An antiques-filled former malthouse in Hungerford

When Katie O’Sullivan was 16, something happened that could have put her off antiques for life. ‘Every Saturday morning my six siblings and I would go to Camden Passage in London with our parents,’ she says.

‘One day I spotted a merry-go-round for sale. It was stripped so I thought that I could paint the whole thing myself. My father bought me one of the individual horses, which I kept in my bedroom. Whenever anyone stayed the night, they swore they could see it moving! Eventually I put it in the woodshed, so that I could start painting it. The following day the woodshed burned down…’

Luckily, Katie wasn’t deterred. The fact that antiques have had so many lives is something that still appeals, each piece leaving her wondering: ‘Where has it lived and where has it been?’

A love of painting is another trait that’s stayed with Katie, now an artist specialising in horses and portraiture. Many of her paintings feature in her home – a former malthouse that dates, in part, to 1545.

It would be fair to assume that these provided the basis for how she’s decided to decorate each room but actually, says Katie, ‘the furniture always comes first. I start with a key piece and the accessories, wall colour and artwork evolve from that. I’ll sometimes paint a piece to go in a certain spot though.’

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Katie’s organic approach – where pieces are bought on a whim when she sees them – results in a relaxed, homely feel, where nothing is forced. Despite the handsome furniture and collections (although Katie admits that ‘nothing has huge provenance’), this is a family home, full of children and dogs. ‘I think it’s important for children not to grow up in grey minimal houses. Being surrounded by interesting antiques enriches you.’

Katie’s love of antiques is fed by her close proximity to Hungerford’s various antiques shops and so frequent are her trips that eyebrows have been raised. ‘When Jamie and I first got together he thought I had a boyfriend in Hungerford as I’d disappear there for hours,’ she laughs.

‘The dealers tell me when they’re off on buying trips to France so I know the best time to drop by. I’m in love with French furniture and have always been drawn to gold leaf, inlaid wood – the really ornate stuff. I think it comes from being an artist – I love detail.’ But isn’t it all terribly expensive? ‘You don’t have to buy hugely valuable pieces,’ she says. ‘Beautiful interiors can be created by placing striking pieces next to each other.’

Part of the joy of this house is that the family’s interests, from horse riding (Jamie is a former jockey and now a racehorse trainer, while Saffie is a keen rider) to Katie’s weakness for blue-and-white porcelain, are embedded in almost every room.

Saffie’s many rosettes add colour to the low beams in the flagstone-floored entrance hall, while Chinese pieces are seamlessly combined with French items in the recently added dining room and conservatory.

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‘When I left art school, I worked one day a week for a restorer in Bermondsey Market. My job involved restoring worn-away paint on blue-and-white porcelain. I would spend my whole week’s wages buying porcelain and it has been a passion ever since,’ says Katie.

When the family bought the house 20 years ago, Katie already knew it well. It had been owned by her best friend and came with plenty of memories attached. Buying the house had been a long-held dream, but Katie had to play the waiting game for it to come up for sale.

‘A lady had bought it two years before but never lived in it. Luckily I heard on the grapevine that it was coming up for sale again and so I decided to approach her directly. It had ivy growing through the windows but I still loved it. The beams give it such atmosphere. It has lived an extraordinary life and seen extraordinary things. It wraps itself around you.’