A colourful, patterned Christmas home in Northumberland

By Molly Malsom

Published: Wednesday, 08 December 2021 at 12:00 am

There is a strong sense of family history in Charlotte and Tom Gaisford’s home in Northumberland. It is the place where Tom was born and the house and farm have been in his family for several generations.

Furniture inherited from both sides of the family grace the rooms and Charlotte’s bold and bright textiles are evident throughout the house, which was once two cottages and a barn.

‘We moved here to Northumberland when our sons were born and long before I was a fabric designer,’ explains Charlotte. ‘Before that we had lived in Lancashire and then in France, but we decided we needed to be nearer to family.’

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Charlotte’s home is a converted barn and cottage on farmland in Hexham, Northumberland, with six bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus an open kitchen-diner-living area and separate drawing room and snug.

Following a period renting one of the houses on the estate, the couple decided to take on a longer-term project converting a barn and two adjoining cottages into a permanent home. ‘It was all a bit higgledy-piggledy so we had to figure out the best way to organise the space,’ she explains.

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In the old cottage, characterful beams were left exposed, while in the barn the issue was how to break up the space without losing the sense of scale and the possibilities that offers. ‘Like most barns, it was quite narrow and there was a tendency for it to become a bit of a walkway,’ says Charlotte. ‘So we worked on creating corridors so you didn’t have to walk through the children’s playroom and such; we also moved the entrance to create a more practical entry point.’

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The hallway is painted a wonderfully vivid Pitch Blue from Farrow & Ball – a great choice to set off the warmth of rosewood furniture. The grandfather clock is currently on loan from an aunt while she is having her house renovated.

The space now flows beautifully with the open-plan kitchen-diner and living area in what was once the barn, while the more formal rooms, such as the drawing room and bedrooms, are housed in the old cottage. The fireplace in the kitchen is new but is made from reclaimed stone including a gatepost repurposed for the lintel, the bolt holes still visible. ‘Oh my, that was so heavy,’ laughs Charlotte. ‘We had to drive a tractor into the room through the arched window to lift it up, and about six men shunted it into place.’

Charlotte not only designed and project managed the renovation, but she also rolled up her sleeves and did much of the painting and decorating too. ‘I figured if I had to be here to manage the trades, I might as well do it with brush in hand,’ she laughs.

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An extra-long table with benches provides flexible seating for six to 20 people. It is an impressive 3.5m and was bought at Barker & Stonehouse.

Although the renovations took place before Charlotte launched her own fabric and wallpaper business in 2015, she has always had a good eye for design, as well as a nose for a bargain. ‘In the early days I bought ‘seconds’ from a heritage textile printer,’ she says, explaining that she put her money into getting curtains made up for every window in their home. ‘To be fair, I’ve slowly ‘unmade’ most of them and replaced them with my own fabric,’ she admits. ‘But it was still a good investment.’

Furniture has been perhaps more straightforward, with both Charlotte and Tom inheriting key pieces from family. ‘I do buy,’ she adds, ‘but I’m definitely traditional. I like things with a lot of character, and I like an eclectic mix.’

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‘The bed is a standard divan and I had the headboard made to a custom size as I didn’t want to detract from the beam,’ explains Charlotte. The ottoman at the foot of the bed was a great eBay find and fits the space perfectly.

She looks for antiques and second-hand pieces, which she can reupholster with fabrics from her new collections. ‘People like to see the fabrics in a lifestyle setting and I like to try them out for myself and see exactly how they are working,’ she explains. ‘I would never bother to reupholster a new piece.’

Charlotte finds inspiration in quintessentially English designers, especially Vanessa Arbuthnott and Nina Campbell. ‘I love the way Vanessa Arbuthnott organises her collections. Her patterns are really appealing and her colour choices are often really quite daring, but somehow she gets away with it, and it all looks lovely and comfortable,’ she says.

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A spare bedroom has a light, bright scheme with twin beds with statement headboards. The wallpaper is Georgie Girl by Charlotte Gaisford and the headboards are in The Countess fabric.

The same could be said of Charlotte, who is quite daring in her approach to layering pattern and mixing things up. ‘Oh gosh,’ she laughs. ‘I think I counted how many patterns there were in the living room at one point and it was something like 17 different designs. Anyone who’s afraid of mixing pattern should come to my house!’

