The new owners of Robert Kime's first decoration project call on his studio for a gentle refresh
Forty years ago, The Court House in Wiltshire became Robert Kime’s first decoration project. It was owned by an old friend of his, who asked for his help to ‘arrange the furniture’, as the late designer modestly described his own approach. With a long and rich history, the 16th-century property is believed to have been built on the site of a dwelling with origins in the 13th century, possibly associated with John of Gaunt. A few years ago, Rosie Hayes and her husband bought the house – along with a few carpets and pieces of furniture – from Robert’s friend’s estate and set about making it a home for themselves and their four young children.
Rosie, who previously worked at Christie’s, specialises in sourcing furniture for country houses and decorators. She and her husband were keen that The Court House should generally be updated with a ‘light hand’, so as to preserve the character and historic features. They also wanted to retain the spirit of Robert’s decorative scheme. So they enlisted the help of Robert Kime’s studio, which has, since his death in 2022, been led by Orlando Atty.
‘I received a phone call from the new owners, asking whether we would be interested in working with them to keep the house much as it was, while making it relevant for today,’ says Orlando. ‘I was delighted. My aim was to update it in such a way that a visitor might not realise anything had essentially changed.’
He began with the hall, off which runs the main staircase and what was the music room. Orlando suggested that the undistinguished pine floor should be replaced by antique French oak planks, which has transformed the feel. Given the importance Robert placed on the role of a rug in a scheme, Orlando suggested they build the room around the existing one. Rosie found a Georgian parcel-gilt mirror and paired it with an unembellished side table – staying true to Robert’s maxim to mix simple objects with grander ones.
The owners decided that the music room should become the dining room. With a table that seats 12 or so and a large fireplace, it is particularly lovely at Christmas. Walls in a de Gournay chinoiserie showcase two paintings that Robert had bought in Italy, and which Rosie purchased at the 2023 Dreweatts auction of his collection. They hang over a sofa with cushions in Robert Kime’s ‘Tree of Life’. Incidentally, this was the first fabric he produced and it was based on a textile fragment belonging to this house’s previous owner.
The house had once served as a court leet for provincial tribunal hearings, hence its name, and divisions for prison cells are still visible in the cellar. The original court room was used as a sitting room by its previous owners and has since changed very little. Its beams and chimneypiece were cleaned, and the bookcases and 18th-century crewelwork curtains that were in Robert’s scheme remain in place. Rosie sourced the Heriz carpet and the Robert Kime ottoman was covered in an antique fabric. Lending the walls a gentle sheen is a green with a surface glaze that was developed by the Robert Kime team and named ‘Court Room Green’.
It was in the kitchen that most of the reorganisation was required. First, a large partition separating the kitchen and breakfast room was removed to create a more inclusive space. While the new limestone floor was being laid, a well was discovered in front of the Aga and research revealed that there had once been a brewhouse and pigsty here. It was decided the well would be underlit and covered with glass to make an interesting feature. A new kitchen design was devised by Orlando, featuring a central preparation table, and the beams were stripped to lighten the room.
Upstairs, much remains the same. The landing has been kept simple, while the main bedroom retains the original William Morris ‘Willow Bough’ wallpaper that Robert specified. Orlando supplied the handmade painted bed and the suzani bedcover, and altered the layout of the en-suite bathroom. Previously, this had two basins on either side of the room and a bath in one corner. Now, there is a large marble-lined shower in the corner and a freestanding bath positioned centrally to make the most of the view from the windows, with a single basin between them.
The Poppy Bedroom is named after its inherited wall-paper. Supplied by Robert, it has graced the walls for four decades and is now being reprinted by the company as ‘Sumer’. In the adjacent bathroom, sunlight had bleached the wallpaper opposite the window, so new panelling was added above the usual dado height in order to cover the offending area and smarten up the bath surrounds.
At the top of the house, Rosie opened up the attic space, filling it with brass beds that are ideal for children’s sleepovers. ‘We love this house,’ she says. ‘It really is a home – and entertaining here is a joy.’ It is, as you can imagine, a very good place to spend Christmas.
Robert Kime: robertkime.com
Christopher Horwood1/9A George III Windsor armchair and George II walnut and parcel-gilt mirror complement the existing curtains and console table. The George Morland painting is a family piece.
Christopher Horwood2/9Robert Kime fabrics were chosen for the seating: ‘Karsamba’ for the single armchair and ‘Larsson’ for the sofa.
Christopher Horwood3/9A George III Windsor armchair, which matches the one in the hall, stands next to curtains in Robert Kime’s ‘Tashkent’ on linen. The French 19th-century farmhouse table is teamed with mismatched chairs.
Christopher Horwood4/9De Gournay’s ‘Portobello’ silk wallcovering showcases a pair of paintings after Giusto Utens, from a sale of Robert Kime’s personal collection, and a Regency mirror.
Christopher Horwood5/9The painted bed, Tabriz rug and antique furniture were introduced by Orlando’s team and Rosie to work with the existing William Morris ‘Willow Bough’ wallpaper and crewelwork curtains (below).
Christopher Horwood6/9These were remade and lined for extra warmth in this 16th-century part of the house.
Christopher Horwood7/9‘William White’ wall lights from Robert Kime and a painted mirror from Spinka & Co add to the elegant feel of this new scheme, with a freestanding bath from BC Designs and a large marble-lined shower
Christopher Horwood8/9The original wallpaper that gives this room its name is now being reprinted by Robert Kime as ‘Sumer’. Colefax and Fowler’s ‘Mirador Braid’ in red/green on the cushions picks up on the floral bedcovers.
Christopher Horwood9/9The loft space was opened up to create an inviting room for children’s sleepovers, with sloping walls and ceilings in blue ‘Trefoil Trellis’ wallpaper from Colefax and Fowler. Brass beds are brightened by Huddle Collection cushions and bedcovers made up from Painswick Fabrics.
