Set within a beautiful valley bordering Gloucestershire and Oxford, surrounded by fields filled with cattle and, from time to time, dotted with pheasants and guinea fowl, the location of Sue and Alexander Jones’ country home could hardly be more idyllic.
Once through a heavy, iron-studded door, the former barn, which dates to c1740, is approached along a magnificent walkway lined with ancient stone pillars, eight of which are Roman, and topped with a beamed wooden roof. The site is thought to have been a fortified staging post, built during the Roman occupation. Or, as Sue jokes, ‘the Roman equivalent of a Burger King!’
The couple, who also have a home in London, found the barn 12 years ago when they were looking for a house nearer to Sue’s mother. They fell in love with the property and its surroundings on their first visit. ‘I saw two white turtle doves nesting in the eaves of the walkway, and I knew this was it,’ says Sue.
The simplicity of the building’s layout – essentially, one vast room which is used as a dining, living and sitting room, with grand fireplaces at either end – led the couple to believe it needed little more than a lick of paint. But once they had moved in, it was clear a complete overhaul was required.
And so, with Alexander overseeing the project, they set about their meticulous renovation. Floors were relaid with the addition of uneven joists to give them an authentically aged look; English oak linenfold panelling was treated to make it look antique, and new stone fireplaces, which they had carved at Jamb in London, were weathered by taking a bicycle chain to the stone. As the barn only had one bedroom, they rebuilt the old piggery, which was in the garden, so guests now have their own cottage away from the main house.
Such attention to detail is inspiring, but perhaps not surprising: Sue’s design experience stretches back across several decades. Her career in interior design began at Colefax and Fowler in the 1980s, where she learned ‘not to take no for an answer and that nothing is impossible’, she says, adding that she saw ‘houses transformed and sofas made overnight’.
Sue is now the creative director at OKA, the interiors company she founded with Annabel Astor and Lucinda Waterhouse, and her work demands that she oversees every piece introduced into the collection. ‘More and more of what we do is designed in-house to ensure worldwide exclusivity,’ she explains.
Alexander’s interest in interiors was inherited from his mother, Pandora Astor, a society beauty with a passion for doing up houses. His keen eye for design and love of architecture has ensured that the comforts of 21st-century living have been sensitively installed: radiators and light switches are all but invisible.
The couple’s home is a visual account of their lives, and everywhere one looks there are fascinating decorative antiques, such as the 17th-century dummy boards that stand either side of the fireplace (the V&A also has examples), and the walls are hung with 17th and 18th-century portraits – most notably, the nine tiny portrait panels of English and European royals c1620 that keep watch over the well-stocked drinks table. Side tables and ottomans (some of which are antiques, others are from OKA) are piled with bound early editions of English, French and Russian literature.
All year round, visitors to the barn are greeted by a splendid 16th-century sculpture of Saint Eustace on a horse. But at this time of year, Sue invariably adds a Santa hat, which sets the tone for the couple’s fun and informal approach to the season’s festivities.
Revelry begins with Sue’s birthday on the 23rd December, when they host a lavish dinner party for friends and family. The double celebration is the perfect excuse to go to town with the decorations, which Sue tends to upsize because of the barn’s unusual scale. The Christmas tree is at least 20ft tall; anything smaller would look lost beneath the barn’s vaulted ceiling, which stretches to 35ft at its highest point. OKA’s signature faux garlands are trailed along picture frames and mantelpieces, along with sprigs of holly and other winter greenery.
The same sense of abundance continues on the dining table, where huge faux phalaenopsis orchids are set within pine-cone wreaths. A bronze model of the Place Vendôme column in Paris forms a towering centrepiece. Sue’s decorative touches continue along the Roman walkway, which is filled with ivy garlands – real and faux – and lit with candles.
Sue and Alexander love to entertain, and Christmas chez Jones is filled with fine wine and feasting. There is always a splendid lunch and an excellent cocktail or two, in part because Alexander has taught all their godchildren to make a decent martini. Sue admits she has a tendency to over-cater, while Alexander, who is in charge of the drinks, has been known to invite barely-met strangers back to the house for lunch.
Although Christmas celebrations at the barn are a far cry from the building’s earliest incarnation as a pit stop for hungry centurions, that ancient spirit of hospitality clearly lives on.
