At Home with Bee Osborn

As part of our journal stories we invite thoughtful and inspiring creatives to share their story of home. From town, to countryside or coast, homes are a reflection of our lives, a source of comfort which connect us to special memories, stories and people. Although each story is different, home is at the heart of every one. 

Our next story brings us to a picturesque Cotswolds village where we visit interior designer Bee Osborn at her Oxfordshire home. The Old Bakery, Bee’s period cottage, dating from the 1500s is steeped in history and has been thoughtfully restored and curated throughout. Her signature style of natural materials and calm, neutral colour palettes has culminated in an elegant and inviting home that exudes warmth and comfort.  

Bee’s sensitive approach to retaining original features and also introducing natural materials such as lime plaster and wooden cladding, adds character and interest to her home. Her spaces are not only aesthetically beautiful but also functional and enduring. Imbued with stories and memory markers of people and places that she loves, Bee’s home is a personal expression of her affinity with home.

We do hope that you enjoy Bee’s wonderful story of home.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I started buying and selling houses, as a means to support my two young daughters following a divorce. I was then asked to do the interior design on a friend’s houses, which started my journey. To help with my lack of confidence I trained at The Inchbald School of Design which then gave me the courage to set up my own business. I remember the fear though, when I was asked to do my first hotel project, but I’m so glad I overcame it as it not only made me grow so much as a person but also taught me so much about the importance of creating interiors ‘on time, on budget’. 

2. Where do you call home and what is it like?

Home is definitely in my cottage in the Cotswolds by the fire, surrounded by my children. I have had quite a turbulent life and so tend to create interiors that are cosy and comforting.

3. What does home mean to you?

Home means a place that nurtures and restores.  Somewhere safe where you can be yourself and relax.

4. How would you describe your aesthetic and style?

Calm & comfortable, neutral colours with loads of textures thrown in for added interest. I’m obsessed with lighting as it’s so mood evoking and tend to go for warm, pockets of light to create a cosy atmosphere.

5. Which is your favourite room in your home and why?

The bedroom in the old cottage because it’s so full of character and the reason for buying the cottage in the first place.  However planning was so difficult regarding this room and it caused a huge amount of stress, so to see it completed now is a dream come true.

6. How do you choose what to bring into your home?

Things that really resonate with me, as a rule of thumb I never use things that are in fashion or on trend, but things I absolutely love, so they stand the test of time.

7. Where do you find inspiration for your home?

I am so curious and am always out and about.  I find everything inspiring, from the bark of a tree, to details on joinery in a hotel bar, I take an incessant amont of photos!

8. Who do you most admire for their sense of style, ethos and aesthetics?

Carole Bamford as we have a similar style of neutral interiors, inspired by nature.  I also love her ethos of ‘giving back’ and her attention to sustainabilty.

To see more of Bee’s design work, follow @osborninteriors or visit osborninteriors.com. Bee’s homes and projects are also featured in various publications including Create, by Ali Heath and At Home in the Cotswolds, by Katie Campbell.

Photography: Mark Nicholson via Osborn Interiors