A new book by Cath Kidston tells the story of her beautiful rural home.

Four years ago, the Cath Kidston brand and its 200 plus shops worldwide were sold to a Hong Kong-based private equity firm for an undisclosed sum. Cath had already stepped back from the day-to-day designing and running of the business and the sale saw her leave her role as non-executive director of the company.

The shops are now struggling, which is sad for those of us who were big fans in the early glory days. Retail analysts will argue over why this business was floundering even before coronavirus but maybe there were too many stores, too many lines that rendered it too mass market and simply not enough “Cath”.

If you are wondering what she has been doing with her time and creative energy, it’s all in her new book A Place Called Home which has just been published by Pavilion. This gorgeous, hefty, 256-page hardback is devoted to the story of how she and her husband, Hugh, found, bought, renovated and decorated their Cotswold manor house.

It is a fascinating insight into Cath Kidston’s life and her style and is packed with beautiful photographs of her home. She tells of how she and Hugh found the 17th century house, aptly named Paradise, advertised for sale in Country Life.

It is now their forever home and is full of furniture and treasures that have been collected or given to them over the years. The decor is country house style with some modern twists that are mainly achieved with contemporary art. The overriding aim was to make the property feel friendly.

Her “telly room”, pictured above with the yellow sofa, is a good example. Cath describes it as a “real junk shop mix” with a lot of furniture from car boot sales in Gloucester, which is where she used to hunt for stock for her first shop.

The palette is based around the soft reds, yellow and blues in the rug, which is an anchor for the room and the walls are full of pictures that mean something to her.

What is refreshing is that, although she could clearly have afforded to start afresh with furniture and furnishings, she “enjoyed the puzzle of making use of the things I had, and the chance to move them on a bit and make them look different.”

It is this that really makes her house a home, rather than a show home. Paradise, she says, is dog and people friendly and there are a number of themes and collections running through ithe property including her passion for vintage jugs and vases. Most are from car boot sales and charity shops.

Old china is also a favourite and the patterns and paintings on it have been a big inspiration for her designs over the years. Hot water bottles, with Cath Kidston covers, of course, are also plentiful, as is “dog stuff”.

I particularly liked her tradition of having a full jar of Quality Street in her house at all times. It says a lot about her. If you’ve always loved Cath Kidston, you’ll love her a whole lot more after reading this wonderful and inspirational book.

*A Place Called Home by Cath Kidston is £30 and is published by Pavilion.

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