Inside a Characterful Barn Conversion in Oxfordshire

an oxfordshire barn with wooden beams, a vaulted ceiling, red chandelier, large wooden table and red painted library with a red ladder up to a mezzanine floor — (Image credit: Yellow London / Photography Matt Clayton)

This Oxfordshire barn, set in the English countryside, might have once stored farm equipment, but today it hosts family gatherings, reading afternoons, and the occasional sleepover.

Tasked with creating the ultimate party barn, rather than turning the former agricultural building into a bar-first entertaining zone, designers Cath Beckett and Liv Wallers from British interior design studio Yellow London, transformed it into a vibrant retreat centered around a library – complete with a bright red ladder.

Set across the yard from the clients’ main house, the standalone structure was reimagined as a warm, characterful, hosting space that balances bold pattern, playful details, and extremely thoughtful spatial planning.

The barn sits just across the yard from the clients’ main house design, a period property of the same era that Yellow London had also worked on previously.

'The barn is located in the Oxfordshire countryside, and the rural setting played an important role in the design,' Cath explains. 'The addition of large glass doors on both sides of the barn allows natural light to fill the space and connects the interior to the surrounding landscape views.'

Working on both the main house and the standalone barn also gave the designers a rare opportunity. While the home features layered color and pattern of its own, the barn became the place to push those ideas further: 'I would say we went bolder in the barn for sure, but they also liked the use of color and pattern throughout the main house as well.'

a rustic beamed barn converstion with a large wooden table, red joinery, patterned sofa and two red armchairs — The main entertaining area is flanked by large glass doors to let the light and landscape flood in as part of the design scheme.

'The clients were looking for a versatile space specifically designed for entertaining – somewhere they could gather extended family at Christmas, retire to with friends, or escape to for quiet reading moments, as well as being a playful hideaway for children,' she continues.

'The brief required a space that could transition seamlessly from day to night whilst celebrating the building’s original architectural features.'

When the design duo first got their hands on the building, it was filled with farm equipment and remnants of its working past, but was rich in promise thanks to its soaring height and original beamed ceiling.

a rustic beamed barn conversation with a red and blue model plane hanging from the ceiling, a black and white landscape framed photo, and two red armchairs — In the sitting area, these petite armchairs are covered in a red velvet fabric by Colefax & Fowler, upholstered by David Seyfried.

Instead of stripping it back, the designers leaned into those 'wonderful bones', using the structure itself as a starting point for the design.

'When we were first brought on, the barn was largely derelict and filled with old farm equipment and materials,' Cath explains. 'Structurally, however, it had strong architectural features, including exposed beams and generous ceiling height. We saw clear potential to retain that character while adapting the space for modern family life.'

'The intention was to respect its agricultural origins while giving it a new, practical purpose.'

a converted barn with rustic ceiling beams, a panelled red painted entryway with a red curtain — As you enter the barn, you're greeted by a dramatic red velvet curtain that softens the space and reflects the red of the joinery in the space.

Inspired by the original structure of the barn, its rural setting, and the scale of the space, Cath and Liv decided instead of 'fighting that character, we leaned into it and layered in color and pattern to give it a more contemporary, family-focused feel.'

Before you even set foot into the barn, a theatrical threshold sets the tone. 'Rather than installing a conventional door to open into the barn, we specified a heavy velvet curtain, heightening the sense of theatre when moving between spaces,' says Cath.

And the drama doesn't end there.

At the center of the scheme lies the main entertaining floor, where color, pattern, and grand scale work together to create a space designed as much for gathering as it is for unwinding. The room’s bespoke joinery steals much of the thunder, painted in a confident, unexpected red.

a rustic beamed barn conversion with a fireplace, vintage windmill, patterned sofa and two red armchairs — The vibrant sofa, upholstered in GP&J Baker's Nympheus fabric set the cogs in motion for the palette for the entire space.

But while it might feel rather unexpected in such a historic setting, the red paint was not chosen in isolation.

'The GP&J Baker fabric on the statement sofa was our starting point for the color palette,' says Cath. 'From there, the room’s color scheme was layered through various patterns and textures, including the bespoke joinery, which was painted in a rich red hue drawn from the shades featured in the sofa.'

'The red joinery was a bold move, but it has grounded the scheme beautifully and given the room real personality.'

a rustic beamed barn conversation with bespoke red painted bookcase joinery, a loft ladder, and a striped yellow armchair — The barn's bespoke bookcases and ladder are painted in Theatre Red by Little Greene, a sophisticated burgundy that adds vibrancy and romance in equal measure.

