A colourful 19th-century home in Wiltshire

Emily Pinsent’s love of travel and antiques has brought a colourful – and unexpected – twist to her Wiltshire home. Feature Alex Lewis. Photographs Penny Wincer

Published: May 29, 2023 at 7:43 am

Emily Pinsent’s passion for ceramics began when she was a teenager. ‘The first antique I bought was a big dairy bowl from a local antiques shop,’ she says. ‘Everyone thought I was completely mad and wondered what I was going to do with it. Little did they know that the bowl was the start of my lifelong affair with crockery.’

The bowl now takes pride of place in the kitchen of her Wiltshire home, inspired – in part – by her paternal grandparents’ home. ‘My grandparents had a fantastic walk-through pantry, with shelves piled high with mismatched crockery and old tins. I’ve always wanted to recreate that space.’

Indeed, her 19th-century English dresser has been stacked with bowls and jugs from around the world that speak of her love of vernacular craft. ‘I love Tunisian bowls,’ she says. ‘While in the Medina of Tunis, I walked past a restaurant and saw that they were serving tagine from them. I asked the owner if I could buy some and he thought I was bonkers! I would have bought more but couldn’t carry them. I would go back to Tunisia just to try and buy the rest…’

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Emily and her husband Charlie moved here just over a year ago with their two daughters, drawn to the house’s mullioned windows and sense of history. Although its oldest parts date from the 19th century (and over the years it has served as the cobbler’s and village post office), many of its original features were missing.

To inject a sense of authenticity back into the house, while tying the architecture to their collection of antiques, the couple fitted reclaimed doors, bought at Frome Reclamation, fireplaces and flagstone floors. The other major transformation was creating the large eat-in kitchen – an essential for these two foodies (Emily juggles catering for events with running her shared interiors shop in Tisbury, while Charlie has a wholesale deli business).

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Although with its original features the house feels beautifully English, Emily’s vibrant rugs, exotic furniture and handmade ceramics create a surprising juxtaposition and are constant reminders of the couple’s love of travel. Last year they visited Rome where Emily fell in love with the antique marble-topped pharmacy table, now used as a kitchen island. ‘I knew it was an extravagance when I spotted it, but it’s my favourite piece of furniture. It took eight people to move it into the house.’

Charlie’s prized piece is the 1940s drinks cabinet, inherited from his Portuguese grandfather. ‘It was going to be discarded when the family were moving house in Portugal so we put it in the back of the car, along with some of my market finds. It now has a new lease of life in rural Wiltshire,’ says Emily.

It is the Portuguese connection that runs through much of Emily’s collection of ceramics. ‘The markets are wonderful, especially the one on Saturdays in Estremoz. You have to rummage, but you can find great ceramics and rugs. I bought the Arraiolos rug in the living room there.’

Emily loves the patina that comes with antiques, but not everything in the house is old. New lighting and upholstery keep the feel contemporary. ‘It’s hard to beat the quality of an old sofa, but I like giving them a twist with modern fabric.’ This attitude sums up Emily’s overall attitude to decor. ‘I’m not a matchy-matchy kind of person and need a little wonkiness in my life,’ she says.

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