'I sent my husband to buy a dining table. He came back with a vast statue of a lady on a horse': Oka founder Sue Jones on her first house in the country
Sue Jones, co-founder of the hugely successful interiors company Oka, on her beautifully secluded house in the country.
Where is it?
A remote spot in the Cotswolds.
A quick description
A barn at the top of a valley that was built in 1730 and first converted in the 1960s.
How did you find it?
We used Property Vision [a buying agency] and gave them a specific set of parameters, including not wanting to be in a village.
How smooth was the purchase?
We went to see it separately at first and instantly knew that it had our name all over it. Our offer was initially accepted, but then we lost out to a higher bidder. Six weeks after he’d purchased the property, his marriage came unstuck and we were given first refusal.
What made you buy it?
The pièce de résistance is the covered colonnaded Roman walkway. On approaching the house, no one knows that it’s there as it stands behind a wall with a door.
Favourite aspect?
It’s a bit kitsch, but we have a hot tub overlooking the valley.
A hot tub with a view — kitsch or cool? Or perhaps a bit of both?
Best memory of living there?
It sits on two ley lines. I don’t know whether that has an impact, but it’s a happy house. Some people arrive in a terrible state, but leave skipping.
Biggest mistake?
We thought we’d save some money by using a reconstituted stone floor in the entrance and kitchen. When it was half installed, we realised that it wasn’t going to work and instead used stones reclaimed from a 17th-century French château. You can’t skimp on these things.
Biggest indulgence?
My husband is a great collector. When we moved here, I decided we needed a proper dining table — a rustic Spanish refectory table rather than some chipboard covered with a tablecloth. I sent him in search of one and he came back with a vast statue of a lady on a horse. The dining table is still made of chipboard.
Sue Jones is the co-founder and creative director of OKA. The company has launched its first wallpaper collection based on three of its most iconic prints: Ocellus, Areca and Ghini, made in the UK.
This feature originally appeared in the July 8, 2026, print edition of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
