It’s no secret that I love a country house and one of my all-time favourites is Charleston in Sussex – the home of Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. I’m fascinated by the group of artists and writers who gathered there – the work they produced and the lives they chose to live – and I’ve been inspired to bring a little bit of Bloomsbury to our home, Mulberry Cottage.

I thought I’d start small – with a bookcase I bought on eBay which came in a very dull wood-veneer. However, there was some lovely detailing which I knew would come alive with some paint and a little bit of distressing.

The husband isn’t too sure about the green but it was a favourite colour at Charleston and was also used at Virginia Woolf’s home, Monk’s House. And I love it! But he’s now a little anxious as I walk around the house looking for more things to paint …