Inside Alexandra Tolstoy’s 18th-Century Oxfordshire Cottage | Design Notes
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2023
- Alexandra Tolstoy welcomes us into her Oxfordshire cottage. ‘Coming here, even now, is like stepping into a fairytale… It’s just so different from ordinary life,’ says the British adventurer. Liberally bedecked with chintz, Staffordshire pottery, embroidery samplers, lustreware and willow-pattern ceramics, it could easily be the ur-cottage of all English cottages. Yet in many ways it is supremely practical-very much a ‘dogs on the bed, children running in and out of the garden in wellies’ house-and also incredibly personal, scattered with the artefacts of a life spent adventuring in Russia and Central Asia.
The true joy of the cottage, for Alexandra, is that it comes alive in every season. ‘The summer is all about walking and tea in the garden, but in the winter we can light fires and cram everyone round the table for supper.’ Watch the full episode of ‘Design Notes’ as we tour Alexandra Tolstoy’s charming cottage, tucked away in the English countryside.
#AlexandraTolstoy #EnglishCottage #InteriorDesign #DesignNotes
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I genuinely like her, she's a strong mother and an overcomer. I am often so inspired by how she is with her middle son who is a lot like mine, encouraging him to be creative and make things and hang down from everywhere, what a beautiful childhood she is writing for all her lovely children. xx
"decoration should always come first" I love it
Totally agree.
Love its informality, bright colours and the fact the cottage is full of old things.
More English cottage videos, please! I adore them.
I've followed this ladies' house journey spanning different locations . Glad she is settled and enjoying her new utopia! The house is perfect to be renamed " home"!
Is this her main home or a secondary? I'm thinking it's the summer getaway from the city?
@@paulajf4205she rents it out as an air BnB almost year round 😂
If you followed her house journey you will know that she had this cottage from the beginning and only is there for a few weeks a year. Her main residence is still in London.
Her London home is also on Design Notes, approx 2yrs ago. Just as fascinating and eclectic, a wonderful mix of global yet very English. She really has an artist's eye and touch.
her info please if you have it for the adventures
It's so charming and so "shabby chic". But don't be fooled. There's A LOT of money in that cottage.
How could anyone think otherwise?
@leadoucet1432 I think for the untrained eye this house looks "quaint" but it actually is worth a lot of money, both for the value of the house itself and the items inside
Yes, it’s a big farmhouse. I live in a cottage in Oxfordshire and the rooms are way smaller.
Yes, absolutely, it’s a farmhouse, which may have a smaller cottage adjoined. I grew up somewhere very similar.
I wouldn’t say there’s heaps of money put into the interior, but it all looks high quality and sympathetically thought through. It’s a charming house.
She had bespoke fabric printed for the armchair in her bedroom. Can’t imagine what that costs.
This home is beyond perfect. I simply adore everything about it.
The location of that cottage is beautiful and I can imagine it's a lovely space to allow children's imaginations to run wild. I do find that the mish mash of patterns in the furnishings and decorative items is more distracting than calming for my taste. Old English cottages tend to be a bit claustrophobic with the low ceilings and small rooms, but to each their own and Alexandra and her family love it. Thank you for sharing with all of us.
What a wonderful treat! Alexandra is one of my absolute favorites. The cottage is pure magic. ❤ Beautiful and inspiring. Thank you, loved it.
I have seen your many homes, this one is you & suited to your beautiful pieces. You are a remarkable lady that is so revered 🙏🏻🥰🇬🇧xx
What a nice place for her children to grow up in this cottage! It’s lovely!
Can you imagine 3 pre teen /teenagers sharing that bedroom year round... you know they're at boarding school and only spend a few weeks of summer here at best 😂
@@rocklobstah1876100% this, she says “when then children are here” I.e. they’re safely packed off to boarding school 😂
They’re not in boarding school. They all live in London, in a rental. This is a holiday home. But even for a holiday home the girl needs her own space. The two boys can share but the girl needs her privacy.
@@Eugenie-df1tcHopfully this time they're safely away from wierd photoghers wanting them naked.
@selmahare you'd be surprised how many parents don't understand this and just have lots of children without changing the house for their needs..
Very much storybook charm.
Just darling. What a lovely place to make memories. That cottage will be the comfort/safe place for her children for the rest of their lives.
