Repainting Country Life: Filming Sarah Corbett-Winder’s Move to Wales
When fashion maven and digital tastemaker Sarah Corbett-Winder, better known as the Wardrobe Whisperer, traded city life for the hills of Wales, she didn’t just bring her family, furniture, and fashion finesse; she brought a riot of colour, charm, and character. In collaboration with Farrow & Ball, I directed and filmed a short portrait of this move, showing how Sarah approached country living not as a retreat, but as a reinvention.
Colour as a Narrative Tool
The brief was simple in outline but rich in possibility: capture how colour defines not only a home, but a way of life. Each room in Sarah’s new house became a chapter, with tones chosen to balance heritage with vibrancy. Instead of treating paint as a backdrop, she used it as a statement; a tool to define energy, warmth, and personality.
Filming this meant letting the palette lead. We prioritised natural light wherever possible, holding frames long enough for the hues to breathe, and keeping compositions clean so the interplay between colour, detail, and texture could speak for itself.
A Day on Location
Piotr Karter and I drove five hours to Wales the night before the shoot, arriving early to set up in the kitchen for the main interview. I shot on my manual Dulens primes to bring a vintage softness that matched the warmth of Sarah’s home. With the interview complete, we split tasks: I moved through the house with the gimbal, capturing flowing transitions and the room as a whole, while Piotr focused on lifestyle and details. Later, I added a few aerials with the drone to place the house in its wider setting.
We worked almost entirely with natural light outside of the interview, both for speed and for aesthetic — letting the colours of each room breathe without over-staging.
From City to Countryside
The story is not just about interiors but about lifestyle. Fashion and design have always been intertwined in Sarah’s work; here, wardrobe choices find their counterpart in painted walls, timber beams, and landscape views. The film aimed to reflect that interplay, contrasting moments of countryside calm with interiors full of curated energy.
Final Thought
This wasn’t a film about colour charts, but about identity, family, and place. Sarah’s home is not a catalogue of tones, but a lived-in space where fashion and design merge into daily life. You can also see the full article on Farrow & Ball’s Chromologist for their perspective on Sarah’s move.
If you’re developing a design-led project and need a filmmaker who can balance visual character with clear storytelling, get in touch via my contact page — I’d love to hear about your ideas.
