Sarah Bailey showcases her passion for Interior Design by blending the best features of a historic Georgian property with modern style and comforts to create a stunning family home.
Finding the right house in the perfect location is all about timing, as
Sarah Bailey discovered in the summer of 2015, when a local agent found her the
perfect centrally based property in the city. This historic building,
formerly used as offices and in a neglected state , was in the process of being
renovated. Sarah could see past the building site and her interest sparked.
Drawn to the classical Georgian architecture, with its elegant facade and stylish
symmetrical simplicity. ‘I fell in love with this house
immediately,’ says Sarah, ‘particularly the long sweep of the entrance hallway
leading to a beautiful, staircase with its winding handrail and light flooding
down into the whole house through a light well. The rooms were spacious and
well proportioned with original features and ample off street parking. With the
location, space, garden and parking boxes ticked, Sarah could see the potential
and once restored, she could lovingly create/turn it into a stunning family
home to share with her two daughters, Morgan and Freya.
It felt like a lifetime waiting for the sale to complete and they moved in ten days before Christmas! Sarah hadn’t even made a start on her Christmas shopping as she wanted the move to be as light as possible. ‘It was all hands on deck buying and wrapping presents, creating a cosy family home to host dinner for twenty five on Christmas Day.’ The exciting vision of her beautiful Georgian home complete with 3 huge Christmas trees became a reality.
Sarah, runs her own interior design
business in Bristol. Her creative flair and passion for beautiful furniture and
furnishings is evident throughout her home. She has
effectively blended the property’s classical style influences with relaxed and
cosy living areas. It works well as a transitional space between the grand Palladian facade and the stunning
interior which showcases Sarah’s passion for Interior Design.
Sarah, runs her own interior design
business in Bristol. Her creative flair and passion f
From the outset, Sarah’s financial
constraints were her biggest frustration but she is a great believer that with
patience, imagination and creativity you can transform anything within reason
and budget. ‘ I am a perfectionist and wanted to create a perfect home,’ says
Sarah, ‘this is a very large, 4 storey home and needed a lot of furniture to
make it feel complete and homely.’
The large drawing
room is has two zones, a relaxing one with the fireplace has the focal point
and a dining area with a large extendable table seating. Sarah has
reupholstered her chateau style dining chairs using brightly colored damask
material. This adds a stunning pop of colour and compliments/blends in with the
walls. Sarah chose a floral damask wallpaper from the Anna French, Seraphina
collection inspired by a English gardener for the dining and drawing room.
‘The rooms are large and we got through a lot of wallpaper!’ says Sarah,
‘I wanted to wallpaper all the walls rather than just a feature wall and this
subtle, floral design doesn’t overpower the rooms. The soft yellow colour in
the drawing room is a perfect compliment to the wooden floors. Readapting the rooms started with the
kitchen which was in a country kitchen style. She personalized the oak cupboards by painting
them pale grey and replaced the small dark handles with large silver knob
handles. To create a contemporary sophisticated look a white stone
worktop replaced the busy worktop. Sarah created a breakfast bar by replacing
the original worktop on the island with an oversized one. The overhang now accommodates seating for up
to six people and the industrial stainless steel stools add a touch of urban
chic to the room. The floor was initially painted in the same dramatic dark
colour as the master bedroom but Sarah found it quite dark. ‘It’s at the bottom
of the house and doesn’t get any direct sunlight, so I repainted the floor
boards to a bright white and this transformed the space making it feel really
light and airy,’ says Sarah
Choosing the right
lighting transforms the mood and ambience of a room and Sarah’s love of grand
chandeliers with a modern twist enhance each room. She is also a big fan of
using feature mirrors wherever possible to create more light. She had to wait
nearly a year for the stair runner but luckily her friends at Tailored Flooring
made her an offer on her beautiful stair runner that she couldn’t refuse. It
was the final touch to making the house feel really homely. ‘The look is very
much about light, colour and texture,’ say Sarah
‘I have been involved
in property all my life but this property was a real aspirational buy me,’ says
Sarah, ‘ We are blessed living in a such a grand and beautiful historic house.’
Now lovingly restored into a warm and cosy home, makes her and her family
now think of it as any normal home.'
Captions:
Kitchen: Sarah has
personalised the traditional kitchen by painting the cupboards and adding
polished chrome round knobs and cup handles for a more contemporary look. The kitchen is
from Neptune range and painted in Dry Barley £66 for 5 Litres Conran, Terrano
Adjustable Stool £219 SJP Interiors
Breakfast Room: Large, elegant, glass Chandeliers can totally transform a room, a classic choice making a big impression and compliment the period features of this room. Wallpaper is from the Seraphina Collection, Verey - Grey, £52 per roll. Anna French. The Mariah 14 arm black glass Chandelier, £795 Alexander & Pearl, is similar. Elm Parquet Top Round Dining Table , £1418, Bedsite is similar.
Drawing room: Sarah has chosen yellow which compliments the touches of grey in this
spacious light filled room. The wall paper from the Seraphina Collection, Verey- Citron £52 per roll
Anna French. Bespoke sofas from Andrew Martin
Guest Bedroom: Sarah has used
antique pine furniture and some contemporary pieces to create the perfect blend
of old and new. Original King Size Vintage Sleigh Bed, £895, French
Finds Lts are similar, Chateau armchair £399 SJP Interiors. Scatter Cushions,
from £25, John Lewis
Master BedroomThe floorboards, skirting and fireplace have been painted in a deep hue to contrast the pale grey walls for a dramatic effect. Floor painted in Studio Green £110 per 5 Litres and the walls Dry Barley, £66 per 5 Litres, Conran. Super King Button Bed, £959, SJP Interiors. Mimi Bedside Table, £225, Loaf is similar
Bathroom: The freestanding
Tub adds a luxurious touch, while the marble tiles are practical and durable or
The Freestanding tub offers a bath with view perfectly positioned next to large
Georgian sash windows. Landmark Bath in Gun Metal Grey, £2499, Bathstore.
Walls are painted in Purbeck Stone, £78 for 5 Litres, Farrow & Ball.
Stockists
- SJP Interior Design 0117 973 0880 sjpinteriordesign.co.uk
- Conran paints 0344 848 4000
conranshop.co.uk
- Anna French 0207 737 6555 thibautdesign.com
- Andrew Martin 0207 225 5100 andrewmartin.co.uk
- Neptune Neptune.com
- Tailored flooring 0117 973 3393 tailoredflooring.co.uk
- Alexander & Pearl 0208 508 0411 alexanderandpearl.co.uk
- Bathstore 0330 053 5661 bathstore.com
- Bedsite 0161 639 0994 bedsite.co.uk
- Wayfair 0800 1690423 wayfair.co.uk
- Farrow & Ball 01202 876141
farrow-ball.com
- John Lewis 0345 604 9049 johnlewis.com
- Frenchfinds 01270 842445
frenchfinds.co.uk
Words and Photos by Jo Sheldrake for 25 Beautiful Homes Magazine 2018