Her attire, from head to toe, is my idea of sartorial perfection. Lilac is my soulmate in color form. Her dress, either vintage or utterly vintage-inspired is lovely. I adore her mary-janes as well! Such an inspiring Home she has cultivated. 🖤
I started to watch and realized I need more time, so I’ll watch it again later after work.
I just love her style.
Oh what a heartachingly gorgeous property. Beautifully situated in the landscape, with a charming garden but most gratifying of all is how lovingly and intelligently restored and decorated it is. I loved this upload. Thank you so much for sharing this with us all. The most quintessential English country cottage which looks so easy to emulate or recreate but really isn't. Exquisite.
Well, it IS, but she has a lot of unusual Russian/European stuff which makes her collections unique.
@@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293 Good for you!
What a beautiful and comfortable home. The furnishings are just perfect for a country cottage. Thank you so much for sharing.
I love this woman she is a legend!
What a dream home. Simply beautiful. 💜😊🏡
This is so sweet. Almost a replica of my Granny Nain's cottage I spent every weekend visiting as a child. Thank you for sharing x
Lucky you, sounds like heaven.
What a wonderful cottage! I love it! I'm certain I will watch this video over and over again.😍
How utterly charming in every way ❤
Enchanting home, and I so appreciate that she mentioned “English Cottage Interiors”. I bought it based on her recommendation and it’s amazing!
Love this cottage!
Lovely house and garden. 😊
Love love love it.
Simply fabulous 🇬🇧
A visual delight.
This is why I want to visit England
Tolstoy interiors are always the BEST
Her daughter seems so lovely 😍 🎂 Really a beautiful home 🏡
Love this way of decorating
What a gorgeous cottage! Loved it!
Love this home and all the lovely antiques.
The is absolutely beautiful! Every single inch! Inside and out. Thanks for sharing.❤
I love your cottage and the garden - so beautiful ❤
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
Love this cottage.
Só cozy and beautiful. I’m in odd how sparkly clean everything is ❤
She's cool 😎and her cottage is so lovely ♥
What a beautiful home, looks straight out of a 1940’s illustrated book.
Such cool style. If you are interested , google her and see how she's been debanked in an Orwellian Nightmare type situation. Glad she's speaking out about it and I hope she will have justice.
This story needs to be huge and people should fight and protest against the evil monsters who act as if the whole world is theirs and we are their slaves. Thank you for bringing this story to our attention, haven't heard about it before.
It was truly terrible and an abuse of power. From memory, the bank closed her account and held her money, ignoring her pleas that she had children and had to put food on the table.
I feel sorry for Alexandria and the children it must of been a very scary experience for them.
But, Nobody needs £15 billion, (that money came from normal Russian citizens) just because Russia is corrupt doesn’t mean the IIB wasn’t embezzling.
Mmmm.
An absolutely cosy & charming cottage… I simply love it! I find Alexandra so very interesting….❤
Love the inside and out.
Wonderful, beautiful beautiful interiors! I Love AT!
Lovely video- have watched it so many times because it’s such an inspiration, so positive, home-centred and English. Please make some more!
Such a charming cottage- a perfect size!
I love every square inch of her property. That is the perfect cottage/gardens
What a adorable English Cottage!! 😀💖
Lovely home. Thanks for your virtual hospitality, you're a lovely Hostess
What a dream home!
Lovely 😊
😍 Love her, adore everything she does. Does she have a book yet?
I’d buy her design book in a heartbeat if she had one.
I completely adore Ms Tolstoy! So hoping she releases both a memoir and a design book.
I absolutely love the colour palette here
Beautiful home🎀
Perfection!❤
I love this it’s like I am back in time 💜
Could I come and be your ‘official Duster person’? Lovely environment you’ve created, hopefully there is adequate heating, romantic old cottages are one thing, but I dont really want to freeze!!
The Aga she has could heat a chateau. She's not the type to skimp on comfort. But it's just their holiday home.
You can really see and feel how classic this house is. ✨😍
I love the Straw Flower blue and white dishes.😊
So beautiful 😊
Cute little tiny space !!
Beautiful ❤
Such a cute cottage ❣️🌹
LOVE IT
A beautiful dream❤
Thank you for restoring and not modernising and when I moved into my Grade II listed property there were no deeds and modernisation had taken place but I had the beams and the curved ceiling on the stairs and the brick fireplace had been left downstairs and I set about making it older :-) There are more beams upstairs but the doors had been taken out. I did have that book but gave it away but it really is lovely. You have exquisite taste and I love your beautiful home and I wish there were more people like you.
so lovely🎉
That was idyllic and lovely.
I’m amazed that she crams all her children into the tiny second bedroom and keeps the large bedroom and a workroom all to herself.
There are 3 bedrooms upstairs at least... The girl sleeps in another bedroom... There are photos and an article about her cottage if you want to know. But if it was only that bedroom for the three, it's a vacation house anyway... People don't have nothing more to say this days! A beautifull cottage it is and decorated with a good taste indeed! :)
What lends this cottage it’s charm, is that is isn’t styled to look lived in and child friendly, it IS lived in and set up for family life.
Lovely house.
It is soooo beautyful ❤❤❤
Love your dresses and outfits.
Lovely cottage
Loved this. On your recommendation I bought a copy of ‘English Cottage Interiors’ (on ebay) as recommended by you and it’s a gem. A ‘timecapsule’ from the 1980’s! So enjoyable. Alas currently out on loan!
Thank you
Pretty garden, cluttered house.
Hmm based on the air bnb availability to rent this cottage she doesn't really live here?
I feel like most of these house tours are just discreetly shilling rental properties.
Boardingschool, Kirgistan, sourcing antiques, London home, no they dont "live" there.
She lives in London, in a rental. She rents the cottage for most of the year and just uses it for holidays.
They don’t live here, what a waste don’t understand renting out such a beautiful house, it is not a home
sublime
The quintessential English cottage!
Her dress ❤
Utterly charming and wholesome
Hermoso Hogar lleno de cosas bellas y muy cálido ...ideal para ser feliz ..💜💜💜💜💜💜🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸😘😘😘😘
Happy to see she's doing well. Just saw Married to a Hunted Russian Billionaire. What a tough lady.
My kinda home❣️🌸
Who else is reminded of Harry Enfield's I saw you coming, sketches.
Beautiful, lovely, quaint, homely. 😊 not sure the decor is all aligned with my style but it is sweet nonetheless.
That’s perfectly charming.
Eu conheci esta casa "linda" com o canal do UA-cam de Kirsten & Joerg...os dois são magníficos em descobrir lugares encantadores como esse. Foi muito bom rever toda essa beleza. Rio de Janeiro - Brasil.🏡
i love this. her house looks like a nancy meyers film
This is why I am an Anglophile. Is it harder to find people who know how to do cozy country in the US? Or do we just have more mediocre decorators in the US? I am not sure. Perhaps it's the fact that smallish, semi affordable , wonky country places with low ceilings with gorgeous surroundings are really really hard to find in America. PLEASE Britain, preserve what you have! 🙂🙂❤️💯✨️
Semi affordable?? You can’t be serious.
I can assure you property prices - even ‘smallish’ ones are costly in the UK. I too live in Oxfordshire and cottages like this - ‘wonky’ or otherwise are very, very, expensive. Like for like, the house prices in the US are way cheaper than in the UK.
I live in Bridgton Maine. Back in 1993 I bought a half cape little house for $680.00. The foot print of the house is 18'x 24' with a kitchen ell that I built which is 15'x20'. I took it apart piece by piece labeling everything. I put it back together just as I found it, nothing was thrown away. I also moved the split granite foundation which the house is sitting on now.
I have filled this little house with furniture I have made as well as things that I have bought at yard sales, junk shops, our local dump and things that people have given to me.
I am an antique furniture restorer of 18th and early 19th century and I am a cabinet maker (furniture maker).
When people come to my small house they are shocked by the interior. It is arrange with handmade things that have color and form. It is very similar to Alexandra's home. Many people will say it has a feeling that is warm and inviting.
The house and workshop were built on a half a shoe string, but if you set your mind on something you can make anything happen.
Gorgeous but expensive! Huge amounts have been spent here. Exquisite taste though.
LOVE❤
7:59 I finally, you might like it’s so beautiful❤❤
Love it! What kind of puppy? He's so cute!
Looks like a standard size yorkshire terrier.
Delicious...
Does anyone know what label is her daughter’s dress - it’s superb❣️
👌👌👌
this enchanted place seems to come out of a Jane Austen's book ......