As well as plenty of pattern, each room is dotted with antiques. The grand piano belonged to Tom’s grandmother – it was her 21st birthday gift. While Charlotte inherited many pieces of sentimental value from her father. Her great-grandfather was the ambassador to Japan in Tokyo during the First World War, so there are some unusual Asian pieces in her collection. And a lovely royal link too: the display case in the kitchen is a touching homage to Charlotte’s family and includes an OBE given to her great- aunt, as well as a brooch her aunt gave to her grandmother.

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Tom inherited the grand piano – it had been a 21st birthday present to his grandmother. The sofa is Duresta and the cushions are in Charlotte Gaisford fabrics.

‘My great- grandfather was based in Switzerland for a while and there is a sweet story of King George and Queen Mary coming for lunch and giving my great-aunt that little brooch. It really is very special.’ The couple are delighted to have a space that allows them to display such precious family treasures. And it’s clear that the scale and solidity of the house provide the perfect canvas for Charlotte’s creativity all year round.

But it really comes into its own at Christmas, when, true to form, she layers up the decorations, as well as the fabrics and trims, adding scent and texture into the mix with seasonal flowers and foliage. ‘We have made this house really work for us,’ she says. ‘I like the fact that the barn is a kitchen in one big room,’ says Charlotte. ‘It mirrors what I like most about living here in general – it is familiar and there is just this great sense of openness and freedom.’

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The stone fireplace is a new feature which includes a reclaimed gatepost as a lintel. It was so heavy, it had to be hauled into place by a tractor. The stove has the benefit of being used as a standard woodburner or the doors can be left open for an open fire.
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Characteristically brightly painted shelves at one end of the dining area serve as a built-in dresser. Special occasions are a great chance to gather the family, now that eldest son Harry is at university. Charlotte layers up the table with pattern, giving a fresh twist on classic Christmas colours.
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The display case was an eBay buy. It was designed to hold model cars, but Charlotte removed a few shelves to make it work for family memorabilia, which includes her great-aunt’s OBE and a brooch from King George V and Queen Mary.
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The kitchen, painted in Little Greene’s Hicks’ Blue, is bespoke and made by local cabinetmakers Robinson Gay. ‘It will be there for decades, it’s so beautifully made,’ says Charlotte. ‘They were clever with the design as the barn is only 3.5–4m wide but they found room for an island and that’s been invaluable.’ The AGA is electric, giving some extra flexibility as it doesn’t need a flue. The wing-back chair was inherited from Charlotte’s father. 
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Bright fabric trimmings from PomPom Galore make fun decorations for the mini tree in the living area.
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The portrait is Charlotte’s great-great-great-grandfather, John Towlerton Leather, who was a famous Victorian industrial engineer. The artist is unknown. 
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Cushions in Charlotte’s fabrics line a comfy window seat.
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Charlotte buys lamps from Pooky and has shades made in her fabrics by Pemberley Designs.
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The wallpaper is a bespoke colourway of Charlotte’s Hermitage Birds design, while the curtains are in Cambo Green. She finishes her furnishings with trimmings from Troynorth. The bookcase is made from timber salvaged from a ship wrecked off the Farne Islands. The white lamps are by Scumble Goosie with John Lewis shades.
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The wall tiles are hand-printed by Douglas Watson Studio.
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Fabric offcuts and trimmings are put to imaginative use.
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Charlotte has flowers throughout by Flowers Unlimited, including the wreaths.
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Charlotte Gaisford is a fabric and wallpaper designer (charlottegaisford.co.uk).
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A doll brought back from Japan by Charlotte’s great-grandfather.
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The deep window seat, with its specially made cushion in Chandolin Flower Blue, is the perfect spot to hide away and relax with a book. The curtain is made from Ottoman Edge Red fabric.
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A spare bedroom has a light, bright scheme with twin beds with statement headboards. The wallpaper is Georgie Girl by Charlotte Gaisford and the headboards are in The Countess fabric.
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Charlotte’s en suite bathroom has a lovely playful feel, with walls painted in Cook’s Blue and the cabinetry in Yeabridge Green, both by Farrow & Ball. The bathroom fittings came from a local supplier in Hexham and the tiles from Topps Tiles. Charlotte bought the painting at auction.