Step inside this converted barn, with statement lighting, bold artwork and strong colour

As an interior designer, the owner found decorating her own home relatively easy. 'I already had a lot of art and furniture so I was designing around that,' she says. 'While I did have budget constraints, I worked in the same way I would with a client. I created moodboards and drew up room plans but, as I did not want things to be perfect, I was easier to please than most of my clients.'

When she first moved in, there was a bit of an issue with the layout. 'There was always going to be one room that people would need to walk through so I decided to make this an open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting room. Structurally, we did not knock down many walls but we did convert the garage into a suite of guest rooms, complete with its own boiler. This means we can shut that wing off when no one is staying.'

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Exterior

Seating area

The owner's paintings, bought years before the family moved in, dictated the colour scheme for the open-plan sitting-kitchen-dining room.

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A mix of cushions in a variety of fabrics and textures creates an air of comfort.

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Dining area

The owner bought a set of hardwood dining chairs for this space and sprayed the frames a pale hue, to match the walls. She used a bright striped fabric that picks up on the blue and green of the paintings in the seating area.

An oversized pendant highlights the original beams.

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Kitchen

The kitchen island incorporates plenty of storage, freeing up the walls for the owner to display artwork and accessories.

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Entrance hall

The owner is proud of her brave choice of strong blue for this space, which creates an ideal backdrop to display favourite pieces.

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Main bedroom

Despite opting for a more neutral palette in the bedroom, the owner has curated a diverse collection of artwork so that the space retains a strong personality.

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Bathroom

Having played it safe with the scheme in her bedroom, the owner chose a daring wallpaper for the bathroom, uniting the two rooms with shades of yellow.

The mirrored tiles around the bathtub were inspired by a client project the owner had carried out ten years earlier.

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Buy now: Balfour Wallpaper, £65 a metre, Christopher Farr Cloth

Son's bedroom

With the colours of the British and American flags as inspiration, this room has a relaxed charm.

Son's study

The owner took advantage of the narrow anteroom adjoining her son’s bedroom to create his own den. 'I like to think about future needs when designing rooms for children.'

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Daughter's bedroom

'My daughter came to the office and worked on her bedroom as a designer. What she did is not what I would have done, but I am not going to press my ideas on her just because of my profession.'

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Guest bedroom

The owner’s love of texture makes this a perfectly crafted and welcoming space.