Twenty years ago, Mimi Pickard was looking to escape south London. “My husband Ed and I have three children, and we liked the idea of our kids going to school in the countryside,” she says. So it was Kismet when some friends mentioned they might be interested in selling their home near Guildford in Surrey (about 30 miles southwest of London).The three-acre property, located on the outskirts of a quaint village complete with a charming neighborhood pub, boasted everything Mimi was looking for: a remote location, bucolic views, and a beautiful garden. The only thing that gave her pause was the late 1920s farmhouse. “Overall, it was well built with a good foundation, and the house had a lovely, happy atmosphere, but I didn’t love it,” she says. “It just took a few years of renovations to make the house itself our own.” “In our 1920s home, the windows are drafty and rattle in the wind. You get used to it though.” That process involved knocking down a lot of walls to let in more natural light, rearranging rooms for better flow, and maximizing the views in all the rooms. The unobstructed views of the garden and neighboring fields also inspired a shift in Mimi’s tastes. Through the years, she found herself replacing her conservative neutrals with bright colors.Years of working with nature proved fruitful in a particularly unexpected way. After her kids were grown, Mimi decided to combine her love of textiles and the outdoors into her very own business: Mimi Pickard English Textiles. Her English-countryside-inspired collection of wallpapers and fabrics features an array of posies, birds, and trees, as well as stripes and geometric designs. Rachel WhitingThe conservatory’s ceiling are covered in painted wood blinds that can be opened and shut. The brushed linen sofa is piled with pillows in both “Naked Angelica” from Mimi’s fabric line and “Oakleaves” from Peggy Angus’ Blithfield collection. While her wares are now sold in cities throughout England, Australia, and the U.S., Mimi has no plans to leave the place that made it all possible. “I love how bringing in my own designs has even given this old house a new lease on life,” she says. Besides, there’s no way she could get Ed to wander too far from Three Horseshoes, his favorite nearby pub. Says Mimi, “They serve a delicious Sunday brunch, and that’s very important for us Brits!” Tour More of Mimi’s House Below: RELATED STORY:ENTRYRachel WhitingThe entry flows seamlessly into a living area thanks to sisal rugs and walls covered in “Small Damask” by Peggy Angus for Blithfield.KITCHENRachel Whiting The eat-in kitchen is a contrast of creamy paints and black granite countertops with a splash of pink via window treatments in “Charlie Stripe” by Mimi Pickard. MUDROOMRachel WhitingWhat was once the “boot room” is now a downstairs cloakroom. Mimi added tongue-and-groove wainscoting paneling and “Angelica” wallpaper from her collection.RELATED STORIES:BEDROOM & BATHRachel WhitingRachel WhitingThe same floral wallpaper (“Hatley” by Cabbages & Roses) appears in both the bedroom and adjacent bath. “The matching wallpaper makes the two rooms flow better. My mum has always done the same thing, so I copied her,” Mimi says. The chair in the bathroom, which belonged to Mimi’s granny, is reupholstered in a Jane Churchill plaid. The bed is made in a variety of crisp linens from The White Company and pillows covered in an array of antique fabrics. An old wicker side table was freshened up with a coat of Farrow & Ball’s Slipper Satin. RELATED STORIES:EXTERIORRachel WhitingLife in the English countryside requires a dog—in this case, English Springer Spaniel Lola—and a garden. “When it came to gardening, I was not a natural. When we first moved here, I had to lean very heavily on my mother, and she really helped me.”RELATED STORIES: