Soane Britain’s Lulu Lytle Designs a Piece of Family History in the English Countryside
Soane Britain co-founder Lulu Lytle is quite an accomplished design world doyenne, saving her country’s rattan traditions from near extinction, pursuing a sustainability-first approach to luxury interiors, and boasting a client roster that includes pop culture and actual royalty alike.
However, one of Lytle’s proudest achievements to date was adorning her parents’ new home to help them comfortably (and chicly) age in place surrounded by the pieces and people they love most. This move was a major feat in multiple ways, as her family’s property is part of an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) that has incredibly strict planning protections, it required a physical demand on her elderly parents, and the family had to pack up a home filled with some of their fondest memories.
“My parents were downsizing from a Georgian rectory they had lived in for decades, and it is the house I most remember from my childhood—I even got married in it,” says Lytle. “But it’s not just physically taxing sorting through attics and cupboards and boxes. There was a more significant emotional heft required to get you through that, making it a particularly poignant project for me that really couldn’t get any more personal than designing my own home.”
The beautiful thing about this project was that it became a greatest hits collection of sorts, as Lytle pulled all her parents’ absolute favorite furnishings, paintings, and decor to adorn this new dwelling that was built atop the property’s charming but decrepit stables. Lytle’s parents sought renowned classical architect Anthony Paine to construct a home that would not only comply with the rigorous AONB demands, but also look like it's always existed alongside the main house.
Her father also went to great lengths to ensure the continuity of the two side-by-side houses. Lytle saw her role—as she does with curating Soane’s showrooms and designing its products—as creating an overall vision that would achieve an atmosphere fit for the way her parents love to live.
“It was initially important to consider furniture layouts, and we were in the lucky position that the furnishings nearly all existed already, and we already knew which sofas, bedside tables, and lighting were coming with them,” says Lytle. “Being my parents, I know so well how they use a space and the things that really matter to them, and that really drove things.”
For example, it was important to bring in lots of task and soft, atmospheric lighting in order for her parents to best enjoy reading wherever they are in the home. A desk sits behind a sofa in the light-drenched living space that both her mother and father gravitate to for paperwork and catching up on correspondence.
The kitchen acts as the architectural heart of the home, residing between the hall, drawing room, mother’s bedroom, and a lovely breakfast terrace. While her father is working away on his next culinary experiment, he can feel connected to his four daughters gathering in the drawing room, a grandchild coming through the hall, and his wife starting her day.
“It’s a house where you never feel far away from someone—the space feels very comfortable and contained but not pinched,” Lytle says. “Everything breathes well, but you never really feel too alone, which I suspect when you’re older really matters.”
Each room is filled with 18th- and 19th-century country house furniture, along with early Soane pieces (some of which received new life with a fresh slipcover or two), and Lytle worked from there to come up with colors and schemes based on her parents’ favorite fabrics.
She says her mother instilled a “buy once, buy well” philosophy in her children and is living proof of that notion: Most of the pieces in the home have been collected since the beginning of the couple’s 62-year marriage. Lytle notes that restoration always offers more value than replacement, so it was natural that they would avoid purchasing new pieces when possible.
“It couldn’t have been lovelier to work with my parents on bringing their new home to life, especially when I can attribute so much of what I love from my mother,” says Lytle. “We share a similar philosophy on what we love about the home and I have so many memories poking around antique shops and country homes and going to auctions and estate sales as a young girl. And she’s always loved color.”
The day her parents were planning to move in, Lytle and her three sisters rushed to get it ready for a seamless transition, adorning the bedside tables and vanities with favorite photos and mementos, then marking the celebration with dinner and drinks by the fire. After the festivities, her parents breezily returned to their new yet familial sleeping quarters that marked a comfortable beginning to this new chapter in their lives.
“It has actually been incredibly uplifting seeing them live in the house,” Lytle says. “I just think that the very nature of the fact that they moved in with all of their best-loved things: their paintings, books, mirrors, and chairs, felt uncontrived and just felt right.”
Hallway
The walls are clad in Soane's new Mawar pattern, a collaboration with portrait painter and friend Charlotte Johnstone (the artwork is also by her). The rug and chair are antiques.
Cloakroom
In keeping with the feeling that the house has existed on the property for generations, Lytle found an Arts & Crafts washstand from Cheffins Auction House that features stunning gilded and painted panels behind glass. The Scrolling Fern wallpaper is one of Soane's most iconic designs.
Kitchen
The floor is covered in a rush carpet from Rush Matters while an early 19th-century Scottish painted pine kitchen cabinet lines the walls. A pair of Soane's Rise and Fall Hanging Lights ensures there's plenty of task lighting for the day's tasks as well as for soft, ambient light come dinner time.
Pantry and Laundry
This multi-purpose space is as pretty as it is functional, thanks to the addition of Soane's Wilton Vine fabric to conceal the appliances. The antique wicker baskets have been collected by Lytle's parents over decades.
Mother's Bedroom
Lytle's mother, Susie, has a penchant for the brand's dreamy Dianthus Chintz pattern that cocoons the room. The Soane lamps are essential for supporting her nighttime reading habits.
Father's Bedroom
Lytle's father, John, especially loves the designs from Soane's collaboration with Karun Thakar. His bedroom features the Coromandel Tulip and Jasmine & Frangipani. The brand's scallop hanging light was made entirely by hand by Sheffield silversmiths.
Father's Bathroom & Dressing Room
Lytle knew she wanted to design around the beautiful window architect Anthony Paine designed, employing Soane's spider web blind for privacy without obscuring the feature. The wall lights are bespoke from the brand with mirrored wallplates and the Moonback chair infuses a sense of comfort.
Drawing Room
This cozy corner features an antique Westmoreland stone chimney piece found by collaborator Daniele Iozzia. Soane's Bunny Sofa was reupholstered in the brand's Roses fabric and the ottoman in Reynolds Stripe. The painting is a family-favorite antique.
Drawing Room
The rug is a long-loved find from Gallery Yacou. The side table is Soane.
Garden Room
Soane Britain's Scrolling Acanthus fabric envelops the room with a fresh coziness intended to blur the lines between the interiors and courtyard. The Rattan Neith Centre Table is also from the brand.
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