The Victorian schoolhouse in Devon that’s pure magic at Christmas...
The Victorian schoolhouse in Devon that’s pure magic at Christmas...
For Karen Burgess, Christmas is the perfect excuse to bring together vintage and antique treasures and decorations – each piece adding to the joyful, colourful atmosphere in her Devonshire home
Brought up in her beloved grandmother’s house and enjoying close relationships with two great-aunts, artist, gardener and vintage seller Karen Burgess learned early to treasure the beauty of the past. These women’s cabinets, filled with delicate floral china, vases, plates and pots, were more than ornaments – they were keepers of family stories. ‘I was amazed by how they knew everything about each piece, from the maker to the journey it had taken to become theirs,’ she says.
Karen began gathering her own collections at around 14 years old: her first choice being a Victorian covered soap dish decorated with pink roses. ‘The appeal of collecting wasn’t about value but beauty, and the way each piece connects me to the threads of other people’s lives,’ she says. Today, her passion spans everything from Art Deco Burleigh jugs and glass beads to Liberty- print blouses and vintage Christmas decorations.
The dining room is a true maximalist space, layered with antique furniture, decorative pieces, and bold floral patterns. The blue settle is from Fishbelly Antiques Co on Etsy. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Sitting on the western fringes of Dartmoor National Park, with views of rolling hills, the house that stole Karen’s heart four decades ago is a semi-detached former schoolhouse built in 1886. ‘I felt I belonged here and have never wanted to leave,’ she says.
The house’s history, and its connection to its previous owner, Miss Grant – a retired headmistress and the daughter of an MP who supported the suffragettes – also appealed. ‘I was able to keep some of her books, most treasured of which is Edmund Dulac’s Picture Book for the French Red Cross, published during the First World War,’ says Karen.
Karen added a large dual-level studio space to her home. Each year she decorates the upper level with a large tree decked in her collection of vintage glass baubles, ready to host Christmas and open house days. A grand dresser overflows with rustic pots and garden treasures. - Tamsyn Morgans -
As someone passionate about growing and arranging flowers, Karen makes florals a key decoration at Christmas. Stems are featured on tables, mantels, and any other surface, offering up space to accommodate
a vintage or antique vessel. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Karen in her linhay, a small type of farm building native to Devon. She’s transformed it into a space for festive wreath-making workshops, potting, al fresco meals, and welcoming visitors. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Karen has embraced a joyful pink and green theme on the dining table. Green Wedgwood Majolica cabbage plates are paired with antique tureens and bold crackers, while a makeshift runner – ingeniously crafted from a strip of wallpaper – adds texture and colour to the scene. Amaryllis, arranged in a green glass jar, are displayed at full height. - Tamsyn Morgans -
The flower room is where Karen conditions cut blooms and prepares them for sale. During open days, its farmhouse table becomes the perfect stage for displaying homemade cakes. The large white dresser, one of Karen’s first purchases when she moved in over 40 years ago, holds a collection of vases. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Open shelving sits alongside stainless steel cupboards in the flower room. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Although not a grand house, it was built with high ceilings, picture and dado rails, and a feeling of elegance. Describing the house as being ‘in a terrible state’ when she bought it, Karen undertook a full renovation, working around original features and using reclaimed materials where replacements were needed.
When it comes to her interior, Karen is quick to point out that she doesn’t follow any single look or trend. However, nature, colour, and patina play strong roles, with floral fabrics and pictures in a palette of pinks, greens, reds and blues, alongside painted furniture and decorative items taking centre stage.
In the sitting room, faded blues, soft reds, pinks, greens and timeworn textiles mingle with collections of glazed ceramics – some by Arthur Wood – and floral artworks. Karen’s love of pottery was sparked by her great-aunts, whose cabinets overflowed with plates, vases and pots. The blue chest of drawers, still with its original coat of paint, was sourced from Fishbelly Antiques Co on Etsy, while the red mushroom lamp was a lucky find from Cornwall-based dealer, Marc Kitchen-Smith. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Sometimes these themes come together in a single piece, like the hand-painted burnt-yellow cupboard, adorned with floral bouquets on each door, which adds old-fashioned charm to the dining room. A multi-coloured pastel escritoire in the studio also hints at her love of decorated pieces.
‘I suppose you could call me a collector of original paint finishes,’ she smiles. Karen bought the escritoire after spotting it for sale on Instagram: ‘It’s such an unusual item, and when I heard it had been tucked away in an attic for 80 years, I had to give it a home.’
Tucked away from the busier, working areas of the house, Karen’s sitting room is a cherished retreat. At its heart, a roaring fire in the original fireplace sets the tone, the mantel dressed with freshly foraged greenery, dried flowers, and twin vases of rose stems. This creates an irresistibly warm welcome. - Tamsyn Morgans -
An avid collector, Karen has gathered vases and jugs in every shape and from every era, alongside glass baubles in a rainbow of colours. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Presents are wrapped with flair using wallpaper remnants, or tucked into vintage chocolate and biscuit tins. - Tamsyn Morgans -
The door into Karen’s bedroom is framed by a heavy floral curtain. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Karen’s bedroom is home to one of just two working fireplaces in the house. To enhance its charm, she added a decorative fire surround. - Tamsyn Morgans -
As a passionate collector of vintage clothing – particularly Liberty-print blouses – Karen transformed the smallest bedroom into a dressing room. The French mirrored dressing table is from 20th Century Filth and has been paired with a gilded French chair from Elkerton-Smith in Launceston. - Tamsyn Morgans -
At the back of the house, the guest bedroom offers a sanctuary of calm, its atmosphere shaped by carefully chosen antiques. Highlights include a pink mirror from Shambles of Ashburton and boudoir boxes picked up at a market in Provence. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Karen is forever rearranging her home to accommodate her growing collection of finds, but it’s at Christmas that it truly come alive. Inspired by a trip to Sweden, she now celebrates dan före dopparedan (‘the day before Christmas Eve’).
This involves a traditional meal of gravadlax, meatballs, spicy red cabbage and mash with friends, followed by a special rice pudding with a hidden almond. ‘Whoever finds the almond composes a poem thanking the hostess,’ she says.
Dramatic drapes with a pelmet, a hand-decorated fitted wardrobe, and a statement bedhead set the stage for a ciel de lit canopy from Bracket Interiors. It’s the perfect anchor point for a festive cascade
of fresh willow dressed in twinkling fairy lights. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Though Christmas Day is relaxed, decor planning starts well in advance with several fresh spruce trees brought inside, joined by faux vintage trees, branches and twigs, all adorned with vintage glass baubles. ‘My schemes are the antidote to a bright, hyper-commercialised Christmas,’ muses Karen. ‘They’re a soulful celebration – plastic- and tinsel-free.’
Karen invites people into her garden for open days. Find out more at@dartmoorflowershed
