'Earthy, organic, and imbued with a sense of calm materiality' was the brief for this restored 19th century stone farmhouse in the English countryside

Balanced and harmonious interiors are the calling card of interior designer Bari Jerauld and visiting this graceful Wiltshire farmhouse it’s not hard to see why. Intentional, pared-back, but never bland, the house's schemes orbit around the colors and textures of nature, with a focus on weathered stone, vintage marble, living brass (intended to age naturally), soft linens, and rich velvets.

But appearances can be deceptive and just like New Yorker Bari, who had to grow her practice Blank State Studio from the ground up when she relocated to the UK a decade ago, this rural bolthole required intensive nurturing before it could thrive.

The farmhouse was a lockdown purchase intended to be a peaceful escape from the city for the owners. ‘They love to hunker down but they also enjoy hosting guests, so the house had to work hard while delivering a sense of retreat,’ says Bari.

For the 19th-century stone building to meet those demands gracefully, the interior designer needed to revisit its bones. ‘When I became involved, there was planning permission for a contemporary extension at the rear,’ she says. ‘We scrapped that design, opting instead for a more traditional addition that ran the width of the house, with three sets of double doors leading out into the walled garden.'

Exposed joists and reclaimed beams married it seamlessly to the existing so that nothing jars the eye.’ So comprehensive was this thoughtful approach that new and old are virtually indistinguishable from one another – a mastering of transitional style is achieved.

In the hallway, chequerboard flooring sourced from an artisan in the south of France has been produced with deliberate color and shape imperfections, while the cobbled stone floor in the boot room was ‘inspired by the elegant but well-trodden historic streets you see in European cities’.

Visitors would be hard-pressed to tell that the hallway was once a smaller, asymmetrical space that, according to Bari, didn’t intuitively lead anywhere in particular. The designer centralized it by moving the front door and adding a bay window at one side to complement the original on the other.

‘We wanted to create a natural sense of grandeur and architectural integrity,’ she says. The designer also added a sweeping curve to the bottom of the staircase, a shape that’s echoed in the voluptuous rattan pendant adjacent. ‘Now you can see uninterrupted from front to back and there’s intention to the design.’

Key to this home is its quiet homage to craftsmanship – whether through vintage decor or the use of contemporary skills to either produce new pieces or breathe fresh life into old. In the kitchen diner, a French dresser has been skilfully stripped down and ebonized, its panels replaced by horticulturalist glass – complete with air bubbles – in order to house the owners’ treasured selection of ceramics.

A modular 1960s sofa found in Paris has been carefully reupholstered and a vintage farmhouse table expertly limewashed. ‘It was important to use materials that felt true to the age of the house,’ says Bari.

Alongside a host of quiet materials, from slubby linens to clay-finished walls, there are moments of drama and verve, most notably in the farmhouse’s bathrooms, with their confident use of marble and brass. ‘People can be a little wary of using richly veined stone,’ says Bari, ‘but marble is instantly elevating, even in the smallest of spaces.’

The owners were keen on generous showers that would be easy for their parents to access. The result is that more than a third of the space in each bathroom is taken up with expansive shower enclosures that add instant wow factor.

‘We used marble with deep plums, greens and golds running through and opted for stained-oak vanities to balance out the drama,’ says Bari. ‘The living brass tapware will patina over time, along with everything else.’ That process is already well underway, helped along by classic English touches such as the addition of William Morris wallpaper and an unashamedly retro tiled pantry.

‘New York, where I’m originally from, is a vertical city; it’s all about glass,’ reflects Bari. ‘But here, there’s more opportunity to restore and be less contrived, which is something I lean into.’ It’s an approach that looks set to serve this interior designer well in her British-based years to come.

5 Rules of Creating Lived in Interiors

Bari Jerauld shares her design advice

1. Try to source vintage, one-of-a-kind pieces to add interest to a space.

2. Play with texture; I personally love natural materials and I think a beautiful linen works in harmony with character oak, which then can be balanced with natural stone.

3. Quality materials, from marble to natural brass, elevate any scheme.

4. Use a calm palette for walls, then layer in color through artwork, furnishings and accessories.

5. Add architectural details that are true to a property by researching what would have been there from the start. Otherwise the end result can feel too contrived.