Pond Cottage is on an estate designed as a retreat for visiting artists and creatives. Designer Christian Bense selected five paint colours per room (!!!!!) ensuring the rooms felt full of personality and layered. He wanted the home to have all of the charm of a quintessential country house but without the chintz. What does he have against chintz? 😉 It’s a beautiful home regardless and I’m obsessed with the colour palette. Photos: Paul Whitbread.

Yavington Cottage, Max’s own home in the Hampshire countryside, is a masterclass in creating a Max Rollitt interior on a more modest scale. Unlike most of the projects featured here, the cottage isn’t the work of the Max Rollitt interiors team, but a collaborative effort between Max and his wife Jane, with signature touches like thoughtfully chosen antiques and unexpected layering of colour creating an interior that’s rich, comfortable and deeply personal.
Patterns, layers, unexpected colour combinations, antique textiles (the bed canopy is 18th century) and furnishings mixed with rustic pieces…it is eclectic and unique and full of life. This home is everything. Photos: Chris Horwood.

Heidi Caillier tackled the design of this Seattle home that had mid-century bones with a few Colonial touches, but it lacked a clear identity. With little architectural detailing—and limited opportunities to add or modify it without significant cost—it needed another way to feel engaging and beautiful. She introduced contemporary shapes and patterns that complemented the existing structure, creating character without altering its framework. Adding detail to the walls, particularly in the kitchen with handmade custom tiles, was a trick she used to distract from the low ceilings. Brilliant! Photos: Haris Kenjar.