Artist and interior designer Joshua Hale welcomes _House & Garden_ into his tiny rented cottage, nestled in the Cotswolds. Joshua gives us a tour of his freshly decorated Oxfordshire cottage, having tackled the project on a tight budget and within a two-week timescale.
“It is definitely opposite to the general Cotswold look,” admits Hale as he sits in his cosy yet colour-filled sitting room, with walls adorned in ‘Light Bronze Green’ by _Little Greene._ Watch the full episode of Design Notes and tour the rest of Joshua Hale’s jewel box of enchanting colours.
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– Slightly more glamorous
than a normal country cottage and is definitely opposite
to the general Cotswold look. [bright music] My name is Joshua Hale, I’m an
interior designer and artist. We’re currently sitting in my cottage, which is part of Ham Court in Bampton. It’s owned by Matthew Rice and it’s a beautiful
11th century gatehouse that was once a castle. My cottage isn’t quite as fancy and it’s just a little
tiny worker’s cottage, but it’s been fun being able
to put my own stamp on it. I took it as an opportunity
to no longer live inside a white box, so I wanted
every single room to connect with each other, but be an
explosion of color and comfort. I got into decorating
when I met Emma Burns, managing director of Sibyl
Colefax over a glass of rosé. I had possibly the best job
interview I had ever had, and she took me under her wing. Having a limited budget for this project was a
great opportunity for me to be creative. It pushed me to make
cost saving decisions. One example here is that I would love to have Dutch tapestry wallpaper, but that was not in the question, so I painted the trees myself. I only ever sit in this
room in the evening, so I had no problem
whatsoever with going dark. I chose to paint the walls
in a bronze green color. When I first moved in, there
was a vent in this wall. Buying and installing this open fireplace was the most important
change I think I’ve made in this house. The tiles that I designed with Matthew, which we had made in Stoke on Trent and above it are three
of my favorite things. They’re paper cuttings by Roger Banks-Pye. I am obsessed with Menorca. I’ve been there many times and I absolutely adore the island. The painting behind me is
inspired by their fiestas that they have in September time. It’s all in the main squares
and they have rutting horses and people are mad enough to
get up and underneath them. One of my great passions
is collecting ceramics or pottery from all over the world. I love the pottery from Sifnos. I love my Sicilian head. Down by the fireplace I’ve
got my little guard dog, Oat Cake, that made her way
down from Stoke on Trent, and it’s one of the old Bridgewater shapes that’s sadly not made anymore. [bright guitar music]
[door squeaks] Decorating a client’s or my own bedroom I
think is the hardest room to decorate in your house. It’s incredibly personal, so
you really have to think about how you use the space. I have stuck to the dark color scheme. I have painted all of
the walls in London clay, which is my favorite Farrow & Ball color. The main painting above
my bed I found in a skip. It’s one of my favorite skip finds. The painting behind me was
the last painting I did when I was still at university. I based it on my idea
of rush hour in Venice, and I think it’s so full of color that it worked perfectly
on the dark background. This is a good example
of high and low spending. This is a good chair
that I bought at auction, which is covered in Fortuny, and this is another
decent piece of furniture from a very different auction house that was 75 pounds. The painting’s one of mine. I describe this as a perfect example of post-honeymoon period.
[breathing heavily] [bright guitar music] My friends and family
thought I was absolutely mad when I wallpapered my bathroom, but I think it’s actually
my favorite splurge of the entire house. It’s leopard stripe by Sybil
Colefax and John Fowler. It gives so much character,
it gives so much look, and I think everyone should do it. I love the two lights
in here on the walls. They frame what is actually
quite a small mirror well, they fill the space and they were a bargain from Jim Lawrence. I would’ve loved to have
put stone in this bathroom, but I couldn’t afford it. So instead you have my
Italian Palazzo Terrazzo but it’s actually lino that’s
19 pounds a square meter. One of the great lessons
I learned from Emma Burns was to decorate a bathroom. It shouldn’t just be a kind
of hotel or clinical space. My beautiful chair that
sits next to my bath is not only handy for a
drink or your clothes, but it’s absolutely beautiful and came from a Sybil
Colefax and John Fowler sale. [bright guitar music] I wanted my guest bedroom to feel special. My friends would come down for the weekend and I feel like even
though the room’s small, it should have still been
a lovely place for them to down tools and chill for the weekend. This is my box bed. It’s squeezed in. It’s a little single. The lining is all Ikea, but the curtains and valance
and pelmet are Pierre Three. I took my scissors to the pelmet and followed that lattice design, giving this deckled edge finish. The watercolor painting in this
bedroom is by Matthew Rice. It’s my favorite way that he paints, and that’s without any pencil or pen line. It’s just a process of
pulling washes of watercolor across the paper and slowly building up the painting. I hope that when my friends
come to stay for the weekend, they enjoy this little
space that I’ve created and that it feels more
than just a little room at the back of my cottage room. [bright guitar music] I love to cook and I
use this space I think most of all in the house. I love this color called
Wet Sand by Farrow & Ball. I prefer a kitchen that
