A farmhouse in the Windrush Valley with elegant modern country interiors
When house hunting, the chance of finding the perfect aesthetic fit can be about a million to one. But when the photographer Joanna Vestey and her husband Steve Brooks, a new technologies investor and explorer, decided to move out of London four years ago, they hit the jackpot with this converted farm and outbuildings situated in Oxfordshire's Windrush Valley.
The previous owners, Georgie and Mark Rowse, have a track record for renovating interesting properties. 'We were incredibly lucky,' explains Jo. 'They have an eye for magical places and an ability to renovate them in a way that enhances them. They'd done this place beautifully, with chimneypieces sourced from Belgium and doors found in France - and even Michael Caine's old loo bought at auction,' she says, laughing as she points out the mahogany thunderbox. 'The house was a beautiful blank canvas to which we've been able to add our own mark as the new custodians.'
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With a perfect set of bones already in place - limed walls, oak floors, marble basins - Jo and Steve addressed various factors to make this secluded cluster of higgledy piggledy barns and courtyard gardens work as a base for them and their children - Jago, 12, and Chloe, nine - along with their fluffy, black, working cocker spaniel, Luke.
The eco-sensitive couple immediately installed a ground-source heating system in the garden and had heat-conserving and art-protecting UV film stuck on the huge barn windows, which look out onto an Italianate courtyard garden filled with wildflowers. And - in what must be a Cotswolds first - they removed the Aga from the kitchen, replacing it with a regular range cooker. 'I didn't want something pumping heat out night and day while we were beginning to look at eco heating systems,' explains Jo.
They filled the house with a mix of old and new furniture and accessories: mid-century design icons; lights from Valerie Wade; a massive clock from a town square in Paris; the top of an old French wine table that hangs above the sitting room chimneypiece instead of a mirror. There are loose-covered sofas, comfortable armchairs and linen curtains in the same sandy colour as the walls, set into the window recesses. 'You don't notice the curtains,' says Jo. 'I think that's how it should be, rather than having big, pouffey ones.'
Hanging on the walls alongside Jo's own work is a very impressive collection of photographs that have been accrued by the couple over the past 20 years. 'We have quite a few big ones and it can be hard finding the wall space to hang them in many houses,' says Jo. 'So having a barn conversion is brilliant.' The limed-plaster and painted walls throughout the house are covered with an eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary images.
Reflecting the family's love of travel and adventure are a hundred-year-old taxidermy giraffe bought from Christie's, which stands apparently gently grazing in the sitting room, and a patchwork armchair from Bokja in Beirut. Linking the hall to the dining room is an aviation-themed wall - a nod to Steve's skills as a helicopter pilot - with black and white photographs by Shomei Tomatsu and Norman Parkinson. Among other trips, the intrepid duo spent their honeymoon flying from Alaska to Chile, before Jo returned to London, pregnant with their son. Meanwhile Steve continued to fly, but crashed 35 miles off the coast of Antarctica when his chopper's engine failed. 'Oh yes, the crash into the sea,' says Jo, merrily. 'It's funny that when something serious happens, you go into "just deal with it" mode. There isn't time to panic.
'This is where we all sit,' she says, walking across the limestone floor in the kitchen. 'It doesn't matter how much space you've got, we all end up on top of each other - like puppies in a basket.' Beyond and into Jo's office, which has space for the children to do homework, she pounces upon a brown paper parcel and unwraps it with urgency. 'It's my new book,' she says proudly of the hardback photography book entitled Custodians. 'It's about permanent buildings in Oxford and the more transient individuals within, and whether one dwarfs the other.' She spends a chunk of each week living in Oxford, where her children are at school, and one day a week at the University of South Wales in Newport, taking an MA in photography. 'This is actually my fifth book, but to me it feels like my first proper book - tipping into being more of an artist than a working photographer.'
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Walking through the wildflower garden, Jo opens the door to a dovecote that has recently been transformed into her studio: a monastic white space with a simple white desk and one light. It is on this and various other outbuildings that the duo have made their very own imprint. A lean-to is now an open-air dining room with a fire and grill at one end, a homage to the couple's time spent in Uruguay. 'Even when it's pouring with rain in the winter, we have lunches out here,' says Jo. The next barn along is a games room for the children, with table football and noisy drum kits kept well out of earshot. A further barn has been converted to house Steve's workspace, which, she explains, is currently out of bounds: 'He has a bunch of people from Slovakia working here at the moment, trying to find a breakthrough in free energy. We quite often have people to stay. I wanted a space that was home, but was inspirational as a gallery and for workshops like Steve's energy projects.'
However, it was the size of a dilapidated cowshed that proved most fortuitous in a long line of luck for Jo and Steve. 'We wanted somewhere with a pool, and when we first visited the house and saw this derelict barn, we both noticed that it was long enough to swim a lap,' says Jo, pushing a button to remove the swimming-pool cover. 'It's completely heavenly and we swim nearly every day. Even the grandparents get in on Christmas Day.' They really have won the property lottery.
Michael Sinclair1/11The pretty exterior of the farmhouse.
Michael Sinclair2/11The dining room has a stone chimneypiece sourced in Belgium. The room is decorated simply, with Hans J Wegner's 'Wishbone' chairs from Skandium around the oak table, which is 'Paradou' by am designs.
Michael Sinclair4/11In the sitting room, the top of an old French wine table hangs over the chimneypiece, between two dark scaffolding poles, echoing the wooden beams above. The armchairs towards the back of the room are 'Mark' club chairs from am designs, upholstered in their Belgian linen. In the foreground is a lamp made from an antique Chinese vase from the Han period atop an antique French console, both sourced from am designs.
Michael Sinclair5/11In the kitchen, a stool from Alfie's Antique Market contrasts with the white units. The lamp above the dining table adds to the clean look of the room. Similar lighting can be found from Old School Electric.
Michael Sinclair6/11A once-dilapidated cowshed now houses a 17-metre-long pool.
Michael Sinclair7/11The main bathroom has a bath with floor-standing taps, which was found in France. A black counter top offers a bold touch to the mostly white room.
8/11A chestnut chaise longue adds sophistication to the kids' bedroom, alongside a colourful and playful 'LOVE' handmade wool wallhanging by Paul Smith.
9/11With a perfect set of bones already in place - limed walls, oak floors, marble basins - Jo and Steve addressed various factors to make this secluded cluster of higgledy piggledy barns and courtyard gardens work as a base for them and their children - Jago, 12, and Chloe, nine - along with their fluffy, black, working cocker spaniel, Luke.
Michael Sinclair10/11Stairs lead from the dressing room down into the main bedroom, which has Jo's photographs on display and a Japanese light on the desk.
11/11Beyond and into Jo's office, which has space for the children to do homework, she pounces upon a brown paper parcel and unwraps it with urgency. 'It's my new book,' she says proudly of the hardback photography book entitled Custodians*. 'It's about permanent buildings in Oxford and the more transient individuals within, and whether one dwarfs the other.'*
