Explore a house in the city that was designed with the country in mind – the result is a homage rather than a pastiche

I have come across many homes that attempt to recreate that coveted country feel in the city. Of course, it's something so many of us want. The feeling of the countryside – the charm, the character, the coziness – but without actually committing to leave the buzz of the city.

It sounds like an easy task to achieve, but I have seen many examples of country decor in city settings that feel far too like a synthetic version of what you imagine country life to be like, they almost feel staged, an imitation rather than the real thing. Actually creating the bucolic feel in a home in a way that's effortless and authentic is, in fact, a bit of an art.

It's what the design team at Howark Design was briefed with for this London project. Create 'a relaxed home with the feeling of the country in the city.' Through thoughtfully layering colors and patterns, decorating with one-off vintage pieces, and not forcing this city home to be something it's not, the team achieved exactly that.

'Our client is a vibrant, young Belgian woman who is a keen equestrian,' explains James Arkoulis and Saskia Howard, the founders of Howark Design. 'She wanted a light, relaxed home with the feeling of the country in the city. She wanted to incorporate her family’s heirloom antiques. While the house has a touch of quintessentially English, they are an international couple who travel frequently and have family and friends across the globe. They love to entertain and have massive dinner parties.'

It's that 'touch of quintessentially English' that makes this home feel like the perfect balance between country and city. The interior design does have that welcoming country-esque feel to it, but it doesn't take the traditional tropes too far. There's a fun and freshness to the space in the bolder colors and mixing of patterns that feels like a nod to the modernity of the city.

'The bones of the home were great, but the client enlisted us to help her truly make it feel like her own and reflect her personality and lifestyle,' continues James Arkoulis. 'The home was generally pretty dark, so we worked to maximize the light exposure throughout by enlarging the door from the kitchen into the dining room. By doing this, it also helped the layout on the ground floor to feel more linked.'

'We also introduced a glazed partition between the front door and the sitting room to create separate spaces while allowing maximum light in. This meant that we could treat the entrance area separately and really make a statement upon entering the home. We added bold-coloured panelling and Victorian-style tiled flooring in a vibrant pattern. And in order to maximize the seating in the front room, we designed the sofa with angled sides to snugly fit into the bay window.'

The kitchen has an undeniably country feel to it. As with all country kitchens, it's filled with personality and charm. Nothing is too perfect and there's plenty on show to add intrigue and delight. It's effortless, all the pieces feel collected and not overly curated. Even the pantry is a thing of beauty that gives a real lived-in feel to the kitchen, like people actually love to cook and host in this space.

Like throughout many of the rooms, it's the colors in the kitchen that stop it from sliding too far into country charm. The deep red of the kitchen island, pantry storage, and range cooker, although still classic and traditional, grounds the warm neutral cabinetry, making the room feel more playful and interesting. The pop of pale lime green from the door's trim is so subtle you could almost miss it at first glance, but it's just enough to signal this is not a standard neutral kitchen that's playing it safe.

Saskia Howard explains, 'We used paired back tones that would work with the client’s classical family antiques that are prominently featured in the space. When it came to the green on the patio doors, we thought black metal would look too harsh, so we used a fresh green that married well with the view out to the garden.'

A pantry is a key element in country kitchens and was an addition to the space. Saskia and James explain that adding in the pantry when space was limited was one of the main challenges of the project. 'The client requested that we add a pantry in the kitchen and a bathroom under the stairs. There was limited space, so it was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to make it work. But we were beyond thrilled with the end result.'

The red theme continues into the home office, as does the mix of old and new. 'The bold red study reflects the client's love of invigorating color while a family portrait looks on from over the reclaimed fireplace,' explains James.

The very traditional piece of artwork creates this really playful contrast with the red bookshelves. The bold coral might be competing for attention, but it prevents such a large, ornate frame from dominating the small room. As in every room, antiquity and charm are balanced with a fresh, more contemporary feel.

In the main bedroom, the colors are more muted than downstairs, but the vintage furniture and layers of pattern add all the interest. James explains, 'We kept the walls quite neutral with warm undertones, which allowed for the more vibrant furniture and accessories to shine.'

The mixing of patterns works in this space because of the different sizes of the prints, they sit in harmony rather than competing against one another. 'Taking into account the scale of a pattern is vital,' James adds. 'We use a lot of smaller-scale patterns to make sure it didn’t feel overwhelming, and the overall effect is more subtle.'

This whole project is a lesson in how bolder colors and layering prints needn't overwhelm a space. Bright reds, lime greens, dark blues, and mustard yellows all mix to create a palette that feels so livable these shades almost become neutrals. In some spaces, the play with color can be a reminder of the urban location despite the country feel, and yet in other rooms, like the bedroom, the colors do the opposite, and it's the palette that creates the rural feel.