SEASON'S GREETINGS

Drawn by the elegance of this period villa, Sasha and John Kennedy have updated it to create a warm, welcoming feel

- VIVIENNE AYERS

SITTING ROOM

Patterned fabrics bring interest while warm blue walls and toning greys add depth.

Interior design by Olivine Design. Walls in Oval Room Blue estate emulsion, £47.95 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball

When Sasha and John Kennedy decided to leave London with their three young sons and make their home in the country, they were immediately taken with the substantial Georgian villa they viewed in Wiltshire. ‘There’s a sense of space but it’s also very cosy,’ says Sasha. ‘We can enjoy the large rooms while the boys are growing up and we don’t feel we’ll be rattling around in it when they’ve left home.’

Another attraction was the amazing location; the property sits on top of a hill and commands fabulous views. The couple also discovered that the house had been a hospital during the Second World War, and was then divided up into flats. Prior to Sasha and John buying it, it had become a family home once again, with a substantial renovation in the 1960s that included interior decoration by the renowned designer John Fowler.

As the interior hadn’t been updated for over half a century, Sasha and John decided to enlist the help of Taline Findlater and Victoria Gray of Olivine Design. ‘We wanted a scheme that was country yet contemporary, but we also wanted to respect the house’s heritage,’ says Sasha. ‘It needed to work with our lifestyle as a young family and we knew that considerable work was required.’