THE JOURNAL
“H
ome is where loved ones are, but for me, home is also about the personal environment I create
a place that I find at once visually
stimulating and soothing. It’s a reflection of my taste, interests and experiences,“ so says Kate Stamps. The designer has shared her
1904 cottage in
Southern California with her architect husband Odom for the past three decades. The couple’s love of art and their years of travel to study English country houses have resulted in a joyfully expressive home that is packed full of delights. Lifelong Anglophiles, they are both passionate about creating emotionally resonant interiors and observing the finest points of architecture and antiques. “Arranging groups of similar things in a balanced and harmonious way can rescue a space from feeling cluttered, while
intelligent,” says Stamps. “Collections, over time, with thoughtful editing and assembly, become companions, because the way they come together makes them more than the sum of their parts. Like the books we choose, our collections are very revealing.” Charlotte and Angus Buchanan, the dynamic
couple behind Buchanan Studio, have taken a blank canvas of an Edwardian house in north west London
for myself,
and transformed it into an airy, happy home for their young family. For them, home is a “a safe retreat to inspire and nurture different states of mind,” while for interior designer Octavia Dickinson, who is currently house hunting, there are numerous requirements on her tick list. A home is ”where my children and I feel
comfortable and safe, where we play, dance,
read, create, rest, entertain, and where we make our memories,” she says. In Oxfordshire, interior designer
“HOME IS A SAFE RETREAT TO INSPIRE AND NURTURE DIFFERENT STATES OF MIND”
still keeping it personal and
Samantha Todhunter’s Queen Anne house is a weekend escape where “it’s all about family together, the dogs, walks through the fields, roaring fires, raucous long lunches around the kitchen table and great food.” Tasked with choosing a favourite room was harder
to pin down. Todhunter redesigned her house from top to toe, so she felt every little element has something to love, but she plumped for the gravitational pull of the kitchen where everyone gathers, and the cosy inviting
call of the drawing room with its family sized sofas and a fully loaded bar. Dickinson chose the informality of her bedroom with its blend of antique finds, favourite fabrics and books piled high. “I love looking out of the window on to the deer park as the sun rises or sets – it’s incredibly peaceful,” she says. Stamps picked the little studio she uses for reading, painting and drawing. “It’s situated on the second floor, nestled in the branches of an ancient carob, so it feels like a treehouse,” she comments. “The room is so saturated with the reflection of the leaves that the air shines green in the afternoon. It is the place where friends like to come and relax and chat, every spot filled, every hand holding a teacup or glass of champagne.” Although they opted for a calm, neutral palette throughout, the Buchanans’ design for
their home
revolved around unexpected, often colourful, features. The children’s bathroom, completely tiled in pink, cream and yellow is a favourite. It is the place to “catch up with our children in the evening after they get back from school, and where we have Friday night drinks together as a family! It is a joyful space that reminds us not to take life too seriously,” says Charlotte Buchanan. This sense of ease at home is reflected in the entertaining style of Cordelia de Castellane, a guest
OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Kate Stamps has created a layered, harmonious English country house feel in her Californian home. Charlotte and Angus Buchanan’s Edwardian house is a fusion of traditional and modern influences, with theatrical flourishes of colour and pattern. Dior Maison’s Cordelia de Castellane sets the table with garden flowers. Kate Stamps’ elegant dining room ABOVE: In Samantha Todhunter’s portrait-lined drawing room, Phillip Jeffries’ grasscloth lines the walls, while the fabrics include Lee Jofa’s ‘Althea’, ‘Spencer’ velvet from George Spencer Designs and ‘Panthere’ velvet by Boussac at Pierre Frey
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© Jonathan Bond Photography
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