The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Kate Hollingsworth’s elegant period home is a sumptuous setting for the festive season

- Sara Bird

Christmas is the one time of year that seasoned renovator Kate Hollingsworth downs tools. By her own admission, her house is busy all year round but, for a few days, the hustle and bustle comes to a halt and Kate is able to dress it beautifully for the festive season. ‘The house is a backdrop to photoshoots for Camperdown Lane, the interiors boutique that I run with my sisters, so it’s quite chaotic,’ she says. ‘When I do stop, it’s lovely to give the interior some attention.’

Kate is still discovering how to make the house seasonally stylish. ‘I tend to move every three to four years, but this is the biggest, boldest move I’ve made,’ she says. ‘Our first winter here was cold and damp, and I was beginning to wonder what I had done. Repairing a leaky roof, an ancient boiler and extensive damp used more of my budget than planned and really slowed the work.’ Luckily, Kate has a trusty team of pros to call on – tradespeople who have worked on her previous house projects with her.

The house had been carved up into seven bedsits at some point in the past and, once it had been reinstated to a single dwelling, there was a number of telltale signs, such as sliced coving and gnarled floorboards, that needed rectifying.