Aintree

Aintree was once a stable, but is now more country house than cottage, let alone stable. The front door opens into a lofty drawing room, large, handsome and rather grand, with pictures, 18th century engravings, table lamps, books and flowers, and walls stencilled by Jocasta Innes, green-on-green in a fern pattern. There’s a vast, down-cushioned Howard sofa in ochre violet; a small buttoned Victorian sofa in a subtle green Lelievre velvet and a big comfortable armchair. More seating – the club fender in front of the open fire, and a big ottoman. A tall George III secretaire is on the left of fireplace next to the French windows to the terrace, and at the back of the room a big pale wood art nouveau sideboard is full of toys & board games. (Another treat for the children is the den under the stairs with its own door, and inside, dressing up clothes, more toys and a cooker). It is strictly out of bounds to all grown ups. Opening out of this room, and facing west through the French doors to its own trellised arbour, is the oak beamed kitchen and dining room, floored in pale apricot terracotta. The walls are white, the units are pea green with brass handles, and there’s a handsome Irish antique pine dresser, carrying an appealing display of blue-and-white china. The round pine pedestal dining table has chairs with cushions in a Colefax and Fowler trailing fuchsia fabric, olive and cream, to match the curtains. On the working side of the kitchen there’s an impressive US style side-by-side fridge-freezer, hob, and oven, dishwasher, plate rack, microwave, Belfast sink and washer/dryer.

A flight of stairs, heads up from the drawing room to the gallery. On the right is the master bedroom, big, airy and dominated by a magnificent mahogany four-poster bed, hung in indigo-and-white patterned Ralph Lauren cotton with a matching quilt. The buff of the walls is set off by thick cream cotton damask curtains. Two blue velvet Victorian chairs (really comfortable) sit on either side of the small round table. The ensuite bathroom has a power shower over the bath, and a huge limestone topped washstand with a cool, conical limestone basin on top. There is, as usual, a shaving point and a heated towel-rail.  To the left of the staircase are the two twin rooms and their shared bathroom, one is wallpapered in a subtle ivory and cream, with black painted Victorian beds, and a black dressing table and chair: the other has brass beds, a green and white toile de jouy wallpaper and a chest of drawers painted in the same green and white pattern. Their bathroom has a marble-topped washstand and a bath with power shower over it.