About

'The first time we saw MCH was a beautiful spring day, with the daffodils just coming up and the first leaves on the trees. 

 

We pinched ourselves as we drive down the long winding drive and the castle started to unveil itself…then the moat….then the parkland. And then the house

 

We were a bit overawed at first to be honest. It just seemed a bit grand for us, especially as we had two toddlers and a third on the way

 

But when we went inside the combination of the feeling of space from high ceilings, enormous bay windows, and huge airy rooms sold us. We had to live there!

 

The only drawback?  The house had not been decorated since the 70s and was er….pretty ghastly?

 

Luckily Jenny saw that as an opportunity. A blank slate. 

 

So what to do? How do you decorate a grand country house set in its own castle

Grounds in a way that works for a family of 5. And a string of London friends who needed to get out of the smoke for the weekend?

 

The first thing we did was to resuscitate the original features by exposing beautiful wooden floors, staircases, and the original fire places

 

Then we added colour. Jenny comes from Africa, where colours are bold, the light is bright and the people are full of smiles. 

 

Finally we wanted to make MCH ours. So everywhere we travel we collect mementos, carvings and photos…and that is our house.'

 

Rowan