Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i 25 Beautiful Homes

I find this month’s cover story very inspiring (page 60). I love the beautiful decorative mural in the dining area and am impressed by the spatial wizardry in the sitting room (a Crittall screen sections off a snug TV zone). It’s a home packed full of ideas. But it is much richer than just that. Riddhi and Mick’s story brings colour and context to an interesting design. It really is hard to imagine that this London new build was a plain white box when they bought it. Here at 25 Beautiful Homes we hope to offer you much more than straight-up projects every month. The homes we share are all a reflection of the owners’ personalities. Take the boho pad of Peggy Bell and her partner, Phil, as another example…

Emma Scrase was searching for a property she could afford on her own when a friend mentioned a newly built townhouse in her local area. On her first viewing, Emma was pleasantly surprised by the generous size of the plot and immediately recognised the potential to extend to the rear in the future. ‘I relished the thought of gradually putting my own stamp on the house,’ she recalls. After moving in, Emma’s first job was to have the garage converted into a therapy room for her beauty business, but she took her time in planning how the rest of the house might eventually look. Three years later and married to Gary, the arrival of their daughter Megan, now 10, meant more flexible family living space had become a priority. Following…

It’s been just over a year since jewellery designers Jana Reinhardt and Ross Cutting finally bought the home by the sea they’d always dreamed of. The couple, who have two children, Matilda, nine, and Frankie, four, relocated from London, where they’d built up a successful jewellery business (janareinhardt.com), to Worthing six years ago. As much of their business is online, they were able to rent a new workshop and home, while still being able to commute to London for occasional meetings with clients. ‘We had wanted to buy a place for ages, but being self-employed we struggled to get a mortgage,’ explains Ross, who first met Jana in Torquay, where they discovered a mutual love of the ocean. ‘However, when my family came into some money and offered to help…

Popping into one of her favourite antiques shops on a visit to London, Julie Simonsen walked away with more than a vintage heirloom – she ended up buying a house. After casually enquiring if the owners of the shop knew of anyone selling a house in leafy Holland Park, she was amazed to discover that they did. ‘I was moving back to London after living in Gstaad in Switzerland,’ says Julie, who is an interior designer. ‘And I was looking for a new challenge.’ She found one in the shape of the property tipped by the antiques dealer: a four-storey, Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in need of major renovation. ‘The bones of the house were there, but the whole place had to be reconfigured,’ says Julie. ‘The side wall was…

Alicia and Graham Pierce have never settled in one place for long. After meeting in their home town of New York, they moved to Atlanta, then on to Berlin, Milan and, in 2013, west London. It wasn’t long though before they were on the move again as their home lacked the space for the family, which by this time included George, now 18, twins Felix and Eloise, 16, and Noah, 14. ‘I love London, and enjoy regular visits to galleries and exhibitions,’ reflects Alicia, ‘so finding an area from which it was easy to travel into town was a must.’ Eventually, the couple heard about a large period property in southeast London, but arriving to view it for the first time they were faced with a project of potentially epic…

Morgan Ward and her twin sister Kim both had a clear idea of what they were looking for when they set out to find a new home in west London. ‘We wanted a larger living space, better transport links, a livelier area and a south-facing garden,’ says Morgan. The sisters viewed around 20 properties before finding a house that fitted the bill. ‘We thought it had a great feel to it as soon as we stepped through the front door,’ says Morgan. ‘It offers so much in terms of restaurants, amenities and boutique shops. There are also lovely green spaces all around – for a built-up city like London, it’s a bit of an oasis.’ Although the property was in a fairly decent condition, it only had two bedrooms, a…

Catherine and Tony Kenna-Dawe’s farewell visit to a friend who was moving abroad turned into a life-changing opportunity when she suggested they take a stroll around her village. ‘We were saying how much we’d love to live here,’ says Catherine, ‘when the previous owners of this cottage happened to overhear us. They had the estate agent coming that morning and were setting up for the photos. They invited us in there and then, and as soon as I stepped inside, I said: “I want it!”. We passed the agent on the way out and said: “We beat you to it!”.’ It is easy to see why the couple decided to snap it up. The Victorian cottage in County Durham was built for estate workers at the nearby castle and has…

From the outside, Martin Holland and Mark Walters’ red-brick semi looks just like its neighbouring properties – however, take a step through the front door and the similarities end. Together, the couple have rearranged the space, knocked down walls and installed their own striking design innovations, turning an ordinary house into a unique home. ‘While house hunting, we weren’t looking for a particular type,’ says Martin. ‘We like different periods and styles, so it was all about the potential to create something interesting and individual.’ They viewed several options before spotting the perfect property – a Victorian semi on a quiet street. The house was under offer, but a few weeks later the sale fell through, so the couple snapped it up. ‘We wanted a project, and this was ideal,’…