has pictures on the walls. Above the cooker’s a painting that I did. It’s based on a trattoria
that I love in Rome. It kind of captures the general hustle and bustle of a proper
home-run Roman kitchen. My dresser has Staffordshire
pottery that I love. It’s got my favorite pottery, which is Royal Crown Derby Unfinished. It’s the Imari pattern before all of the wild gilding is applied. It’s a country kitchen and this
is definitely far too grand a piece of furniture for it, but I think I’d just
about get away with it. [bright guitar music] When I moved in, Matthew
had a pew leftover from where he used to have a big barn where he did his entertaining. We had a local craftsman
cut the bench down and fits quite neatly into
this little alcove space. This came from my mom’s house. I used to do school prep at this table and it’s been with me
for quite a long time and I still work at it today. The snakes were a late night
impulse after a glass of wine, and I’m very glad that I did it. The lobster is one of
my favorite purchases. It came from Lisbon where I was traveling. It’s a beautiful pottery shop
right in the middle of town. I believe it was cast by
about 15 individual pieces by a guy who is now
reaching his late eighties. When entertaining, this mini bar-come-pantry
cupboard is my secret weapon. I think everybody needs a place
to dump things out of sight, and this doubles up absolutely perfectly as well as keeping all nice
bottles of white wine chilled. [gentle music]
[birds twittering] I designed and planted the garden myself. When I moved in, there was a driveway that went straight through
the middle of the garden right up to the back door where the previous tenants
would park their car. Now it’s borders and
walkways through my garden. [gentle guitar music] When I come home here after a day of work or from being away, it’s nice to walk into a
home that feels like home. I know that it’s just a rental, but when you walk in,
it does feel like me. [bright guitar music]
45 Comments
Lovely and inspiring! Thank you for sharing your cottage.⚜️
Delightful! ❤
Absolutely gorgeous home. So many great ideas too.
The pendant light in the staircase!😮😍
This beautiful home is perfection ❤
What a lovely lovely chap
lovely touches. your paintings are very unique.
Your home is “a diamond in the rough”.
Redefining the adage: the diamond is the gorgeous, inviting, filled with color interior, while the rough is the incredible stone exterior.
Truly enjoyed the tour of your cottage home.
I have never loved a house tour more!! I love everything, and I really mean everything about this home. I love that the owner has a ‘real’ budget, like so many of us do and where he’s found really unique and great solutions to getting a look he loves. The linoleum floor in the bathroom is a fine example of that. I also love, love, love his art piece based on Majorca, I think he said. If I could take this cottage, I wouldn’t change a thing, including the linoleum!! 👏
I respect rich people who aren’t above pulling stuff out of dumpsters if they like it. That’s real artist, not status-seeking behavior.
Beautiful home & so much love & character..
To sneak in this cottage must be beautiful. So cozy, so creative. Thank you for showing it.
Stunning taste ❤
Love it! Well done!
Mr Hale’s home is a complete and utter joy. It’s also achievable price wise even if I don’t have his eye/talent.
Not nice at all. Very boring nothing is colourful it’s dark and gloomy
A wonderful place, filled with love.
so nice and warm..
Lovely house and beautifully decorated. So cosy and homely…love!
Beautiful in every way. That you for sharing it with us. ❤
Just beautiful! All the mix of colours and designs are stunning and full of character.
Adorable!! I was just away from home for over a month and when I returned I was so happy to see MY house with all its flaws and delights; and I am sure that he feels the same way.
I enjoy the emphasis your magazine and YouTube channel focuses on the idea of deep dwelling.
very nice view
💙💚
London Clay.. what an amazing colour. I shall be painting my panelled bedroom.
OMG, where is that Dolly Parton plate from?!? I NEED it in my life!
Love the cottage! It's so cosy and fun. The color scheme is unusual and to me everything seems very personal.
Please post more videos
What a wonderful insight into Joshua’s life. Love what he has done to his home. Great video. Thankyou
Splendid house and exquisitely decorated. It’s refreshing to see someone using imagination to produce something without breaking the bank. Well done, Sir.
What a beautiful home I love your unique style ❤
OMG! He is absolutely fabulous… amazing talent and style!
Just beautiful. Thank you! It was a delight to watch.
Those trees painted on the walls. Fantastic.
Beautiful and unique.😍
I really think that without Joshua's vibrant, expressive paintings and confident use of colourful drapery, this cottage would have been a (yes still beautiful but…) ho-hum home. It's that personal touch that makes the difference! He is a very skilled painter and the juxtaposition of the antique pieces against his modern art works superbly!
I've always thought every room in your home 🏡 should be well decorated even the laundry and loo 🚻 …with ❤ from Australia 🇦🇺
Some brilliant ideas.
Absolutely beautiful! Well done! ❤
Finally, someone seemingly relatable. However, please get rid of the snakes if I am to come to dinner. Corals to booth!
Charming, fun and cosy. The artwork is just wonderful.
Just simply perfect !
What an adorable cottage & garden. I love everything about it but that lobster is so awesome now I want one.
I never realised Bampton was in the Cotswolds.
I love the bathroom wallpaper but in Canada its very expensive and not much common or popular. Recently I found some vintage walllpaper rolls for cheap it will go onto my staircase space on the right and left wall.