“It was an Eat, Pray, Love moment for me,” says Lisa Bardas, who moved to the Cotswolds from Sydney four years ago. “I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t know anyone. I’d only been there a few times before.” After raising five children and rising to the top of Australia’s interior design industry. , the 59-year-old decorator moved across the world for his second act and found himself a member of the local creative social circle and a lover of France.
Bardas bought the four-bedroom house in the chocolate box village of Oddington, Gloucestershire, in June 2021. “It was 30 years old, but it was in pretty bad shape,” she says. “The rule of real estate is that you can buy in Dougie, but you have to buy in the right place. In fact, that’s what you want.” of someone unfamiliar with Neighbors’ dialect. To describe it, the location of her new home was great, but the decor was outdated and shabby. She especially hated the garden room. “There was a very ugly conservatory in the back, but I got rid of it. I don’t know about British conservatories. You’re either boiling hot or freezing cold.”
So what brought her to the land of Dougie sunrooms? “I had never carried a backpack. If I had that many kids, I wouldn’t be able to travel. When my oldest daughter was 28 and my youngest was 19, I could tell they were all happy. Somewhere. I thought I had to go there. I loved the look of the place and the atmosphere of the pub. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.
From left: The walls of the “masculine” bathroom are covered in French tile wallpaper from Michael S Smith’s Jasper collection for Jamb. The Fortuny fabric for the plaque is available from Claremont. lisa bardas
Boz Gagowski
In July 2020, she packed up her suitcase and stayed at an Airbnb in Churchill, Oxfordshire. “I was so lonely. I walked into my local pub, Checkers, and there were two guys sitting at the bar. I got up and said, ‘Hello, I’m Lisa. I moved here from Australia. ” he said. What I didn’t realize was that they were sending out a WhatsApp to their village group saying, “New Australian chick just moved in.” I went back a few days later and someone asked me out for Sunday lunch. Then the invitations began. Everyone I met was so kind and generous, whether it was in the pub, having a coffee at Daylesford (organic near Kingham) or just walking around. ”
Four years later, she assembled a Cotswold team of interior design luminaries. “Nicky Haslam is coming for dinner. Nicky is divine and so much fun. He was here a few weeks ago for a disco night. The first time I came here, Nina Campbell They were incredibly helpful, and so was Flora Soames. Henriette von Stockhausen and Lucy Cunningham are great friends, and I love Lulu Lytle (of Thorne Britten). There’s also Paddy O’Donnell from Farrow & Ball, Boz Gagowski, Gavin Houghton…
The antique French folding screen in the drawing room was found at Brownrigg. The ottoman is upholstered by Robert Kim.
Boz Gagowski
Work on Oddington House began in October 2022 and was completed a year later. Her priority was to create a space she would enjoy. “I always like to have a lot of people gathered together. The dining room could only fit six people as it was. I didn’t think that suited my party atmosphere. I decided to extend it from the back. The dining room extension opens onto the garden, with enough seating for a dozen people, a fireplace, and, of course, a Barbie doll. “We should have a barbecue. It rains so bad here all the time, I don’t know if we need that.” She has other plans to get through this dark month. That means hosting a supper club this fall for groups of six to 12 people. “I thought I’d got this beautiful house. I love to cook. I love to entertain people. I cook, I dance a little, and I get drunk at the end. I’ll take you home.”
Before she puts on the plaster, she has to show guests around the house, because the makeover is charming and especially pleasing to fans of British fabric and paper. On the ground floor, inspired by the greenery outside, Bardas painted the kitchen and cloakroom walls in Sybil Colefax & John Fowler Pimlico Green by Fenwick & Tilbrook. She chose Robert Kim’s “Opera Bronze” wallpaper for the rest of the kitchen and the living room walls. The intense colors are luxurious yet practical. “After giving birth to five children, I will not build a significant home. If I see a white boucle sofa again, I will die,” she says.
The kitchen is an important room for Bardus, who describes himself as a “feeder.” That’s how I show my love. ” Behind green-painted pocket doors on either side of the Lacanche range is a baking pantry and coffee station. She has been caring for five children and a laundry facility for 30 years. She believes she has invented the perfect utility. A chute runs from the private bathroom to the laundry room on the first floor, where dirty clothes emerge next to the washing machine.
From left: In the master bedroom, an antique gold leaf headboard is upholstered in Lelièvre fabric, and the wallpaper is Venetian damask from Chelsea Textiles. Pimlico green cabinetry in the kitchen is complemented by hand-painted plates from Italy and antique splashback tiles sourced from Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany.
Boz Gagowski
The master bedroom on the second floor has the most ornate interior in the house. “I like very fancy bedheads. It started with a large silk damask bedhead. The wallpaper is Venetian damask from Chelsea Textiles and the curtains are in the wonderful Susan Delis fabric. She designed a bathroom for her imaginary boyfriend. “I was embodying, “Look, if you build it, he’ll come.” I thought, “I’m going to make this a little more masculine, so that it’s his bathroom. I don’t want to share, I don’t want to do that anymore.” The wallpaper is from Michael S. Smith’s Jasper Collection, and the peach plaque above the window is Fortuny fabric with Samuel & Sons trim. Not everyone thinks about butch. But the plan worked. After completing the house, Bourdus took his 90-year-old father on a trip to Provence for a few days. “And I’m back with my boyfriend. He’s the sweetest, the best. I can’t believe he came when I was 58. We lived in Paris, at his villa in the Alps. I’m living my best life right now.”
lisaburdus.com. Dine at her house at her new supper club. Join cotswoldsupperclub.com.
