Interior Design Feature:

Living with History: Inside a Joyful 16th-Century Manor in Somerset

Living with History: Inside a Joyful 16th-Century Manor in Somerset

Overview

Set in the Somerset countryside, interior designer Sarah Southwell’s 16th-century manor house is a family home shaped by history, craft, and a joyful approach to colour. Home to Southwell, her husband Nick, and their three sons, the listed property balances careful conservation with an expressive, highly personal interior language.

Brand

Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Type

Family Residence

Location

Somerset, England

Services

Full Feature on YouTube, IG, FB & TikTok

Presented by

Sarah Southwell

Rustic hallway with a wooden door slightly open, revealing a cozy, warm room. The hallway has patterned tiles, a vintage chair, and soft lighting.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Cozy living room with a lit fireplace, floral armchairs, and eclectic decor. Blue accents and books create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

“I like things that are original and authentic,” Southwell says. “This house is full of things like that.” From lime-washed walls to antiques sourced at markets and fairs, each element feels chosen to sit naturally within the building’s long story rather than overwrite it.

Bright hallway featuring a white staircase with a red-bordered runner, geometric tiled floor, and a minimalist wall bench. Atmosphere is warm and inviting.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

A Warm Welcome

The entrance hall immediately reveals what drew the family from Streatham to the countryside: heavy original doors, uneven floors, and the unmistakable character of a house that has evolved over centuries. From here, the snug has become the heart of daily life. Anchored by a large inglenook fireplace and wood burner, it is designed for warmth and comfort, with upholstered bench seating and furniture designed by Southwell herself.

Bright living room with a white sofa adorned with green and yellow striped pillows, blue cushions, a glass coffee table with books, and a painting above.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Cozy rustic room with light blue wood paneling. Features a window seat with cushions, vintage desk and chair, patterned rug, and a bright window view.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Traditional materials were essential. Lime plaster and limewash allow the walls to breathe, while original timber was painted and waxed rather than sandblasted, preserving its integrity while lightening the space.

Stripes appear early and often. “They bring a bit of fun and joy to every design that I do,” she explains. “I love design that makes you happy.”

Rustic kitchen with natural light, featuring wooden beams, beige cabinets, marble countertops, and a central island. Warm, inviting ambiance.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

A Kitchen for Family Life

The kitchen is a clear example of how the house has been adapted for modern living. Once covered in brown carpet tiles, it has been completely reworked into a space that feels both practical and rooted in tradition. Natural marble sits against lime-washed walls, while aged brass details and a generous AGA form the functional centre of the home.

Rustic kitchen with a vintage black stove, wooden beams, and marble countertops. Natural light streams through a large window, creating a cozy ambiance.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Rustic kitchen with beige cabinets, wooden beams, marble countertops, and large windows overlooking greenery. Decor is minimalist, warm, and inviting.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

The AGA required discreet structural work, but it feels wholly at ease within the room. Open shelving displays a collection of antiques gathered from travels and trade fairs, reinforcing a kitchen that has grown over time. Newly added banquette seating, soon to be painted red, introduces another layer of colour. “I like everything classic with a bit of a twist,” Southwell says. “You’ll see that throughout the house.”

A cozy laundry room with mustard yellow cabinets, chevron tile flooring, and a vintage sink. Warm light streams through a window with a green blind.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Compact workspace under stairs featuring a light blue desk and shelving. A computer sits on the desk. The area is bright with patterned wallpaper.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Spaces That Work Hard

Beyond the kitchen, a sloping utility room is designed to withstand muddy boots and busy routines. Rustic herringbone tiles follow the angle of the floor, while cheerful colour choices lift an otherwise practical space. Southwell’s own office is tucked under the stairs, a reclaimed nook filled with samples and sketches. “This is where all the magic happens,” she says, acknowledging the constant balance of work and family life.

Stylish bathroom with beige textured walls, oval wicker mirror, dual sconces, marble sink, gold faucet, woven basket, and herringbone tile floor. Cozy ambiance.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Nearby, a bathroom lined with handmade tiles leads to a hidden room once used as a cupboard. Connected by a discreet jib door, it has become one of the most talked-about spaces in the house, playful, unexpected, and entirely in keeping with Southwell’s love of surprise.

