House tour of Hardcastle Towers with ideas for a cosy & characterful home

I was absolutely delighted when Joanne Hardcastle agreed to share her home with me for Reclaim magazine last year. I loved writing about her characterful property and learning about all the upcycling and interior design ideas she’s included in her gorgeous home. Plus, she’s since been featured on Interior Design Masters – so exciting and I thought she was great on the BBC show!

I first saw Joanne’s home on Instagram @hardcastletowers and couldn’t wait to write about her amazing Edwardrian home and find out exactly how she decorated the rooms with such personality. I soon learned that her beautiful interior was due to be featured in a book The Art of Home: Interior inspiration for every home.

It’s easy to see why her home has been featured in such prestigious publications over the years, as her ideas for interior design are so striking yet easy to live with. She combines vibrant and dark colours, upcycles old pieces of furniture so that nothing goes waste, and her styling details really bring character to the interior scheme.

Ever since I saw her luxurious-looking staircase, I’ve wanted to replicate the effect in my own home. The metallic risers reflect the light in the hallway to give the whole space a really cosy glow. What better way to welcome guests into your home? Joanne created this look using copper leaf and painted the bannister in chocolatey Tanner’s Brown by Farrow & Ball to contrast with the metallic finish.

In the living room, plenty of cushions and blankets really encourage you to snuggle up, while also adding a pop of personality to the peaceful green room. I love the idea of lighting candles at this time of year and settling down for an evening of reading and relaxing.

I personally love the peacock blue colour that Joanne has painted her bedroom walls and cupboards with. It makes the wardrobes disappear into the wall and it’s such a beautiful saturated hue – one of my favourite colours of all time. Blue can make a space feel really calm and restful, which is ideal for a bedroom and the shade that Joanne has used brings an opulent feel that coordinates perfectly with her inky blue upcycled furniture.

Joanne’s kitchen echoes my own – we share the same taste in white cabinets, scandi-style worktops and duckegg blue walls. Many kitchens can feel rather stark (my own included) but Joanne has managed to inject her space with life, thanks to the open shelving that displays vintage kitchenalia, jars of ingredients and pretty fairy lights. That’s certainly the way to create a cosy and welcoming feeling in a kitchen!

And finally, just how cosy does Joanne’s courtyard look? It’s such a great idea to have a fireplace outdoors and I’m definitely going to steal her idea for hanging fairylights to illuminate the space after dark!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief home tour around ‘Hardcastle Towers’ and feel inspired by Joanne’s beautiful interiors. Be sure to check out her book The Art of Home: Interior inspiration for every home and back copies of issue 63 of Reclaim magazine are still available online.

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