Inside Alexandra Tolstoy’s 18th-Century Oxfordshire Cottage | Design Notes

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 #I