ON THE COVER IN FULL COLOUR Bold shades and striking patterns inject character into a Cheshire new-build

IN FULL COLOUR

Bold shades and striking patterns have given this family’s new-build plenty of charm and character

HOME PROFILE

WHO LIVES HERE Ruth Mottershead, creative director of Little Greene (littlegreene.com) and Paint & Paper Library (paintandpaperlibrary.com), her husband James Watson, managing director of Surface Print and 1838 Wallcoverings (1838wallcoverings.com), their daughter Ivy and dog Bonnie THE PROPERTY A four-bed new-build made from Cheshire brick near Altrincham in Cheshire

LIVING ROOM

Opposite Ruth gets cosy on a Sofa Workshop footstool with Ivy HALLWAY

Paint & Paper Library’s Blue Blood was used on the banister and walls. An Ikea cabinet is painted in Little Greene’s Tea With Florence

uth Mottershead and her husband James found their house – part of a small development built in 2017 on the site of a former farmhouse – via a family friend. After looking at more than 20 properties, the couple knew this was a fantastic opportunity, being something they could move into straight away and decorate to their taste. Manchester is nearby and there are fantastic views of farmland. Having lived in the city centre for several years, the couple hankered after a space where they could relax. ‘This house is a haven for us, ’ says Ruth. ‘It’ s always peaceful and feels restorative; a great place to escape from our busy work lives. ’

Made from Cheshire brick with solid stone windowsills, the building was immediately a hit with Ruth. She also loves its garden and private location offering stunning views of the surrounding countryside. As the couple bought the house off-plan, they were able to make a few design changes, such as the tiles and flooring, giving them the opportunity to put their stamp on it early on.

‘We both work in colour and pattern, ’ explains Ruth, ‘ and knew we wanted to introduce both into the space by using a clever mix of wallpaper and paint. ’ They were keen to create a contemporary yet comfortable place; a home that would work for them both. ‘We also made sure to incorporate our many treasured objects and photographs collected over the years, ’ adds Ruth. The result is a modern home oozing with character.

One of the main challenges for the couple was to create more storage space. ‘There ’ s no garage and just a tiny loft, so we had to look for alternative options, ’ says Ruth. They solved the problem by fitting bespoke cupboards under the stairs and floor-to-ceiling Sharps wardrobes in the bedrooms. For daughter Ivy ’ s room, they chose freestanding units from The White Company.

The other critical requirement was to add character to this new-build, and the couple have done this mainly by incorporating colour and pattern. In the sitting room, for example, Ruth made a feature of the space by painting the wall up to picture rail height in a bold but muted green, with a soft pink above and up to the ceiling.

Over time, the house has evolved and it continues to do so, especially since the birth of Ivy. Recently, an area has been adapted for home working – Ruth has created a space in her bedroom for a desk and the kitchen table doubles up as a work zone where she can spread out her colour charts and paperwork. ‘Everything is multipurpose, ’ she says.

As the kitchen is an L-shape and there were numerous things to take into consideration, it created a design challenge.

LIVING ROOM

The reupholstered sofa was inherited from Ruth’s lamp is from Habitat and the rug was bought at John Lewis & Partners

‘We wanted to introduce COLOUR and PATTERN into the space by using a clever mix of WALLPAPER and PAINT ’

LIVING ROOM

A bold but muted green on the walls, Livid by Little Greene, makes a serene backdrop to colourful artworks, patterned fabrics and the teal sofa from Sofa Workshop. The room is a perfect spot for Bonnie to keep an eye on the cows, sheep and horses outside

was particularly important to us to have a space to sit down and eat as we love to have dinner together in the evenings, ’ she adds.

Upstairs, all the rooms have beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and Ruth was keen to keep this as the focus. In the main bedroom, they started with soft blue on the ceiling and walls, then introduced darker colours and added pattern to create a warm and comfortable scheme. ‘I really enjoyed putting this room together, ’ says Ruth. ‘We chose our favourite wallpaper design, which we ’d worked on together, so this has a special place in our hearts. ’

However, it’ s Ivy ’ s nursery that is the couple ’ s favourite room in the

house.

‘We put so much love into this space, ’ explains Ruth. Everything, from the wallpaper to the cot was carefully chosen and considered.

The whole process has been a steep learning curve for the couple. Ruth is delighted to have tried wallpapering for the first time – her successful first attempt hangs proudly in the guest bedroom. ‘It’ s been great using the products we sell, ’ says Ruth. ‘We chose safe plain fabrics due to our more adventurous wallpaper choices. One of the biggest challenges was painting the ceilings, which took a long time.

‘We love our home as it makes us feel calm and relaxed, and it’ s lovely to be in the countryside but near Manchester at the same time, ’ says Ruth. It really is the best of both worlds.

Find Ruth on Instagram @ _paintgirl

KITCHEN

In an ideal world, Ruth would love to replace the kitchen cabinets, but as they’re relatively new she has resisted due to her concern for environmental issues. She has softened the look by choosing natural materials and calming colours, with some of the walls painted in Portland Stone and others covered with Carlton House Terrace wallpaper, both by Little Greene. The bar stools are from Cox & Cox

UTILITY ROOM

The couple have created impact by papering the walls with Jungle Jive from Hooked on Walls

Paint & Paper Library’s Kigali, used on the woodwork and one wall, creates a cosy feel and picks out the dark blue in the Feather Flora paper. A John Lewis & Partners throw dresses the Loaf bed, the pouffe is from Made.com and the ladder and lamp came from Habitat Below Ruth loves that the drapes and blinds are in a fabric by Ian Mankin, a local British manufacturer. The desk is from Habitat and Ruth picked up the stool on a business trip to an exhibition in Amsterdam

GUEST BEDROOM

successful attempt at

BATHROOM

The neutral scheme has been given a fun update with an Andrew

IVY’S ROOM

The couple chose one of their favourite digital wallpapers, Jungle by Sian Zeng, as it feels ‘friendly and happy’ . The walls were painted in Pea Green and the ceiling in Pleat, both by Little Greene. The wing chair, from Ruth’s mother, has been recovered in an Andrew Martin fabric while the cot is from Stokke Left The book rack is from Great Little Trading Co, the ladder from Barker & Stonehouse, the rug from Loaf, and the footstool is a family piece re-upholstered in a Romo fabric HB

Take your cue from Ruth and James and combine vivid hues with artfully mismatched patterns

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1 Carlton House Terrace wallpaper in Blue Plume, £110/roll, Little Greene 2 Barbro with Mustard Aspen shade, £73, Iconic Lights 3 Hamilton Spot cushion, £80, Tori Murphy 4 Jardim two-seater sofa in Pink Sensual velvet, £749, DFS 5 Oblique indoor/outdoor pouffe, £89, Made.com 6 Malie bedspread, £125, Oliver Bonas 7 Southbourne shelf ladder, £250, Garden Trading 8 The Rebel footstool, £429, Snug Sofa 9 Liaodong pot, £195, Oka 10 Shade in Liberty’s Jade Hera Plume, £63, Pooky 11 Natterbox chair, £340/two, Loaf

ST Y LE IT FOR UNDER £30

Grey geometric cushion cover, £10.99, Homescapes BIA Yellow egg crate, £6.95, Not Just Jugs Henry Rivers Ski France travel poster, from £7.95 unframed, Travel Poster Co Pastel Green planter, £20, Mint & May

China Clay Deep absolute matt emulsion, £26/1L, Little Greene