For American Sarah Kirk and her family, life is charmed and idyllic in the English countryside. The beautiful 18th century Cotswolds cottage she decorated herself serves as the perfect backdrop to the family’s homesteading adventures. Sarah’s four darling children wile away their days frolicking in nature, tending to their own herb garden, listing to birdsong, and decorating freshly baked cakes. In fact, the scene is so picturesque it looks like something straight out of a storybook, and Sarah’s Instagram account — @godsavethescene — has unsurprisingly grown to over 30K followers. Reflecting the increasing trend of young families flocking to small towns and rural areas, Sarah has turned homemaking into an art form. Not only do her snapshots of daily life capture visual and poetic beauty, they represent inspiration and insight into a life off the beaten path… one that takes time to stop and smell the roses.
Today, Sarah joins The Glam Pad for an exclusive interview as we share some of our favorite images and captions from her Instagram account. Welcome, Sarah!
Q: Where in England do you live, how old is your home, and how long has your family lived there?
A: We moved to the Gloucestershire Cotswolds in 2020. We live in an 18th century unlisted cottage.
What brought you from the U.S. to England? And how did you decide to move to the countryside?
My husband is British. We met whilst living in London in 2012. After we got married, we moved together to the US where we lived for 5 years between Charleston SC and Middleburg, VA. My husband grew up in the Cotswolds, 5 miles from where we are now. His parents are still nearby. Our decision to move here was based entirely on education and we always agreed when our oldest child started primary school, we would come back for that.
Q: How would you describe your aesthetic style, and where do you find inspiration?
A: Our home is relaxed traditional. I am inspired by the American colonial style of my childhood home, and my love of vintage and thrifted interiors is inherited from my mother.
Q: Did you do any renovations to your home, and what was your process for decorating?
A: I’m a preservationist, and I highly disapprove of renovating historic homes. There is no such thing as “sympathetically updating or modernising” a period interior. The only improvements we made here were cosmetic (paint, wallpaper, lighting fixtures)
I have a layered approach to decorating, just adding things as I go along. I like the motto ‘home takes time.’ I would never, ever use a moodboard or any coordinated approach to designing rooms in advance.
Q: How did your Instagram account come about, and what blessings have come from it?
A: My instagram is just my personal account, which inexplicably keeps growing in following despite it just being a homemaker posting family and interiors photographs I take around the house.
Q: You’ve mentioned that you are a TV-free home and you encourage your children to spend time outdoors. What are the benefits of raising a family in the country?
A: Yes, it’s true we do not have a television. My parents removed the tv from my childhood home after my father came home from work one evening and my brother and I didn’t even look up from The Simpsons to say hello. Just overnight it was gone. There is a reason they call tv “programming.” When there are no screens, children inevitably find other things to do. When the weather is fine, they are outdoors.
The pace of life in the countryside is undeniably slower. Being surrounded by nature, in the words of Anne Shirley there’s “more scope for the imagination.” We live in a small village community, which echoes small town values like the one I grew up in.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you? How do you find the balance with four young children?
A: Sunday we walk to church in our village, we are the only family there with young children because England is growing more secular, we are the largest family in the village because the birthrate here has fallen below 2 children, so we are’t typical in that sense. We usually have a big family lunch, in the spring and summer when it’s warm we try to eat outside and spend most of the day outdoors. There is no balance, because we’ve prioritised family life at this point in our lives over careers. The most important aspect of motherhood is just being present.
Q: What tips do you have for other families who might be considering a similar move, either in the U.S. or abroad?
A: Small town living is wonderful. My tip would be to try and get involved your local community or village. Find out what activities and events go on and how you can help out. It’s a great way to meet people and find social in-roads. It’s great to have a sense of your neighbours and what their values are and assimilate into the culture of a place.
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Thank you, Sarah, for joining us today, and inspiring us with your beautiful world! We are positively enchanted and inspired by your talent and grace.
For ongoing inspiration, please follow @godsavethescene.
