How to introduce colour and comfort to a traditional farmhouse

Jersey-based interior designer Bryony Richardson describes this Grade II-listed property as ‘a chimera of a house’ that had evolved over the centuries.

The first section was constructed in the late 1580s and the most recent additions were made in the 1970s, allowing her to reconfigure the internal space extensively better to suit the family’s needs without disturbing the rest of the house.

This sitting room is in the oldest part of the property and, as a result, remains structurally untouched. ‘We wanted this room to be somewhere the family could retreat to in winter evenings or when a storm closes in on the islands,’ explains Richardson.

The inglenook fireplace takes centre stage. Above it hangs some ironmongery that was found hidden in the chimney, together with the collars of much-missed family dogs.

As the house sits in a slight hollow surrounded by established gardens and fields, the views of greenery and western sunsets helped shape the room’s colour scheme. The walls are covered in a woven-silk, paper-backed fabric by Phillip Jeffries in a colour that hovers between deep pink and orange.

The bespoke sofas were made by William Yeowardand upholstered in Linwood’s Omega stain-resistant velvet — ‘essential in a family with three labradors,’ says Richardson.

In between is a box table covered in a Pierre Frey bouclé. As the room is designed for entertaining, this can be easily pushed out of the way, and guests can perch on the club fender, too.

In the far corner stands a lamp from Vaughan inspired by 18th-century splatterware. Above is a television that sits in a frame made locally to simulate a painting when it’s in standby mode.

This feature originally appeared in the July 29, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe