With its stone cottages, rolling hills, and ancient villages, the Cotswolds is often described as one of the most idyllic parts of the UK.
However, soon that statement may no longer ring true because celebrities and buyers alike are increasingly sabotaging the area’s quintessentially English charm with ‘tragic’ modern makeovers, according to property experts.
Famous faces such as Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are leading the change, after the American talk show host and her wife relocated to a new–build in the area that her estate agent admitted looked as if it belonged in Malibu.
Other homebuyers looking to escape urban life, or in the case of Ellen and Portia, Donald Trump’s America, are therefore giving rise to a new trend of eroding The Cotswolds’ pre-existing beauty with a modern makeover.
To cater to the new A-list community, property developers are implementing extensions more suitable for the Hollywood hills than south-western and west-central England, remodelling historic stone buildings to make way for contemporary designs.
Formerly untouched cottages are being stripped of their personality in favour of minimalistic, open-plan spaces, state-of-the-art kitchens and floor-to-ceiling windows that starkly contrast the tranquil surroundings.
A once-unspoilt landscape of historic homes is therefore undergoing a rapid transformation into a mishmash of sleek, sometimes garish, glass extensions and industrial-style interiors, leaving local residents and conservationists in despair.
Liv Conlon of The Property Stagers, which prepares homes to look their best for hitting the market, believes ‘the current trend is short-sighted’ as the Cotswolds makeovers are ‘effectively eroding the area’s historic charm.’
This £5.7 million home, set in Bibury, The Cotswolds, is one of the many homes in the area blending traditional and modern designs
She told The Daily Mail: ‘Styling a home well means leaning into the authenticity of a property – rather than stripping it bare and turning it into something else.
‘What seems to be happening is that homeowners are seeing an opportunity to cash in on the area’s appeal, but instead in a way that shows their understanding of what makes these impressive homes special, they’re taking the opportunity to install their vision of what luxury looks like.’
There’s plenty of evidence to support Conlon’s claims on property websites, such as Rightmove, which is currently listing a new £8,500,000 build in Cheltenham, the Cotswolds.
The classic country home is complete with the addition of a black extension jarring against the property’s traditional features.
Meanwhile, on Sothebys is another confusing build in Kingham, the Cotswolds, on the market for £2,750,000, which mixes tradition with bold, modern statements by adding a black extension on the back of a stunning, traditional home.
The property also comes with two underground parking spaces, a heated outdoor pool, and a state-of-the-art gym with lockers.
Elsewhere, another farmhouse in Gloucestershire was renovated to include an open-plan living, glossy new kitchen, and living area, complete with floor-to-ceiling glass panels.
The Rightmove listing reads: ‘Originating as a traditional farmhouse and now boasting a successful marriage of period and contemporary living.’
Inside the home sees designs, such as a modern bathroom, that one might expect to see in a city flat
Elsewhere, a £2.7 million home in Kingham, The Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, features a traditional design with a modern extension
Classic bedrooms have been ditched in favour of a contemporary design in this £4.5 million, five-bed home in The Cotswolds
Liv added: ‘Farmhouse kitchens are being stripped of their warmth, replaced with black marble islands, handleless cabinetry, and industrial lighting that belong in a city loft.
‘Bathrooms are being transformed with walk-in rain showers, glossy tiles, and freestanding tubs that feel more like a hotel than a cottage. And the overall design isn’t homely, which is exactly what the Cotswold is!
‘This issue is that original features, such as timber beams, stone floors, fireplaces, are often removed to create a ‘luxury’ look. But in these cases, it’s jarring against what is traditional for that area.’
Another five-bedroom farmhouse in a private Cotswolds estate, in Warwickshire, was listed as ‘beautifully renovated’.
The Sotheby’s listing read: ‘At the heart of the property is a former barn, now transformed into an impressive kitchen with a vaulted ceiling, having bespoke cabinetry and a marble-topped island, a warm and welcoming space for cooking and informal dining.’
The drive for ‘luxury’ living is understandable in an era where comfort and convenience reign supreme, but some argue that the integrity of the region is being compromised.
