When a Canadian family based in London bought a classic Georgian rectory house in the Cotswolds as a retreat from their city lives, they turned to American-raised, but British-based, interior designer Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay. It is her uniquely international take on country-house style, looking to the legacies of American decorators Tony Duquette and Dorothy Draper (‘conversation starters that never compromised on the quality and artisanal elements of a space’), that has been key to defining this home’s exuberant look.
‘Having worked previously on the clients’ London home, I knew that they were daring and uninhibited in their decor choices,’ explains Henri. ‘And, as real Anglophiles, they saw this as the obvious next step in fulfilling their English fantasy.’
No surprises then that the six-bedroom house, laid out over three floors, is a riot of bold colour, mismatched patterns and a mix of vintage finds. There’s fringing on furniture, punchy painted borders that highlight architectural features, and ceilings are given just as much decorative thought as the walls.
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Wherever possible, Henri allowed key elements of the house to develop over the length of the project. ‘Each room is tackled in an evolutionary way,’ she says. ‘The kitchen had to hold its own with the bold look we had planned for the rest of the house but also remain practical, so we took our time finding the right elements.’
The starting point was the blue cabinetry that Henri matched in a custom colour to granito tiles from Mosaic del Sur. ‘The checkerboard pattern is traditional but the vibrant colourway gives it the contemporary pop we were after,’ she explains.
Henri’s eye for the unique is no doubt born out of her peripatetic childhood and lifestyle. ‘I have lived in the UK for 22 years but I was born in Malta, grew up in the US and have lived in the south of France, so I’m not beholden to a particular style.’ Her approach comes from a place of freedom. ‘I suppose there’s a certain irreverence to my work,’ she agrees. ‘I’m more concerned with bringing a richness to spaces than conforming to any rules.’ henrifitzwilliamlay.com