Eager to leave her native city of Belfast for the coast, Peggy Bell went to view a Victorian terrace in Bangor with her partner Phil. ‘It was love at first sight,’ she says, ‘but it was out of our price range and I wondered if it was too good for the likes of me.’ But negativity isn’t in Peggy’s vocabulary. ‘I’m a Law of Attraction convert, so I set about getting myself in the right mindset. I attuned myself to the house – every night I visualised living there.’ Sure enough, just before Christmas 2015, Peggy and Phil, together with their children Sia, five, and Ben, three, moved into their new home. For Peggy, the first few months in the seafront house was spent perusing Pinterest for home decor inspiration…

At this time of year, after the busyness of the holidays, Riddhi Bhalla and her husband Mick Collins will usually be found getting back to nature with their extended family in the countryside. ‘We always enjoy a change of scenery in the winter months,’ says Riddhi. But to see the welcoming and luxe interior of the new-build London townhouse that the couple call home is to wonder how they could bear to leave it behind in the first place. This jewel of a house was not always such an alluring prospect. ‘It was a plain white box when we bought it in 2012,’ says Riddhi. ‘At first, its sense of sparseness appealed to us, as we thought we’d love the pure, minimal aesthetic.’ However, soon after moving in, Riddhi and…

Finding a suitable family home wasn’t an easy task for Emma Paton and her husband, Liam. But the issue was not agreeing on an area or finding a house that ticked enough of their boxes – rather, the problem was fighting off the competition. ‘We spent a good couple of years trying to secure a property in Stoke Newington, an area we were keen to settle and start a family in,’ says Emma. However, they weren’t the only ones with their sights set on the location. ‘We bid on around 15 properties during that time, but kept being gazumped or having offers fall through.’ After years of losing out, the couple got their lucky break thanks to landing a viewing of a property that had not even hit the market.…

Having lived in Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco properties, Stephen and Kevin Gowland-Mahon were certain their next home would also have period features. The couple had most recently renovated a cottage in the West Yorkshire market town of Hebden Bridge and were looking for somewhere larger to call home. So when the pair came across a four-storey Victorian house in a nearby village, they were instantly sold on it. ‘It was an equal commute for our jobs, with easy access to Leeds and Manchester,’ says Stephen. ‘And there are some really amazing countryside walks for our four dogs.’ The house was a blank canvas, having been painted throughout in a pale grey shade called Blackened by Farrow & Ball. ‘Although I’m a Farrow & Ball devotee, I’m more a fan…

Alexa and Sebastien Haywood love to shake things up – not least when they decided to swap their four-storey Victorian villa for a bland bungalow overlooking a wilderness in East Sussex. ‘Our last house was too large for us, and not really practical,’ says Alexa. ‘So when a friend told us about this property, we viewed it, instantly loved it and were able to buy it in a private sale, saving us a lot of hassle. ‘In truth, we didn’t particularly care about the house when we bought it,’ continues Alexa. ‘For us, it was all about the views.’ However, the attraction of the landscape was not immediately obvious, as the bungalow had been built into a hillside, with two of its elevations facing retaining walls. The side with the…

Collagism, aka Holly-Anne Buck, produces large collage portraits of women that are provocative as well as, she says, ‘slightly creepy and a little bit funny’. She also produces installations, makes videos, creates clothing and street art. Her work has been displayed at the Tate and in 2019 she will be at the Kolaj Fest in New Orleans. Collagism’s globetrotting is integral to her work. ‘I collect materials from wherever I am, from friends, from the street, or I sometimes buy them from markets or charity stalls. It’s recycling,’ she explains. The collections that go into her art not only reflect a physical place but also a specific time. ‘I’m only interested in things really of the now, so that any images I make represent where I am, at that time,’…

