As Louise Roe is hunkering down at home to watch The Holiday this Christmas, she won’t be pining after a slice of country idyll. That’s because five years ago, on returning to the UK after a decade in Los Angeles, the broadcaster and homewares entrepreneur landed in rural Buckinghamshire. Together with her television director husband, Mackenzie Hunkin, they set about restoring a beautiful Georgian rectory. It was a short-lived spell which lasted just 18 months before they were on the move again.
“I don’t regret it at all, because we had the loveliest experience and space for lockdown, but it made us sure that we wanted to be in London,” Roe explains.
Missing the ease of access to the amenities, transport and culture which they’d enjoyed in LA, the move was made easier by the sudden surge in demand for turnkey properties in the Home Counties. “We were like salmons coming upstream,” she says regarding the Londoners scrambling out to the sticks. Home is now a Victorian semi in a “villagey” part of south-west London. While the garden is smaller than that of the rectory, the square-footage of the house is almost the same, but spread vertically as opposed to laterally.
Being back in the capital has given her a boost: “I’ve got a nerdy list of places to go to that I’ve barely scratched the surface of. I love that there’s always something more to go and discover — the people, the restaurants, the history — you can’t beat it.”
Long-time followers of Roe’s decor-centric Instagram account (@louiseroehome) will recall that the overhaul of the house back in 2021 was a speedy affair. With colour wheels still fresh in her mind and a wealth of recently sourced antiques, the process was instinctive.
“It wasn’t a case of copy and paste, because it’s a completely different house, but there were instances where I elongated our existing curtains and hung them in a new room.” It was also expedited by being heavily pregnant: “Checking in on the builders with a huge bump definitely applies pressure,” she laughs. Besides, it was a top-to-toe cosmetic job as opposed to a gut renovation. Light fittings and floors were updated, with elegant parquet chosen for downstairs. The kitchen cabinets were sanded back and painted navy, and a large island was added to suit modern family life.
The living room, painted in warming Sang de Boeuf by Edward Bulmer, typifies Roe’s predilection for a cosy and traditional approach to decorating. By the sofa is a scallop-edged drinks trolley found at an antiques fair at Alexandra Palace which had been wrapped up for 50 years and discovered in the barn of an old farmhouse. “I love those sorts of stories,” says Roe.
Well-stocked bar carts are a recurring feature. “When you walk into a space that has one, it gives a nice feel of, ‘We’re here to welcome you, pour yourself a drink,’” she says. Her current tipple of choice? “I’ve recently got into vermouth on the rocks with a slice of orange.”
Her most cherished furniture find is a tall, centuries-old mahogany secretaire which commands a living room alcove. “I use it everyday as my desk. It’s not hugely practical as there’s not much space, but I feel very inspired sitting here,” she says.
She has such a soft spot for antiques that embarking on another renovation wouldn’t phase her. “We’re not moving — just in case my husband’s reading this! But I’m itching to do another house because there are so many things that catch my eye… I always think about how I could style them.”
When you walk into a space with a bar cart, it says, ‘We’re here to welcome you, pour yourself a drink’
Lucky then, that Roe gets to design and style interiors in the name of work. Three years ago she launched Sharland England, a brand centred on unique, handmade pieces. Named after her great-grandmother, a bon viveur named Marjorie Sharland who lived in Buenos Aires, it spans small accessories such as vases and candleholders, tableware and linen, to more substantial rattan consoles and outdoor furniture sets. A bestseller is the Hadley tray (£185), a wiggly rattan design with woven handles intended to elevate breakfast in bed or, as Roe’s ottoman attests, provide a chic surface for flowers and books.
Finding specialist makers from Puglia to Indonesia and managing distribution logistics has proved a sharp career pivot from fashion reporting. But it has proved wildly popular: three-quarters of Sharland’s customer base is in the US, where a monied clientele (often with multiple homes) snap up Roe’s distillation of quintessentially English style.
Next year she will travel to Palm Beach and then California to promote the brand, and there is talk of a collaboration with a large retailer which is still under wraps. “I really appreciate the fact that my generation is able to have a change,” she says of her new creative outlet.
Fully decked out for Christmas, this year Roe’s tree is topped with a giant harlequin bow from Projektityyny and charming rattan bells from her own brand. “Each year I try to update the scheme without buying a whole new set of decorations,” she says. So earlier in the month she got crafty with her two young daughters; soaking hole-punched playing cards in tea to age them and threading through ribbon made for a fun (and on-brand) DIY addition. This year the family will attend a carol service with local friends on Christmas Eve — “I actually prefer it to Christmas Day, it’s all about the anticipation” — and then head out for a walk on the morning of the 25th.
Despite being an authority on tablescaping and cupboards groaning with chic serveware, Roe is quite happy to pass on the hosting this time. “My goal is to chill out and catch up on all my interiors books and magazines that have been stacking up. My most inspiring time is when I let my mind rest a little bit. I find that’s when the ideas come.”
