Oxfordshire Manor House

Designed by French-Brooks Interiors

There is a generosity to this Oxfordshire house that extends beyond its proportions. Light pours through tall sash windows, mature trees frame the distant views, and every room carries the quiet assurance of a well-composed country house. Yet appearances are quietly deceptive. Behind its eighteenth-century façade lies a home built less than a decade ago, conceived in traditional Cotswold stone with a slate roof and the balanced symmetry of a Georgian manor. Its sense of permanence owes as much to the interiors as the architecture itself, with French-Brooks Interiors involved long before construction had been completed, shaping the house from the inside out.

The clients had spent years searching for an older property, drawn to the character of historic country houses but repeatedly confronted by dark interiors, awkward layouts and the inevitable compromises of listed buildings. Building anew offered an unexpected freedom: the opportunity to create a house rooted in the architectural traditions of the Cotswolds while embracing contemporary family life. Occupying the site of a former farmhouse and a cluster of dilapidated barns, the finished house feels entirely settled within its landscape.

Joining the project while the house was still under construction gave interior design studio French-Brooks Interiors the rare opportunity to shape not only the decoration, but the architecture itself. A broad corridor became a second study, a plaster arch brought rhythm to the entrance hall, and the kitchen was reimagined as a series of spaces for cooking, gathering and quiet retreat. Decorative beams animate the vaulted ceiling, while layered lighting replaced the developer's original scheme of regimented downlights, giving the house warmth from morning until evening.

"The clients were keen to avoid the soulless feeling new-build houses can sometimes have," explains Victoria Wormsley, founder and chief designer at French-Brooks Interiors. "They also wanted to honour the eighteenth-century roots of the house's architectural style without it feeling too fusty or 'reproduction'."

That balance between tradition and freshness runs quietly through every room. Family heirlooms and Old Master paintings share walls with contemporary artworks; Persian rugs soften stone floors; moments of unexpected colour interrupt otherwise classical compositions. Nothing feels contrived. Instead, the house carries the layered confidence of a home that has gradually evolved, despite having been completed only recently.

The bathrooms were approached with precisely the same philosophy. Rather than treating them as purely practical spaces, French-Brooks Interiors designed them as decorated rooms, where craftsmanship, comfort and atmosphere were every bit as important as function. Complete with bespoke cabinetry, artwork, rugs and wall lights, each was given its own distinct character, while traditional sanitaryware and brassware provide a unifying thread.

The principal bathroom is perhaps the clearest expression of that thinking. A large sash window captures uninterrupted views across the Oxfordshire countryside, and directly beneath it sits the Wye bath, positioned so the landscape becomes part of the bathing experience. An antique Persian rug introduces softness and familiarity, reinforcing the feeling that this is a room to linger in rather than simply pass through.

"The Wye bath has a simple elegance," says Victoria "Its proportions worked beautifully with the large sash window behind it, and we were able to choose the exterior colour to fit with the rest of the scheme."

If the principal bathroom is serene, the guest cloakroom embraces something altogether more theatrical. Traditional panelling enhances its lofty proportions, while a bespoke wallpaper inspired by an antique tapestry envelops the room in richly layered woodland foliage, creating what the designers describe as the feeling of stepping into an enchanted forest.

Against this decorative backdrop, the Lowther vanity provides a quiet architectural anchor. Its elegant proportions and beautifully veined marble offer a welcome counterpoint to the intricate wallpaper, allowing craftsmanship and decoration to complement one another.

"The Drummonds washstand makes a wonderfully grand statement," explains Victoria "Its beautiful veined marble provides the perfect counterpoint to the greys of the foliage in the tapestry wallpaper."

Throughout the house, decoration is always guided by proportion. Large-scale fabrics suit the generous windows, wallpaper lends intimacy to expansive rooms, and plain linens provide moments of visual calm. The result is an interior that acknowledges the formality of its architecture without ever feeling constrained by it.

It is this measured approach that makes the Drummonds pieces feel so naturally at home. Chosen not simply for their traditional forms but for the quality of their making, they lend each bathroom a sense of permanence that mirrors the architecture surrounding them. "The Drummonds range is so well designed, especially for a traditionally inspired country house," reflects Victoria "The clients wanted top-quality British-made fittings which would last."

Although newly built, this Oxfordshire manor possesses the richness and ease more often associated with houses shaped over generations. It is a reminder that character is not simply inherited through age, but created through thoughtful architecture, carefully judged decoration and craftsmanship that rewards a lifetime of use.

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