You might also like:<\/h4>\n- A sustainable Christmas in Trevor Pickett\u2019s Suffolk cottage<\/a><\/li>\n
- Christmas in the countryside with Sam Wilson<\/a><\/li>\n
- Eco-friendly Christmas wreaths<\/a><\/li>\n
- 10 ways to reduce waste this Christmas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
The emphasis is on ease and simplicity, which chimes perfectly with Josephine\u2019s aesthetic throughout the rest of the year: antique chairs<\/a> and sofas are upholstered in plain linens, no matter how ornate the frames; luxurious-seeming throws are fashioned from antique fur coats which she \u2018alters\u2019 by tucking the sleeves out of sight. \u2018If they are really ragged, I might just cut them off,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\nWhile the aim is to create a sense of faded grandeur \u2013 like a country house in the city \u2013 in terms of furniture, she is drawn to simple, painted pieces over gilt and marquetry.<\/p>\n
The drawing room<\/h2>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"Josephines\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> In the drawing room, an off-white suede sofa was especially made to a George Smith design with a matching stool that converts into a single bed. The lamp is antique, the curtains are plain lilac silk and the wing chair is 1920s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"RS106_08\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Tree trimmings and tea lights are used to decorate the mantelpiece in the drawing room<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nJosephine traces her particular fondness for rustic, country furniture to a childhood spent surrounded by the antiques that filled her parents\u2019 home in Ireland. \u2018A love of antiques is in my DNA,\u2019 she says. \u2018Both my parents were avid collectors so I was destined to follow their lead. I grew to love that distressed, battered look of simple, rustic furniture.\u2019<\/p>\n
She bought her first antique from a dealer on Portobello Road and paid for it in instalments. It was only a matter of time before she entered the trade herself. As a dealer, Josephine has always believed in buying the things she likes, even if she has felt at times that these pieces were beyond her budget.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s simply a matter of confidence,\u2019 she says. \u2018Having the staying power and believing that what you like will appeal to someone else, and, in turn, they\u2019ll want to buy from you.\u2019<\/p>\n
The exterior<\/h2>\n
Josephine deployed the same confidence and staying power when she decided to buy the double-fronted house that is now her home. The house had been owned and semi-renovated by a builder, so it was structurally sound but unsympathetically modernized and still lacked central heating. All the Victorian sash windows had been replaced with aluminium frames, and original features such as the old fireplaces had been removed.<\/p>\n
It was a challenge, but full of promise, and Josephine couldn\u2019t resist. \u2018It had country-house proportions, with large, light, almost square rooms,\u2019 she explains. \u2018And I loved the way it was laid out \u2013 double-fronted and only two storeys, so I wouldn\u2019t have to spend my life running up and down stairs!\u2019 This was a key consideration for her at the time as she was pregnant with her first child.<\/p>\n
The work was extensive and involved knocking down the walls between the kitchen and dining room, replacing windows and reinstating fireplaces. Josephine also removed the many differently coloured carpets in order to paint the floorboards.<\/p>\n
The kitchen<\/h2>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"RS106_19\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The kitchen revolves around a French range by Falcon. The old butcher\u2019s block, which creates an island, is a great place for carving the goose<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"RS106_04\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Josephine has arranged antique and vintage spoons made of silver and bone in a pewter cup<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe dining room<\/h2>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"RS106_12\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The dining-room table is simply decorated with a plain linen tablecloth, candles, mistletoe and moss. The painted wooden furniture is typical of the rustic simplicity that Josephine favours<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n\u2018In those days I would buy something for the house, run out of money and decide I needed to sell it,\u2019 Josephine recalls. Consequently, the rooms and the overall look of the house were in a constant state of flux.<\/p>\n
But she had a good eye and was always able to turn a profit: her first batch of furniture swiftly sold out at Newark antiques fair. \u2018Instead of spending the money sensibly, I promptly bought a whole new lot of pieces,\u2019 she laughs.<\/p>\n
These days, with grown-up children and a thriving interiors business, there is no longer any need to sell the furniture and the look of the house has settled. \u2018I\u2019ve stopped buying new things,\u2019 she says, \u2018not that I ever bought anything much that was actually new except for candles and lamps.\u2019 And candles are key to the way Josephine decorates the house at Christmas.<\/p>\n
The bedroom<\/h2>\n ![\""A\"]( "\\"\"RS106_25\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> More antique Swedish chairs sit either side of the bay window in the master bedroom. The shelves in the alcove are home to a collection of vintage and antique glass and ceramics. A large wooden bowl filled with pine cones makes a quirky, seasonal doorstop<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nApart from a few twinkling lights on the tree (a rare concession to the 21st-century take on festivities) the rest of the house is bathed in candlelight. \u2018I like to place mirrored mats below candlesticks<\/a>,\u2019 she says, \u2018as it doubles the impact of the glow and adds more sparkle.\u2019<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
The emphasis is on ease and simplicity, which chimes perfectly with Josephine\u2019s aesthetic throughout the rest of the year: antique chairs<\/a> and sofas are upholstered in plain linens, no matter how ornate the frames; luxurious-seeming throws are fashioned from antique fur coats which she \u2018alters\u2019 by tucking the sleeves out of sight. \u2018If they are really ragged, I might just cut them off,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n While the aim is to create a sense of faded grandeur \u2013 like a country house in the city \u2013 in terms of furniture, she is drawn to simple, painted pieces over gilt and marquetry.<\/p>\n Josephine traces her particular fondness for rustic, country furniture to a childhood spent surrounded by the antiques that filled her parents\u2019 home in Ireland. \u2018A love of antiques is in my DNA,\u2019 she says. \u2018Both my parents were avid collectors so I was destined to follow their lead. I grew to love that distressed, battered look of simple, rustic furniture.\u2019<\/p>\n She bought her first antique from a dealer on Portobello Road and paid for it in instalments. It was only a matter of time before she entered the trade herself. As a dealer, Josephine has always believed in buying the things she likes, even if she has felt at times that these pieces were beyond her budget.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s simply a matter of confidence,\u2019 she says. \u2018Having the staying power and believing that what you like will appeal to someone else, and, in turn, they\u2019ll want to buy from you.\u2019<\/p>\n Josephine deployed the same confidence and staying power when she decided to buy the double-fronted house that is now her home. The house had been owned and semi-renovated by a builder, so it was structurally sound but unsympathetically modernized and still lacked central heating. All the Victorian sash windows had been replaced with aluminium frames, and original features such as the old fireplaces had been removed.<\/p>\n It was a challenge, but full of promise, and Josephine couldn\u2019t resist. \u2018It had country-house proportions, with large, light, almost square rooms,\u2019 she explains. \u2018And I loved the way it was laid out \u2013 double-fronted and only two storeys, so I wouldn\u2019t have to spend my life running up and down stairs!\u2019 This was a key consideration for her at the time as she was pregnant with her first child.<\/p>\n The work was extensive and involved knocking down the walls between the kitchen and dining room, replacing windows and reinstating fireplaces. Josephine also removed the many differently coloured carpets in order to paint the floorboards.<\/p>\n \u2018In those days I would buy something for the house, run out of money and decide I needed to sell it,\u2019 Josephine recalls. Consequently, the rooms and the overall look of the house were in a constant state of flux.<\/p>\n But she had a good eye and was always able to turn a profit: her first batch of furniture swiftly sold out at Newark antiques fair. \u2018Instead of spending the money sensibly, I promptly bought a whole new lot of pieces,\u2019 she laughs.<\/p>\n These days, with grown-up children and a thriving interiors business, there is no longer any need to sell the furniture and the look of the house has settled. \u2018I\u2019ve stopped buying new things,\u2019 she says, \u2018not that I ever bought anything much that was actually new except for candles and lamps.\u2019 And candles are key to the way Josephine decorates the house at Christmas.<\/p>\n Apart from a few twinkling lights on the tree (a rare concession to the 21st-century take on festivities) the rest of the house is bathed in candlelight. \u2018I like to place mirrored mats below candlesticks<\/a>,\u2019 she says, \u2018as it doubles the impact of the glow and adds more sparkle.\u2019<\/p>\nThe drawing room<\/h2>\n
![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/19\/2021\/12\/Josephines-drawing-room-76e50de.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C405"\" "\\"\"Josephines\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/19\/2021\/12\/RS106_08-ad8b817.jpg?quality=90&resize=262%2C413"\" "\\"\"RS106_08\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The exterior<\/h2>\n
The kitchen<\/h2>\n
![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/19\/2021\/12\/RS106_19-8047b21.jpg?quality=90&resize=272%2C413"\" "\\"\"RS106_19\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/19\/2021\/12\/RS106_04-a7f29ba.jpg?quality=90&resize=273%2C413"\" "\\"\"RS106_04\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The dining room<\/h2>\n
![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/19\/2021\/12\/RS106_12-585e21c.jpg?quality=90&resize=272%2C413"\" "\\"\"RS106_12\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The bedroom<\/h2>\n
![\""A\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/19\/2021\/12\/RS106_25-0cd68bd.jpg?quality=90&resize=268%2C413"\" "\\"\"RS106_25\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>