'I opened the door and saw woodchip wallpaper and nicotine-stained ceilings everywhere!'

Unless you are looking for a renovation challenge, it is unlikely you would have given this run-down 17th-century pub a second glance. For Alastair Humphries, however, it was perfect.

He and his partner Carlo had been about to relocate to the US, but a change of plan saw them house-hunting in Dorset, and there were two large factors to take into account in their search: their Weimaraners Guthrie and Billy. ‘We wanted to rent somewhere before buying but we couldn’t find anywhere that allowed two big dogs,’ says Alastair. ‘Then we heard about the old coaching inn in Shaftesbury.’

Last orders had been called for the final time some three years previously, and the town’s oldest pub had stood empty since then. ‘The landlord didn’t mind about the dogs and said we’d be welcome to take a look, but warned us it was in a real state,’ says Alastair.

‘I opened the door and saw woodchip wallpaper and nicotine-stained ceilings everywhere, and the walls were an assortment of neon colours, oranges and purples. But instead of being put off I was actually quite inspired to get renovating.’

An interior designer, Alastair knew the old pub could make a special home. But it was going to take a lot of work. ‘I told the landlord, if I’m going to spend all this time and effort turning it into a cosy place for us, I want a long lease,’ says Alastair. So, with its long-term let agreed, the transformation could begin.

Living room transformation

Starting in the main living space – which had been the pub’s snooker room – Alastair set to work pulling off the woodchip and was delighted to find original features beneath it.

He uncovered and reinstated window seats and the fireplace, chipping off plaster to expose the old brickwork surround before adding a wood-burning stove with a simple mantel above.

He used tongue and groove wall-panelling to cover the dreary stonework, painting it a warm-white shade.

‘With a property like this, where there is a lot to do and it all feels a bit overwhelming, it’s good to start decorating with neutral wall paint and carpets before adding in more decorative elements,’ Alistair says. ‘I knew it would look good in the end.'

Once he was happy with the bones of the main living-dining space he began curating the furniture and furnishings. Two second-hand sofas were reupholstered and set in front of the fireplace, creating the perfect country living room.

Freestanding kitchen design

The pub’s old catering kitchen held instant appeal for Alastair, a former restaurateur who designed and kitted out his own four restaurants from scratch.

‘It was so spacious and since I’m not a fan of fitted kitchens I liked the fact that there was scope for me to bring in freestanding elements to supplement the existing cabinets,’ he says.

In his freestanding kitchen design, an old butcher’s block top made the perfect bespoke centrepiece, ‘a nod to an island, but more rustic,’ Alistair explains. A local blacksmith made a framework to support it, and a carpenter built the slatted lower shelf.

Alistair’s mix of vintage cupboards and dressers – including an old metal mechanic's trolley and an American cupboard once used for cooling pies – lend French farmhouse style to the kitchen and provide additional storage for kitchenware. He continues to add extra pieces whenever something catches his eye.

The wall is painted in Blue Verditer by Little Greene.

The former pub’s back kitchen has been transformed into Alastair’s practical, but beautiful, utility room. Cupboard curtains in a traditional blue and white ticking fabric from Ian Mankin conceal the white goods under the countertop. The sink surround provides display space for Alastair’s collection of vintage kitchenalia.

Bold colour choices

With its dark green walls – Edward Bulmer’s Fine Green shade – the study at the back of the house resembles an old manor house library.

The curtains are old Liberty curtains, trimmed in green damask, and a vintage wing-back armchair has been reupholstered in Irish tweed.

English country house style

If there is a rustic French look downstairs, upstairs Alastair draws inspiration from a more traditional English country house style. Heavier floral prints, iron bedsteads and handsome bedside tables set the tone in the bedrooms.

Alastair chose a bedroom wallpaper by Lucie Annabel – Tulip Garden in Sweet Pink and Olive – to create a feature wall behind the bed in the guest bedroom.

He found the cast-iron bedstead at a brocante in Brittany. The paisley bedspread is from Cologne & Cotton.

The sun always shines in the cheery main bedroom with its windows on two sides and dusty-yellow walls in Hay by Farrow & Ball. Alastair picked out a deep pink toile de Jouy or the curtains and an antique Turkish rug adds more pattern. Displayed on the window seat is a taxidermy duck found at Ardingly Antiques Fair.

Bathroom refit

Alastair enjoys adding unexpected twists to traditional style. While the bathroom was refitted with classic white fixtures and tiles, softened by a roman blind, a green metal locker gives a hint of industrial style.

He succeeded in breathing new life into empty rooms, giving this historic property a new chapter as a characterful home.