THE STORIES WE TELL

Your home should be a repository of fond memories and good times, believes the designer of this relaxed country house

- Natasha Radmehr

Even if you don’t know her by name, you will recognise the work of interior designer Susie Atkinson. Perhaps you’ve even seen it up close. She’s the founder of London-based Studio Atkinson and is the tastemaker responsible for the inimitable interiors of several Soho House projects. There’s Soho House Berlin, a Bauhaus building in which vintage pieces and Dorothy Draper-inspired glamour soften an industrial edge; Dean Street Townhouse, the London hotel with a chic but eclectic vibe; Babington House, where even the A-list guests can’t detract from the hand-painted wallpapers and velvet sofas. You get the idea: if it’s buzzy and hip, Susie’s behind it (and yes, she’s designed some celeb homes too).

But while her fingerprints are all over some of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, it was the peace and quiet that drew the designer to her family home in a sleepy Hampshire hamlet twenty-three years ago. “It had a beautiful water meadow leading to a stretch of river, where wild garlic was growing along the riverbank,” she recalls. “I love gardens and gardening, so the location really appealed.”