House & Garden Magazine

This Christmas, there are few more magical places to spend the season than inside Broadwell Manor, the floral-themed Cotswolds manor house of writer and Gardeners’ World presenter Rachel de Thame. With fires roaring in the grates and the scent of paperwhites mingling with the earthy aroma of Christmas evergreens, the house feels warm and welcoming. Rachel’s intuitive approach to decorating and instinctive eye for style mean that nothing jars as foraged foliage brings the interiors to life.

‘For me, it’s about being sensitive to the place,’ she says. ‘I’m very unprecious about it. I don’t want to fight the house or impose ourselves on it, I want it to feel easy. It’s a house that needs to be lived in, scuffs and all.’ As Christmas unfolds, Rachel decorates with stems and branches gathered from the garden and countryside. ‘When it’s cold and people are hunkering down, I go out and forage from the garden and hedgerows, which gets me outside again. As I get older, I want less. Just having the foliage, that fresh greenery, brings joy.’

Discover Rachel’s wonderfully atmospheric home in our December issue, on stands from November 5, or read the full story at the link in bio now.

Photo by @dean.hearne
Words by @clarefostergardens