Sitting room

Hidden behind a gently curving garden wall, this Oxfordshire home is a picture of English country living. In fine weather, the sun glows all day on a tree-lined gravel drive that sweeps round the large expanse of garden to a wide-set, red-brick façade punctuated with generous windows and a fine, pillared porch. Divided into three homes, this was the view that the owners first glimpsed when they drove past, on their way to view the other part of the property.

"I saw it and thought it was amazing," says the owner, "but I said to myself ‘In your dreams’. Besides, we’d fallen in love with one of the back portions of the house, although we ended up losing out on the bidding. Then, when the front part of the property came on to the market a few months later, we jumped at the chance to buy it." An inglenook fireplace sets the scene in this golden-themed, formal sitting room.

The sofas are from George Smith and are covered in Basketweave linen in Dark Flax, and the gilded coffee table is from Andrew Martin

Chosen by Homes & Gardens

Photograph by Edina Van Der Wyck