Anna Cox’s home is an ode to colour and pattern. Filled with paint-drenched surfaces, playful fabrics, statement wallpaper and an array of vibrant Moroccan textiles, every corner sparks joy. Heirloom furniture and eclectic artworks mingle with finds from Anna’s travels and the occasional high-street bargain, all of which come together as a fun fusion of modern country style. Anna’s approach to decorating in this house is playful and bold, but it wasn’t always this way.
Discovering a love of colour
Indeed, her home is so vibrant and spirited, it’s hard to believe she once shied away from colour. ‘I only discovered colour in the last 10 years. An amazing trip to Morocco really awakened my senses – it felt incredible to be around so much of it,’ she says.
She had previously been living in a late-17th-century Cotswold stone house where the decor was classic and neutral, but in 2020 Anna and her family moved into a 1930s house near Burford, which gave her the perfect opportunity to unleash her newfound passion for colour. ‘I still like the neutral look, and I appreciate all sorts of interior styles, but I can’t imagine living without colour now,’ she says.
Seeing potential in a plain exterior
While the house wasn’t the most architecturally interesting, it had plenty of potential and lots of outdoor space. Anna wasn’t deterred by its plain exterior, though – she could visualise how the layout could be altered to suit family life and was excited to stamp her style on the interior. However, rather than rush into the project, she decided to live in the property first, to get to know the space.
A year later, Anna and her partner Freddie embarked on a 15-month renovation, and the resulting reconfigured layout is a practical mix of generous open-plan and more intimate, cosy spaces. A large kitchen-diner and orangery living area serves as a light-filled family space, while the sitting room makes the perfect sanctuary with its flame-red library shelves.
Decorating without rules
When it comes to decorating, Anna admits she doesn’t follow rules, but finds that textiles are a useful starting point. ‘I often start with a rug and then pull colours out that I love,’ she says. The kitchen is the perfect example, with its palette of plaster pink, deep burgundy and shots of vibrant yellow drawn from the Moroccan runner.
Elsewhere, textiles and pattern have been cleverly layered to soften surfaces and create a homely feel. Bold ikats and stripes sit with ditsy prints and geometric tiles on the ground floor, while delicate colours and patterns create a calmer ambience upstairs.
A home shaped by travels, antiques and family heirlooms
As well as a newfound confidence with colour, Anna’s love for Morocco also sparked a new career. She was so captivated by the artisan wares, ceramics, Berber rugs, and vintage fabrics that in 2017 she started a business sourcing, designing and selling Moroccan textiles and homewares. ‘I’d never been anywhere so vibrant in terms of textiles and colour. I came back with around 50 cushion covers. I then returned and got to know the artisans and it grew from there,’ she explains. Today, her home often resembles a magical souk, with various rugs, cushions and footstools coming and going.
When she’s not sourcing products for clients, Anna enjoys browsing antiques centres and art galleries, and has found many treasures for her home locally. The Gustavian bench in the hallway came from Station Mill Antiques & Interiors in Chipping Norton, and a beautiful landscape painting above the living room fireplace was from a pop-up gallery in Stow-on-the-Wold.
A pair of carved giltwood mirrors bought at Lorfords in Tetbury are among her favourite finds, and look fabulous displayed in her downstairs bathroom. Some items, however, have travelled with her from home to home, including the mahogany side tables and a Howard-style buttoned armchair that belonged to her grandparents. ‘I have quite a few pieces of furniture from my grandparents, and lots of my granny’s china and glassware. They lived in a large house, full of antiques, and I spent quite a bit of time there,’ says Anna.
Anna is continually inspired, and admits her home is always evolving. ‘I like to introduce new pieces and to move things around. My next project is to add some wallpaper in the family bathroom,’ she says. She’s also excited to transform the converted attic space, which is currently a blank white canvas. No doubt it will soon be a feast for the senses, bursting with colour and personality.