Liv concluded: ‘True luxury in the Cotswolds comes from respecting the home’s history, not replacing it with a style that belongs somewhere else.
‘The current trend is short-sighted. In trying to make these beautiful houses more aspirational, people are stripping them of what makes them unique and authentic, but in turn, making them far less special.
This stunning £8.5 million home in the Cotswolds has kept a traditional appearance on its exterior
However, on the inside, the family home, which comes with 19 acres of land, has prioritised modern designs
Scrubditch Farm Barn in the Cotswolds (pictured), priced at £800,000, is a barn conversion with a modern design
Architects have transformed the barn into a ‘a simple structure with a large open plan living space’, according to Savills
‘Some of these homes now look like every other home, and who wants to pay millions of pounds for that?’
Meanwhile, Ted Bromley-Hall, Managing Director of UK landscaping company IBRAN, also stressed that landscaping choices also significantly impact a property’s integration with its surroundings.
He explained: ‘I’ve witnessed firsthand how modern renovations can either enhance or diminish a property’s connection to its surroundings.
‘The key issue isn’t necessarily the modernisation itself, but rather the lack of sensitivity to the existing landscape and local vernacular.
‘When it comes to outdoor spaces and garden design, many of these contemporary makeovers completely ignore the traditional Cotswolds aesthetic.
‘Original cottage gardens with their irregular pathways, natural stone boundaries, and organic layouts are being replaced with stark, geometric designs that feel completely at odds with the rolling countryside.
‘The most successful renovations I’ve seen are those that blend modern functionality with traditional materials and design principles.
‘For instance, using natural stone aggregates in driveways rather than stark concrete, or incorporating traditional dry stone wall aesthetics into modern boundary features.’
A black extension was added to this £3.5 million ‘contemporary’ family home in the heart of the Cotswolds
Ted added that the ‘real tragedy’ is that many developers are missing opportunities to create beautiful, functional outdoor spaces that complement both the historic architecture and the stunning Cotswolds landscape.
He said: ‘It’s entirely possible to have modern convenience whilst respecting the area’s unique character.’
Before Ellen DeGeneres settled on her current home, they snapped up Kitesbridge Farm, a 43–acre farmstead in the heart of the Cotswolds.
They had paid £15million for the home, near Witney in Oxfordshire – £2.5million more than the asking price.
The farm has a lot to offer: a sweeping kitchen, bespoke solid wood furniture, dressing rooms, marble–clad en suites, a two–bed guest cottage, indoor swimming pool, helipad and a five–car garage inside a converted granary barn.
‘We’re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty,’ she told broadcaster Richard Bacon during an event in Cheltenham in July.
‘The villages and the towns and the architecture – everything you see is charming, and it’s just a simpler way of life. I just love it here.’
But a year after snapping it up, Kitesbridge was already back on the market – with the asking price hiked from £15m to a cool £22.5m. The bulk of the uplift is said to cover what she spent on renovations.
Ellen and Portia relocated to a new–build that her estate agent admitted looked as if it belonged in Malibu. So much for the villages and the towns and the architecture, it seems.
Ellen DeGeners moved to the UK with wife Portia De Rossi (pictured) in November 2024, the day before Donald Trump was elected for a second time
‘We decided we needed a different house, and now we are selling that house. So if anyone wants a house, it’s a beautiful stone farmhouse,’ she told an audience at an event in July.
What could Kitesbridge have possibly lacked? If you ask the former talk–show host, she had thought of everything but the stables.
‘When we decided to live here full time, we knew that Portia couldn’t live without her horses,’ she said in a statement released via estate agents Sotheby’s. ‘We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them.’
Whether that is the only factor at play is another question. Ellen has denied reports last year that Kitesbridge was flooded in November at the peak of Storm Bert – just after they moved in.
The couple arrived in Britain the day before Trump was elected for his second term, which she said was received poorly by her friends – all of whom texted her with ‘crying emojis’, she later disclosed.
And at the end of the month, Bert wrought 69mph gusts on England and the country recorded one of the wettest days on record since Storm Alex in October 2020.
