H
aving grown up
above her fatherâs
antiques shop the
art of arranging
and displaying antiques is second nature to
Diana Clarke. She doesnât worry about age or
provenance preferring instead to be guided by
how everything sits together. âThis is how itâs
always been for meâ she says âliving with an
endless and ever-changing mix of things trays
of stu and boxes to be sorted.â
These days however the pieces she
arranges and rearranges are much-loved
possessions rather than stock to be sold on.
Accumulated over the years some pieces
bought others inherited Diana isnât stuy or
precious about her collecting. Itâs instinctive
she explains and covers a wide range of
interests from rugs âworn to the point of
dangerâ to china; from paintings to ânice
proper furnitureâ such as the âwell-madeâ
Jacobean chest of drawers on the landing.
âI have collected throughout my life. We lived
for some time in the Far East inevitably
returning home with a container load of mixed
oriental booty.â
It is the varied mix that gives her house its
charm and relaxed atmosphere. âItâs full of
layers of stu but itâs comfortable not stiâ
she says. âYouâre not frightened of sitting on
the sofa if youâve just come in from the garden.â
And Diana who is a garden designer is very
often wandering between house and garden.
The couple moved to their home 10
years ago returning to Gloucestershire from
London in order to settle in a village they had
known and loved for many years. Looking
around the house today sun streaming inProfile
THE OWNERS Diana Clarke a garden
designer lives here with her husband Hugh a
semi-retired economist.THE PROPERTY Situated in a Gloucestershire
village the original late 18th-century cottage had
previously been enlarged by incorporating adjoining
barns and raising the roof to create a spacious
third oor. The house is wide but shallow only one
room deep with a sitting room drawing room and
kitchen/dining room on the ground oor. Above are
the bedrooms and bathrooms. The upper oor has
an additional bedroom adjacent to the large design
studio which looks on to a two-acre garden.ABOVE The two-storey
cottage in Gloucestershire
overlooks a large
enclosed garden LEFT
Diana and Hugh are keen
collectors of Chinese
ceramics. They inherited
a number of pieces
including some distinctive
blue and white ginger jars
from Hugh's grandfather
who worked in China in
the 1920s. Diana is no
purist so reproduction
pharmacistsâ jars from
Majorca as well as
modern blue and white
from Oka also ll the
shelves of this alcoveH&A SUMMER 2017 53H&A LIFESTYLE: Homes