Made with LOVE

The appeal of antiques goes far beyond the physical for interior designer Sarah Reynolds, and she has filled her home with intriguing pieces that have an emotional connection

- KATIE PIKE

For most, a love of antiques is instilled during childhood, passed on from a parent or favourite relative. Antiques bring with them a sense of nostalgia either for the onlooker's own childhood, or for a time long in the past, never experienced and only imagined. For interior designer Sarah Reynolds, who treasures items owned by her family, it's a bit of both.

Growing up, she says, she was old before her time. As a child, I liked visiting stately homes and loved watching Upstairs, Downstairs. The behindthe-scenes aspect of grand houses fascinated me.' So deep-rooted was her curiosity that, when she was eight, she had a recurring dream that she could fly- and with this superpower she would go and nose around stately homes. 'I'm interested in how other people live, past and present. When I was little, we had a neighbour who I thought was the most glamorous person in the world. She had one of the JH Lynch Tina prints, which I now have in my kitchen and, on reflection, her home was actually quite kitschy,' she says. 'I take inspiration from everywhere."

It's fitting that Sarah's home now, a Victorian house in Derby, which she shares with husband Mike and their two children, Betty (10) and Arthur (16), is the type to illicit this same admiration. Over the past 18 years, the couple have fully renovated their home and filled it with colour, pattern and intriguing finds - all of which are key to Sarah's characterful design style and her flair for combining all three is evident in each room.