From London to the Countryside: Creating a Home That Feels Truly Settled
Barn Conversion Interiors
Moving from London or any city the countryside is more than a change of address. It is a shift in pace, perspective and the way you want to live.
Perhaps you have fallen in love with a barn conversion framed by open fields, or a country house with original fireplaces, time-worn floors and rooms shaped by generations of family life. You may be drawn to the space, stillness and beauty of the landscape, while wondering how to make your new home feel comfortable, personal and entirely your own.
At Misty Looby Studio, we help clients create country interiors that feel gathered over time: thoughtful, welcoming and quietly elegant, with English heritage at the heart and modern life in mind.
Designing for the life you are moving towards
When our clients move out of London, they are often seeking more than additional space. They want a different feeling from their home.
They may imagine slower mornings, relaxed weekends, long lunches with friends and evenings gathered around the fire. They want rooms that feel calm and restorative, yet practical enough for family life, visiting guests, dogs, muddy boots and the changing seasons.
Our design journey begins by understanding how you want to feel in your home.
Do you want it to be peaceful and cocooning? Light and uplifting? Rich, layered and full of character? Perhaps you want spaces that feel elegant for entertaining but never overly formal.
These conversations give the project its direction. Rather than imposing a particular look, we create an interior around your lifestyle, your property and the atmosphere you want to experience every day.
Understanding the character of your country property
Barn conversions and traditional country houses each present their own opportunities.
A barn may offer magnificent beams, exposed stone, generous ceiling heights and expansive open-plan rooms. These architectural features are beautiful, but the scale can feel challenging. Without careful planning, furniture may appear too small, large spaces can lack intimacy and the home may not feel as warm or settled as you imagined.
A period country house may have smaller rooms, uneven walls, original joinery, fireplaces and architectural details that deserve to be preserved. It may also need to accommodate modern family life without losing the character that made you fall in love with it.
We respond sensitively to the building, celebrating its history while making it comfortable and relevant for the way you live now.
Creating flow through considered space planning
Good space planning is one of the most important elements of a successful country interior.
We consider how you naturally move through the property, where people gather and how each room needs to function throughout the day. In a barn conversion, a large open room may need several connected areas: a generous seating arrangement, a dining space, a reading corner and a quieter place for conversation.
Furniture, rugs, lighting and joinery can help define these areas while preserving the openness of the architecture.
In a country house, we may look at how adjoining rooms relate to one another, whether existing furniture is correctly proportioned and where additional storage or bespoke joinery could improve everyday life.
The result should feel effortless. Each room has purpose, the layout feels balanced and the home supports both relaxed daily living and larger gatherings.
Using colour to bring the countryside indoors
The countryside offers an extraordinary source of colour.
Soft sage, moss green, muted clay, limestone, weathered oak and deeper oxblood tones can create interiors that feel naturally connected to their setting. These shades might be layered with warm ivory, aged brass, faded florals and richer accents inspired by woodland, wildflowers and changing skies.
We consider the direction of natural light, the views from each window and the materials already present within the property. The tones that suited a London townhouse or apartment may behave very differently in a rural home surrounded by greenery and open land.
Colour can be introduced through paint, wallpaper, upholstery, curtains, rugs, artwork and decorative pieces. The palette may be soft and restrained or more expressive, but it should always feel considered and cohesive.
Our aim is to create warmth and depth without making the interior feel busy or overly decorated.
Selecting furniture with comfort and proportion in mind
Furniture chosen for a country home must respond to both the scale of the building and the realities of everyday life.
A large barn conversion may require more substantial sofas, generous tables and statement lighting to balance its architectural proportions. A period cottage or country house may call for carefully scaled pieces that work with smaller rooms and existing features.
Comfort is always central.
We select pieces that invite you to sit, gather and stay awhile. A dining table should work equally well for family breakfasts and celebratory dinners. A sofa should feel elegant but genuinely comfortable. Occasional chairs should add character while supporting the way the room will be used.
Where appropriate, we combine contemporary furniture with antique and vintage finds, bespoke upholstery and specially commissioned pieces. This creates a layered interior that feels collected rather than newly assembled.
It is this balance of old and new that gives a country home its sense of depth and belonging.
Fabrics, wallpapers and materials with lasting character
Textiles bring softness, comfort and personality to a home.
Through Misty Looby Studio, our clients have access to a wide selection of fabrics, wallpapers, furniture, lighting, finishes and decorative pieces. We work with specialist suppliers, independent makers, established design houses and skilled craftspeople, sourcing both locally and globally.
A scheme might include natural linens, tactile wools, hand-finished wallpapers, patterned cushions, bespoke curtains, antique furniture, artisan ceramics and timber or stone selected specifically for the property.
We may source from British craftspeople when local provenance and traditional skill are central to the design, while looking internationally for a particular fabric, furniture piece or finish that completes the scheme.
Every choice is made in relation to the whole interior. Materials should work together, age beautifully and add to the home’s layered, lived-in character.
Making existing pieces part of your new story
Many clients arrive from London with furniture, artwork and objects they have collected over time.
Some pieces may sit beautifully within the new home. Others may need to be reupholstered, refinished or placed in a different context. Occasionally, a much-loved piece may simply be the wrong scale for the new property.
We help you decide what to keep, what to adapt and where new pieces will make the greatest difference.
By thoughtfully combining existing possessions with antiques, contemporary designs and bespoke elements, we create a home that reflects your history while embracing this new chapter of your life.
A clear and considered design journey
Moving house, renovating and making hundreds of design decisions can quickly become overwhelming.
Our role is to bring structure, clarity and confidence to the process.
We guide you through the development of the overall concept, space planning, colour, furniture, fabrics, lighting, window treatments, materials and finishing details. Looking at the property as a whole allows us to create continuity between rooms while giving each space its own mood and identity.
This considered approach helps prevent costly mistakes. Furniture is selected at the correct scale, colours are reviewed in the property’s natural light and every element supports the wider vision for the home.
The finished interior feels cohesive and settled, without appearing overly designed.
Creating a modern English country home
A beautiful country home is not defined by a single style or trend. It is created through thoughtful choices, natural materials, comfortable furniture, meaningful objects and a deep respect for the architecture.
It should feel personal rather than generic, elegant without being precious and layered without becoming busy.
At Misty Looby Studio, we create modern English country interiors shaped around the people who live in them. Whether you are moving from London into a barn conversion, restoring a period property or reimagining an established rural home, we will help you create spaces that feel welcoming, crafted and entirely your own.
Begin your journey towards a country home that feels beautifully settled, quietly elegant and made for the way you want to live.
Create your country home with Misty Looby Studio.