She has been hailed the 'Queen of Chipping Norton chic' and is adored by the well-heeled Cotswolds set who flock to her stores for quintessentially English country interiors.
But now celebrated interior designer Susie Watson has found herself at the centre of a village row - after converting her former offices into a rental home without first securing planning permission.
Mrs Watson - whose Susie Watson Designs boutiques sell cushions for £125 and hand-embroidered lampshades for £140 - has ruffled feathers in the picturesque Wiltshire village of Ramsbury.
Until last year, her handsome two-storey building on the village square served as offices for the upmarket interiors empire.
However, when staff relocated to nearby Marlborough, builders swiftly moved in - and transformed the premises into a two-bedroom cottage.
Despite sitting in the heavily-protected North Wessex Downs, no planning permission was sought for the change of use.
Mrs Watson and husband Hamish have now been forced to apply for retrospective consent from Wiltshire Council.
If the ruling goes against them, they could be ordered to return the building to its former office guise.
The planning saga has sparked whispers across the village - whose history dates back to the Domesday Book - with Mrs Watson said to be incandescent over what she calls 'fake news' surrounding the project.
She described critics as being 'slightly catty'.
The property, bought in 2015 for £1.8million according to Land Registry data, has now been turned into what neighbours describe as a modest two-bed home.
One woman in Ramsbury told the Daily Mail the conversion was a 'real shame'.
She said: 'I think there should have been consultation and it doesn't surprise me at all she's done it.
'I've visited the offices - there were no real bathroom facilities, no garden to speak of.
'There were toilets but no bathroom, and a tiny kitchenette up the stairs and no parking.
'They must have done a lot of work on it but it has all been shrouded in mystery.
'There's no paperwork but that's how she is.'
In the local Post Office, villagers told how they had seen a stream of builders but little explanation.
Another said: 'It's already been done. It's been changed into a house. I think it's already been converted.
'They have been on and off for some time in there. I think it's the builders Susie Watson uses all the time, who do her shops.
'It happens all the time round here.
'We used to have all sorts here. We had 11 pubs here now we are down to two.
'I don't think a lot of people knew it was being changed into a house.'
In a nearby cafe, another local lamented what she saw as the erosion of village life.
She said: 'Susie moved to Marlborough a year-and-a-half ago but she kept the office going, using the upstairs.
In documents submitted to the council, agents for the Watsons said they were unaware permission was required to convert the building to residential use.
The planning saga has sparked whispers across the village - whose history dates back to the Domesday Book - with Mrs Watson said to be incandescent over what she calls 'fake news' surrounding the project.
'We weren't aware of it. It's the first we've heard of it.
'It's the same with the pub - they are now trying to turn that into a house.
'It's a slow deterioration of a village community. The only one [left] is the post office and the shop.
'You have to look at how many of these houses are not being lived in. So they are not bringing money to the village. There are lots of second homes.'
In documents submitted to the council, agents for the Watsons said they were unaware permission was required to convert the building to residential use.
A covering letter stated they 'only realised that this wasn't permissible at a later date due to the address location being within the North Wessex Downs Natural Landscape', adding there had been no external changes other than the removal of the 'Susie Watson Design' signage.
When approached, Mrs Watson insisted the application was merely 'a bit of a formality'.
One woman in Ramsbury told the Daily Mail the conversion was a 'real shame'.
Mrs Watson, who lives in a £1 million cottage in Axford, Wilts, said she was confident planners would approve the scheme in the coming weeks.
She was, however, furious at reports valuing the property at £2.3million - claiming its true worth was closer to £500,000.
She said: 'It makes us sound like millionaires.
'I have no idea where the £2.3m came from - it's disgusting. We don't want that said.
'It sounds like we are making money out of an old office.
'People don't have offices in Ramsbury so we turned it into a one-and-a-half bedroom house.
'There is one room downstairs and a tiny kitchen.
'We've had all sorts of people mentioning it [the valuation].
'It isn't good. It is really embarrassing for us.'
'It's like 'oh this smart shop for country people', it's all a bit snide. 'Oh, it's all these posh people'.
'We run a shop making handmade goods and of course they are expensive, they are handmade.'
'It's £150 for a lampshade', well yeah - it’s all hand-embroidered and handmade, things are not automatically cheap if someone's made them by hand.'
Mrs Watson maintained there was 'no issue at all', revealing the 'small but nice' cottage had been completed and already let to a tenant.
She said of locals' frustration: 'There's no issue at all. What can they have an issue about?
'It was once a house and we are turning it back into a house and that's what people need - houses. Not empty offices.
'Why would the locals mind? It is a village, full of houses. People don't want offices. If they want to take the office, then we are thrilled. But they didn't.
'It is slightly catty. We are a small business, making handmade goods in India which we pay fairly for because that is what we believe in.
'It's fake news.'
Susie Watson Designs boasts 10 shops in market towns across the UK, including in affluent Harrogate, Marlow, Salcombe, Knutsford and Saffron Walden.
Its hand-crafted furniture can retail for up to £7,950.
Mrs Watson, who lives in a £1 million cottage in Axford, Wilts, said she was confident planners would approve the scheme in the coming weeks.
She added: ‘The council don’t seem to be interested at all so I would be amazed if they did not approve it.
‘It’s of no great value, if you know what I mean.
‘It’s just there and we’ve rented it - and there is a terrific demand for rented property. And it’s not even an enormous rent either.
‘It’s good for everybody. What do they think it is, a stately home? It’s only one room wide.’
wiltshire council said it would not comment on a 'live application'.