Amidst the chaos, a Thames tributary beside Kitesbridge burst its banks during Storm Bert, leaving the couple ‘virtually marooned’.
Design experts have suggested that Ellen’s house is a ‘beige void of vibes’ due to its uneasy mix of contemporary Californian aesthetic and old English tradition
Almost every room in the house – and elsewhere, including the pool – mixes stark whitewashed walls with wooden fixtures such as exposed beams
Images showed water swamping out the land next to the house – but she has denied that levels rose enough to breach the boundaries of her house.
Writing in an Instagram post, she said: ‘For those of you concerned, our UK farmhouse did NOT flood.’
She later shared a video of a swan in what she called a ‘river meadow’ beside the house, writing: ‘We got visited by a holiday swan–a–swimming. Please note, the swan was swimming in our river meadow. Not our house. #NotFlooded.’
Andrew Barnes, listing agent at Sotheby’s, said there were never any flooding issues at the property, which sits on high ground.
The photographs of Kitesbridge certainly bear no signs of water damage: instead, it’s an unlikely pristine slice of California in the heart of the Cotswolds.
Solid wood furniture and exposed beams sit against stark white walls and muted tones: there are no bright splashes of colour here.
Natural wooden tones, white and muted grey are the order of the day here: design as seen through the colour–blind eyes of a dog.
Its blend of archetypal English cosiness and stark white–washed Californian aesthetic is likely not for everyone – and could explain why it’s yet to be snapped up despite legions of wealthy Americans eyeing up a move to the Cotswolds including, it is thought, Beyoncé and Jay–Z.
Ellen DeGeneres’s Cotswolds farmhouse (pictured) hit the market in July for a cool £22.5million
The look continues into the gym. Ellen said she typically sells homes fully furnished and ready to live in
Design and colour psychology expert J.Nichole Smith told the Daily Mail that the design of the interior was ‘psychologically inconsistent’
Ellen and Portia might face an unexpected hurdle they have not encountered before: discerning wealthy Brits who don’t want California in their corner of the Cotswolds.
After all, the house went on the market in July for £22.5million – £7.5million more than she paid for it in June 2024. Ellen claims to have spent $9million (£6.6million) on the house, setting her up for a rough profit of £900,000 if it sells.
British buyers may not be taken by, as Sotheby’s puts it, the way it has been ‘beautifully reimagined over the past year to an exceptional standard’.
The Beverly Hills–lite ambiance of stark white walls against exposed wooden beams will not be for everyone.
J.Nichole Smith, design and colour psychology expert and founder of creative agency Joy First, believes the ‘beige void of vibes’ is likely to be putting people off.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘While I do think it’s likely the price tag is the issue – with a smaller group of buyers, obviously – one thing I can say is that this makeover feels very psychologically inconsistent.
‘When building a premium brand, for example, it’s essential the first impression sparks tremendous desire, led by emotions of course, and this place is basically just a beige void of vibes.
‘It’s not just the clash of California and British, but it’s got competing personality types: is it minimal or is it cozy? Is it warm or cool? Each room seems to have no clear intentional mood other than neutral nothingness.’
She reckons any potential buyer will be less likely than other ‘Ellen house’ buyers to keep her furnishings, as the chat show host says people have in the past.
‘New owners are likely to put their own stamp on it – and a lot of the inconsistencies are soft furnishings,’ she continued.
‘It’s certainly not brimming with the cohesive desire–building character that would make it leap off the website and make someone feel: ‘Oh my gosh, that place is one in a million, I have to have it. The design psychology is off and as a result it’s giving ‘meh’ instead of ‘wow’.’
However, there might be another truth at the heart of why the house is on the market: it might have been the plan all along.
Ellen is, by her own admission, a rampant house–flipper, turning over dozens of properties for profit over the last two decades.
She even wrote a book, entitled Home, about her love of interior design, in which she noted: ‘I tend to keep painting the painting until it’s so done, there’s nothing left to do… That’s when I sell the canvas and buy a new one.’