A  Adventures in Furniture aif.london Affordable Art Fair affordableartfair.com Amara amara.com Amazon amazon.co.uk Amtico amtico.com Amy Scott Design amyscottdesign.co.uk And So To Bed andsotobed.co.uk Andrew Martin andrewmartin.co.uk Andries Kruger sporadicspace.com Anglepoise anglepoise.com Anthropologie anthropologie.com Antique Church Furnishings churchantiques.com Atkin & Thyme atkinandthyme.co.uk Atlantic Shopping atlanticshopping.co.uk B  B&Q diy.com Baked Earth bakedearth.co.uk Bathstore bathstore.com Bella Bathrooms bellabathrooms.co.uk Best Tile best-tile.co.uk Biddy Hodgkinson biddyhodgkinson.com Bob Takes bobtakes.com Brewers brewers.co.uk Brian McGowan 07831 415404 British Ceramic Tile britishceramictile.com Bronte by Moon brontebymoon.co.uk Bulthaup bulthaup.co.uk Burgess Architects burgessarchitects.com Busy Bee Studio busybeestudio.co.uk Button & Sprung buttonandsprung.com C  Cabbages & Roses cabbagesandroses.com Calico calicowallpaper.com Candle and Blue…

Adjacent to an elegant florist shop on a busy north London road is a discreet doorway. This street entrance is deceiving, as it leads to a recently renovated and surprisingly spacious home belonging to Rachel Toler and David Weldon. The creative duo – Rachel is a jewellery designer; David a landscape gardener – recently joined forces to open Highgate Flowers, converting the property from a series of bedsits into a single residence, plus a store front for their business. ‘We’d been working together with flowers for a while, renting a space in a community centre, but felt it was time to open our own shop,’ explains Rachel. ‘David searched online for mixed-use properties for sale in the area and this was the first one listed, so we came to see…

Having realised she couldn’t afford to set up her own studio in London, interior designer Lily van Lennep moved back to the family home in Lincolnshire with her parents, Nicola and Dirk. ‘I love living in the countryside, so it was the ideal solution,’ says Lily. It also sparked a winning partnership. ‘Mum and I are both creative, but being a skilled upholsterer, she’s very good with the technical details while I’m more of an ideas person,’ says Lily. ‘So we decided to work together to bring the barn up to date by introducing fabrics, paintings and plenty of bright colours, which we knew would work really well with the family furniture. ‘I started with my own room and it developed from there,’ says Lily. ‘Luckily, Mum shares my love…

Back to basics was Richard Wherry’s motto when he bought his Victorian home in Lincoln. ‘The house is in a beautiful position in the historic quarter, overlooking the cathedral with the countryside in the distance, but it was dark, tired and dated and hadn’t had any work done on it for at least 20 years,’ says Richard, who runs a property and construction business. ‘It was a case of new heating, plumbing, electrics, bathrooms – everything needed re-doing.’ Given his job, Richard wasn’t fazed by the amount of renovation work required. But he was anxious about the decoration. ‘I was worried about turning it into a man cave,’ he laughs, ‘so I felt I’d better get some some help in “opening up” the space and creating a warm, inviting home…

Maximising space is all in a day’s work for interior designer Rachel Forster. Never more so than when putting the principles into practice in her own home, which she shares with partner, Simon, an e-learning consultant, and their three children, Jude, 19, Evie, 11, and Tess, eight. Since moving into the three-bedroom Victorian terrace 12 years ago, the family and their possessions had increased. ‘I was pregnant with Evie when we moved here,’ says Rachel. ‘What appealed was its opportunities for expansion and, although it wasn’t decorated to our taste, it was perfectly habitable.’ Two years after moving in, the couple embarked on the first phase of renovations: ripping out the old kitchen, a downstairs shower and toilet, knocking through to create the dining room, and installing bifold glass doors…

Abby Hollins did not expect to move to London and be able to have a house with a garden and room for guests. Having relocated from Manchester to the capital with her husband, Chris, and their two children, Jackson, now five, and Isla, four, Abby was drawn to Chiswick for its village feel. ‘We couldn’t find a completed home in our budget,’ she says. ‘Instead, we looked at properties that could be developed.’ The couple asked their friend, Felix Milns of design and build firm Zulufish to look at a three-bedroom Victorian house. ‘Felix got really excited when he saw this place,’ says Abby. ‘It’s end of terrace, on a corner and hadn’t been extended, so there was plenty of scope to create something special, which encouraged us to go…

Owning a piece of art is as easy as clicking a button with the new online Runway Gallery. Showcasing exciting, contemporary work from 14 celebrated artists, runway-gallery.com gives you the chance to snap up affordable and original prints and artworks for your home. NEXT MONTH It’s personal: ‘Everything I do begins and ends with tiny cross-hatched strokes of pen on canvas,’ explains the Canada-based artist Dara Vandor. Using this pure method, Vandor’s lingerie and silk series explores the intimate themes of desire, femininity and memory.…