An artist who has spent almost 40 years transforming her country house into a “real-life dollhouse” has been told the property is now “unsellable”.
Mary Rose Young and her husband Phil Butcher bought their home, which also doubles as a ceramics studio, in Lydney, Gloucestershire, in 1987.
At the time, the couple were able to purchase the property for £30,000 and decorated each room in their unique style.
The kitchen features a checkerboard backsplash and yellow walls with painted flowers.
Meanwhile, Mary’s ceramics studio, where she makes her Alice in Wonderland-inspired designs, has a multicolored striped ceiling with various floral motifs.
Pictured: Artist Mary Rose Young having a cup of tea in her home ceramics studio, which features a multi-coloured ceiling.
The couple’s living room features bright blue walls and a yellow ceiling, while the dining area has magenta wallpaper with black and white flooring.
Mary has also installed several eye-catching lighting fixtures around the property, including a multi-coloured chandelier in her work area and a miniature version in the kitchen.
Ten years ago, Mary and Phil decided they wanted to open a boutique hotel and put their house up for sale.
At the time, estate agents were confident the house was worth £500,000. However, buyers were said to have been put off by the extravagant interior options.
Speaking in 2021, Mary explained: ‘I made this house around my own life and I wasn’t thinking about it being salable.
‘We lived like two children in a dollhouse and, in hindsight, why would anyone else want to buy it? It’s like a playhouse for adults.
“I thought it might go to some crazy collector of my work who might want to buy it, but no one was interested.
‘Only one person came to see it during the year it was on the market and he wasn’t here long.
Mary’s ceramics studio, where she makes her Alice in Wonderland-inspired designs, has a multi-colored striped ceiling with various floral motifs.
Pictured: Mary’s multi-colored kitchen also features a black and white checkered backsplash and yellow walls.
Mary Rose Young and her husband Phil Butcher when they bought their house in Gloucestershire
‘I think they had come simply out of curiosity to see the decoration and were never interested. The real estate agents became desperate.
‘I could have painted over all my work, but I didn’t want to. I love my house and the house really works for me.
‘I’m a colorful person and I even have pink hair. I like it more and more as I get older.’
Mary appears to still live at the property and last posted about the house in October 2023.
Sharing a photo of a rainbow perfectly framing the house, Mary wrote on Instagram: ‘Somewhere under the rainbow! This is Mary Rose Young’s home, studio and gallery taken yesterday…and yes, she has been raining in The Forest.’
The couple’s living room features bright blue walls and a yellow ceiling, as well as some vibrant furniture.
Her dining area has a magenta wallpaper with black and white scrolling flooring. Mary also has a miniature version of the chandelier from her workshop here.
In 1987, the couple were able to purchase the property for £30,000 and decorated each room in their unique style.
What’s more, Mary says she doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary in their design choices.
She explained: ‘I’ve stopped noticing how colorful it is because I’ve lived here for so long.
“A lot of people feel self-conscious and don’t say much when they see the decoration, but the correct reaction is to laugh and say ‘oh wow.'”
‘It should make you feel like a kid walking into a candy store. I want people to feel that adults can have a lot of fun too.”
Mary Rose Young sells her ceramics on her website and her Easter-inspired collection starts from £95 for an egg cup.