellers but local, and both carry beautiful stock.

Where I buy plants and gardening supplies: We quite often use Crocus for indoor and outdoor plants.

Object in my home that gets the most use: The banquette around the kitchen table. There is plenty of handy storage underneath for games and crafts. 

Textile in my home that is so me: The Flora Soames Cornucopia fabric that we used to re-cover the wingback chair.

Who to Know

Nicest contractor I’ve ever met: Will Vaughan.

Other highly recommended craftspeople: John Haswell, our upholsterer; Jenny Lewis, the curtain maker; and Surrey Marble & Granite, our stone supplier.


If I could go back in time: I’d leave a bit more budget for the fun knickknacks at the final stage. It’s always so important to finish off the character of the space!

Olivia Lidbury is a freelance writer based in the U.K. She has been regularly contributing to Domino since 2021, pitching charming British houses, whimsical apartments and must-see vacation stays. Olivia also regularly writes for a number of national U.K. titles such as The Times and The Sunday Times Style magazine. She lives just outside of London in Kent.