There's something incredibly satisfying about finding the final pieces that make a room feel complete.
As the founder of Skudaboo, I spend a lot of my time helping people find artwork that reflects their personality and makes their home feel more like them. Skudaboo is an independent online art gallery and homeware shop, curating artwork from independent artists alongside carefully chosen vintage-inspired pieces that help turn houses into homes.
One of the projects I've recently had the pleasure of working on was a beautiful manor house renovation in the Cotswolds alongside Georgie from G&Co Interiors, a Bristol-based interior design studio specialising in high-end residential projects.
If you've not come across G&Co Interiors before, Georgie creates spaces full of character and contrast. Playful colours and textures sit alongside contemporary and vintage pieces to create homes that feel comforting, relaxing and full of personality. As she puts it, your home is your haven, the place where you live your own story, and she wants you to love it.
Restoring Character to a Forgotten Corner of the Home
Throughout the project, Georgie and her clients have carefully restored many of the manor house's original features while introducing a little more grandeur throughout the interiors.
The aim wasn't to create something overly formal or precious. Instead, it was about helping the house feel elegant, welcoming and loved again.
As Georgie explains:
"Throughout the project, we've restored many of the original features while also introducing a little more grandeur, as my lovely clients wanted the house to feel elegant and welcoming again, no longer the forgotten side of the home."
When it came to the artwork, we knew straight away that contemporary prints weren't going to be the right fit.
The architecture, the detailing and the overall feel of the house naturally lent themselves to vintage-inspired pieces and traditional subjects. The challenge wasn't finding art. It was narrowing down the options.
Starting with a Moodboard
One of my favourite parts of working with interior designers is the detective work that happens before a single piece of artwork is selected.
We began by pulling together a moodboard featuring artwork that would fit the furniture, fabrics and finishes that had already been chosen for the project. This allowed us to see how potential pieces would sit within the wider scheme and whether they enhanced the overall story of the space.
The pieces that felt most at home featured classic countryside subjects including ducks, birds, fish, cows and traditional landscapes. These subjects felt authentic to both the property and its rural surroundings while adding character without competing with the architecture.
Rather than trying to make a statement with one large contemporary artwork, we wanted the collection to feel as though it had been gathered over time.
The result was a carefully curated mix of vintage-inspired pieces that felt collected, layered and timeless.
Why Vintage Art Worked So Well
Vintage artwork has a wonderful way of adding instant history to a space.
Whether it's an antique landscape, a natural history study or a traditional sporting print, these pieces often bring a sense of depth and authenticity that can be difficult to achieve with newer artwork.
For this manor house, vintage art worked particularly well because it complemented the existing architecture rather than fighting against it.
The fish studies added interest and detail.
The duck and bird illustrations brought a sense of playfulness.
The landscape paintings echoed the surrounding countryside.
The cow artwork felt quintessentially rural and perfectly at home within a Cotswold setting.
Each piece contributed something different, but together they created a cohesive story.
Brook Trout Fish Vintage Wall Art Print in A4 from £18
Rock Bass Fish Vintage Wall Art Print in A4 from £18
Choosing the Right Frames
Artwork selection is only half the story.
Frames can completely change the look and feel of a piece, which is why we spent just as much time considering the framing as we did the artwork itself.
For this project, we explored a variety of options before settling on a combination of dark wood, teak and gold vintage style frames. The selected styles complemented both the artwork and the manor house interiors without feeling overly ornate.
The gold frames helped bring a little more grandeur to the room and landscape scenes, while the darker wood frames added warmth and grounded the collection.
Together they created the perfect balance between elegance and comfort, exactly what the clients were hoping to achieve.
Cows in Open Field Vintage Landscape Wall Art Print in A3 from £28
Working Behind the Scenes
A quick disclosure before I continue.
Alongside running Skudaboo, I also work as a freelance stock consultant and support a number of independent businesses with planning, buying and sourcing. I also regularly work with Georgie behind the scenes on her interior design projects, helping source products.
That means I was fortunate enough to know this project inside out and see how every decision contributed to the final result.
It's one of the reasons I love working with interior designers, and why I curate Skudaboo's collection of art and artists with interiors in mind. Artwork isn't chosen in isolation. It's part of a much bigger picture involving furniture, lighting, fabrics, colour palettes and, most importantly, how people actually live in a space.
Vintage Duck Wildlife Wall Art Print in A4 from £18
Mallard Duck Vintage Wildlife Wall Art Print in A4 from £18
The Finished Result
What I love most about the project is that the artwork quietly supports the story of the house, rather than overpowering it.
The vintage fish studies, bird illustrations, landscapes and countryside scenes feel as though they belong there, as though they've always been part of the home's history.
And that's often the goal with great interior design.
Not to make something look newly decorated, but to make it feel as though it couldn't possibly have been any other way.
Cows in Open Field Vintage Landscape Print Wall Art Print in A3 from £28
Vintage Countryside Landscape Painting Wall Art Print in A3 from £28
Looking for Artwork for Your Own Interior Design Project?
If you're an interior designer, stylist, property developer or holiday let owner looking for artwork, I'd love to help.
Skudaboo offers a 20% trade discount across our curated collection of art prints, frames and homeware. Whether you're sourcing artwork for a single room or an entire project, I'm always happy to help source artwork and put together selections tailored to your scheme. If you'd like a second pair of eyes or need help finding the perfect pieces for your project, just drop me a message. You can also apply for a trade account here.
If you'd like to see more of Georgie's work and browse photos of her real-life interior design projects across the Cotswolds and beyond, visit her website or follow her on Instagram. Her portfolio is full of beautifully considered homes that balance character, comfort and personality.
Because the right artwork doesn't just fill a wall, it helps tell the story of the people who live there.
