My Houzz: Beautifully Tucked Away in Somerset

As the creative director of housewares and clothing company Cabbages & Roses, Christina Strutt has a natural eye for creating an English country look. So the restoration and redecoration of this beautiful country home, thought to date from the 1500s, was a natural fit. “The house has been in my husband’s family for 200 years,” says Strutt, and family life is clearly at the heart of this home, as her son and his family now live in the cottage next door.

Strutt has decorated throughout with her signature fabrics, which draw on the faded glamour of antique and vintage linens and florals with a soft, pale color palette. However, despite the chocolate-box prettiness of the house, Strutt is not afraid to experiment with the design of the interiors. “I’m always changing things,” she says. “It’s in a constant state of flux.”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Christina and Mark Strutt
Location: A hidden valley outside Bath, Somerset, England
Era built: 1500s
Size: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

Tucked away in the rolling Somerset countryside, the home has a quintessentially English look and enjoys spectacular views across the valley.

The 16th-century property has a beautiful honey-colored stone exterior and a wonderfully relaxed character. Five entrances enable the family and guests to mill around in the summer and access the beautiful gardens that are such an integral part of the home.

Vintage finds, soft tones and antique furniture set the tone upon entering the home. The antique dresser and vintage chairs in the mudroom were sourced from an antiques market. The cushions are upholstered in a classic ticking stripe for a relaxed, country feel.





The welcoming kitchen, with a large farmhouse table, a traditional dresser and painted wooden cabinets, sits at the heart of the home, although it wasn’t always situated here. This was originally the sitting room, “but my dream was to have a fire in the kitchen,” says Strutt, “so we swapped the rooms over, brought in an Aga, and we now have a beautiful log-burning fire in the kitchen.”

A traditional Welsh dresser painted a soft green displays a collection of vintage crockery and sits next to the traditional cream-colored Aga for a classic country kitchen look.


A comfortable sofa upholstered in relaxed white linen is tucked in the corner of the kitchen next to the open fire, ready for the winter.

Wall paint: New White, Farrow & Ball; trim paint: Off White, Farrow & Ball


This cozy and relaxed room used to be the kitchen before it was turned into a parlor. “Having stolen the living room to turn it into the kitchen, we then had to move the sitting room next door,” Strutt explains.


The snug sitting room really comes into its own in the winter. “It’s my favorite room,” says Strutt.





A second, larger sitting room has a similarly relaxed feel, and multiple windows flood the space with light. It also shows no signs of its surprisingly rustic previous incarnation. “This room used to be a pigsty,” says Strutt, laughing, “before it was transformed into a living space.”

The room has actually been through many changes in its time. “After the pigsty it was converted into a children’s nursery, then it became the main sitting room,” says Strutt.

The sunny room is the perfect space in which to relax or work, with plenty of views of the pretty garden. Coordinating blinds and curtains in a soft, vintage-inspired print lend a distinctly English charm to the pretty room.

Wall paint: New White, Farrow & Ball; trim paint: Off White, Farrow & Ball


Fabrics designed by Strutt are used throughout the home, and all have a beautifully faded and relaxed look. As an interior decorator, Strutt was frustrated by the fabrics that were available to her 14 years ago, so she decided to make her own and, in 2000, Cabbages & Roses was born.





Strutt’s fabric designs are all inspired by the soft beauty of antique linens. “My business partner, Bridget, and I found a vintage quilt and decided to design a fabric inspired by the beautiful, washed-out, antique look,” she says. “We designed one, then we got it printed and perfected the technique of making things look old when they were new.”

A mix of antique pictures is clustered above the bed and tucked under the low, sloped ceiling.

Wall paint: Strong White, Farrow & Ball; trim paint: Old White, Farrow & Ball; eiderdown quilt: vintage


An en suite bathroom continues the country theme with a delicate rose-patterned wallpaper. It works well in this space but, Strutt advises, “put a glass splashback [backsplash] around the bath if you decide to use wallpaper in the bathroom.”

Wallpaper: Catherine Rose, Cabbages & Roses


Framed prints sourced at an antiques fair surround the bath. “I like to experiment with different looks,” says Strutt. She encourages others to be brave with design choices, reasoning that “you can always put it back if you change your mind.”


An archway full of character leads into a walk-in wardrobe, which is accessed via a little set of steps. “The space was originally an outside attic, accessed from outside the house,” says Strutt. She was curious as to what lay behind it and “started picking away from the outside in.”

When Strutt accessed the space, she discovered that it was four steps above the level of the bedroom, so the stairs were put in to link the two spaces together. The unusually shaped archway is due to the fact that there is a chimney breast to the left and the Aga chimney to the right.


A snug spare bedroom is popular with guests and has a light, cozy feel. White painted tongue and groove paneling creates a rustic look, while a cluster of small framed paintings adds a homey touch.


The garden has a quintessentially English feel that perfectly complements the 16th-century home. Tucked away are hidden gems, such as a swimming pool heated by a wood-burning stove, a shady pavilion for al fresco meals and a lofty tree house with majestic views. Strutt has also recently converted a loft above a stable on the grounds into an airbnb guest room.

Take a tour of the gardens

URL: My Houzz: Beautifully Tucked Away in Somerset http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-24951.html