Bright conservatory with a glass roof, rustic table, colorful cushions on wooden chairs, and vibrant plants. Sunlight fills the cozy, lively space.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Reclaiming the Conservatory

The conservatory was originally the one area Southwell struggled to love. An add-on that exposed the original exterior wall, it felt visually disconnected from the rest of the house. Painting the inner wall black transformed the space, allowing planting, colour, and light to take centre stage. Handmade lampshades created with her youngest son and a table inherited from Nick’s mother make it a room rooted in family life.

“With all the plants, it’s quite grounding and makes you feel good,” she says. “Now I adore this space.”

Eclectic room with bright green walls, featuring a white fireplace, colorful landscape painting above, ornate red cabinet, and vintage bookshelf.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

A cozy room with green walls features a piano with sheet music, an ornate red and white cabinet, colorful paintings, a window, and a zebra-patterned rug.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

A cozy living room with green walls features a white fireplace, colorful curtains, a dark blue sofa, and a vintage toy car on a wooden floor.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Rooms to Be Lived In

More formal rooms are used sparingly. The drawing room is reserved for quiet moments or Christmas gatherings, filled with antiques collected on travels and a sofa rescued and reupholstered locally. Elsewhere, the playroom is deliberately relaxed. Hand-painted folk art furniture, bold green walls, and striped details create a space where mess is allowed and creativity encouraged.

Whimsical children's room with red and yellow striped ceiling, vintage green dresser, canopy beds, playful artwork, and bookshelves. Cheerful and cozy vibe.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Upstairs, bedrooms continue the narrative. The eldest son’s room features a circus-tent ceiling painted in stripes and aeroplanes, a scheme the family is in no hurry to change. Fireplaces uncovered and restored, antique beds, and bold colour combinations give each room a strong sense of identity without losing coherence.

Vintage bathroom designs in three styles: Left, a green bathtub with floral wallpaper; Center, rustic tub with a turquoise sliding door; Right, a tub behind distressed wooden doors and a chevron floor pattern.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Bathrooms are equally characterful, with patterned wallpapers, deep greens, and playful detailing. In the principal bedroom, sanded original floorboards and decorative wallpaper lining the wardrobes bring warmth and texture. The adjoining bathroom places a bath by the window, creating what Southwell describes as a boutique-hotel moment within the home.

Cozy bedroom with a vintage-style bed, adorned with red-striped pillows, floral curtains, and matching red lamps on cream nightstands, evokes a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Cozy bedroom corner with floral wallpaper, striped blue cushions, and a wooden nightstand. A plaid lampshade adds warmth, evoking a vintage charm.

Photo: Sarah Southwell Design + Interiors

Guest rooms follow the same generous approach, with framed textiles, hand-painted furniture, and thoughtful layouts designed to make visitors feel instantly at ease.

Sarah Southwell stands in a greenhouse, looking outside. Surrounding her are plants in pots and hanging baskets, creating a serene atmosphere.

A House Shaped by Thoughtful Design

For Southwell, the success of the house lies in its honesty. Nothing feels overly staged or precious. “I don’t like to do things that are like everybody else,” she says. “I like things that are original and authentic.”

After years of careful design and sourcing, the manor now feels settled and alive, its 16th-century structure supporting a family home filled with colour, craft, and daily ritual. It is a place where history is respected, not frozen, and where character is allowed to grow naturally over time.

Watch the complete tour here.

Gallery

The Finer Details.

Bright conservatory with a glass roof, rustic table, colorful cushions on wooden chairs, and vibrant plants. Sunlight fills the cozy, lively space.

Cozy rustic room with light blue wood paneling. Features a window seat with cushions, vintage desk and chair, patterned rug, and a bright window view.

Bright living room with a white sofa adorned with green and yellow striped pillows, blue cushions, a glass coffee table with books, and a painting above.

A cozy laundry room with mustard yellow cabinets, chevron tile flooring, and a vintage sink. Warm light streams through a window with a green blind.

Stylish bathroom with beige textured walls, oval wicker mirror, dual sconces, marble sink, gold faucet, woven basket, and herringbone tile floor. Cozy ambiance.

Cozy living room with a lit fireplace, floral armchairs, and eclectic decor. Blue accents and books create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

A cozy room with green walls features a piano with sheet music, an ornate red and white cabinet, colorful paintings, a window, and a zebra-patterned rug.

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