The room’s library-style joinery, complete with a bold ladder, forms the anchor of the entertaining space. But rather than overwhelming the architecture, the saturated tone brings warmth to the barn’s expansive proportions and draws the eye upward toward the hidden mezzanine.

'The clients knew they wanted to accentuate the beams to maintain the character of the space, and they had the great idea to create a mezzanine level which established both practical storage and an elevated ‘secret’ area that functions as a study and children’s bunk room,' she explains.

a rustic beamed barn conversation with bespoke library style joinery, a red loft ladder and two yellow striped armchairs — Providing the perfect nook to curl up with a good book, these armchairs are upholstered in a yellow Balcony Stripe fabric by Nicky Haslam at Turnell and Gigon.

Crucially, the layout prioritizes flexibility, ensuring the barn can comfortably host everything from raucous gatherings to quieter evenings.

'A key theme was flexibility. We wanted the barn to feel adaptable so it could shift easily between different uses, from entertaining to everyday family life,' Cath explains. 'That informed the layout, the mezzanine addition, and the mix of generous seating areas.'

Accessed by a classic library ladder, the loft feels intentionally tucked away, like a hidden den carved into the rafters.

'The best view of the barn is looking down from the mezzanine,' she adds. 'From there, you can appreciate the height of the ceilings, the color throughout the furnishings, and the personal touches. This also allows you to see the large glass doors on either side of the barn, which capture valley views and flood the interior with natural light.'

a rustic barn conversation with two red chandelier and a large wooden table — To break up all the wood tones in the space, Cath and Liv repurposed old cartwheels found in the barn's inventory of farm materials and transformed them into unique chandeliers.

Instead of sourcing new fixtures, the designers turned to what was already on site, discovering old cartwheels among the leftover farm materials and reimagining them as chandeliers to playful effect.

'We got them electrified and sprayed in the eye-catching red paint to match the joinery, which makes them feel fun and modern,' Cath explains.

'The scale of the space, especially the height of the ceilings, meant that we had freedom with the size of the furniture we chose and the layout. This also meant we could prioritise pattern and color without worrying to much about the room feeling cramped or overwhelmed.'

a rustic beamed barn with a shelf displaying a vintage windmill — The contemporary artwork in the space provides a welcome departure from all the rusticity and the whimsical oddities such as the antique windmill. 'We aim for our interiors to feel specific to their location and owners,' says Cath.

Beyond the larger architectural features, it’s the smaller, more whimsical elements that truly bring this party barn to life.

'We incorporated several whimsical touches throughout the design, namely an antique windmill positioned in the corner as a playful reference to the property’s location at the bottom of the valley below the famous windmill from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,' says Cath.

Moments like this run throughout the space, softening the rustic nature of the architecture and preventing the design from ever feeling too serious.

'We hope people feel welcomed by the playful design of the space,' she adds. 'Whether entering for a party, family game night, or quiet afternoon in, the space is designed to make you feel at home and comfortable.'

a rustic beamed barn with red armchairs, a fireplace, a large framed map and a red and blue model plane suspended from the ceiling — Scatter cushions covered in fabric by Ottoline sit on the red armchairs, vintage rugs add softness and patina, while the wood-burning stove becomes the ultimate centerpiece to gather around.

In the end, what makes this barn project so compelling isn’t any single design decision, but the feeling it leaves you with. More than simply a converted outbuilding, it reads as a place with its own identity: colorful, inviting, warm, and designed for living in as much as hosting.

'The barn presents a warm, lived-in aesthetic that highlights comfort and personality,' says Cath. 'It’s a colorful and characterful space that invites use at any hour for any member of the family.'

It's hard to believe this characterful space was once a forgotten farm building. Whether filled with guests or enjoyed quietly with a book in hand, in the hands of Yellow London, this playful party barn now blends its rustic history with color and imagination.

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Charlotte is the style and trends editor at Homes and Gardens and has been with the team since Christmas 2023. Following a 5 year career in Fashion, she has worked at many women's glossy magazines including Grazia, Stylist, and Hello!, and as Interiors Editor for British heritage department store Liberty. Her role at H&G fuses her love of style with her passion for interior design, and she is currently undergoing her second home renovation - you can follow her journey over on @olbyhome