COLOURFUL CHRISTMAS

Textile designer Vanessa Arbuthnott has created a welcoming home brimming with pattern and joyful hues, where her family enjoys celebrating the festive season together

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When Vanessa Arbuthnott's children and grandchildren arrive for Christmas, one of their first activities is foraging for armfuls of fresh foliage to decorate this inviting home that's bursting with creativity.

'My husband, Nicholas, will produce an old sheet to collect the holly and ivy, and then we're off, wandering across the fields with the family and our little whippet, Dottie,' Vanessa explains. 'On our return, it's full steam ahead as every room is dressed. Sprigs of holly are carefully placed over treasured paintings, ivy is precariously attached to both staircases in the hallway, and seasonal posies are made for every room.'

This cosy home is a far cry from the Dutch barn and ramshackle byre, roofed with rusty corrugated iron, that Vanessa first set eyes on in 1993 during a viewing with architect Nicholas. Recognising the potential of several dilapidated farm buildings, dating from 1890, on the outskirts of a quaint village in Gloucestershire, Nicholas was positive he could create a wonderful family home. However, Vanessa was less convinced. 'At that time, we had four children under the age of six, and the thought of tackling a major project on a shoestring budget wasn't overly appealing,' she recalls.