Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i 25 Beautiful Homes

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Extended Georgian cottage LOCATION Oxfordshire ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, snug, utility room, cloakroom, three bedrooms (two en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2012 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We had a large family home in north London,’ says Colleen. For more than two decades the Brand family embraced their frenetic life in London, but when Rob retired, his wife Colleen began to consider a move from the home they’d shared with their children in favour of a smaller property in a more relaxed location. ‘Rob was less convinced initially,’ admits Colleen, ‘but with our grown-up son Nick already living in his own place and our daughter Sophie on the verge of leaving home, too, I knew it was time to turn the page.’ Keen to maintain links with family…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terrace LOCATION South London ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, five bedrooms (three en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2012 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a house in West Hampstead, before moving south of the river,’ says Juliet. When you have found the perfect school for your children but it’s on the other side of the city, what do you do? For Juliet Josephs and daughters Isabelle, now 23, Phoebe, 20, and Bea, 16, it meant moving from their happy house in West Hampstead. ‘We fell in love with a school in south London but just couldn’t do the commute,’ says Juliet. She decided to rent a property in the area while looking for a new home, and a year later, the ideal place, which was…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Arts & Crafts style new-build LOCATION North London ROOMS Hall, kitchen-diner, dining room, sitting room, snug, study, cloakroom, cinema room, gym, wine cellar, indoor pool, six bedrooms, five bathrooms PURCHASED 2006 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a four-storey Georgian townhouse in Islington before, moving here,’ says Clare. Clare and Richard Jackson moved into their Arts & Crafts home with a view to extensively renovating it, but as the plans progressed, they began to consider undertaking an even bigger challenge. ‘We realised that in spite of all the effort and expense, we were never going to get the spaces we really wanted,’ says Clare. ‘So we decided we should knock down the existing house and start from scratch.’ The planning department of the north London borough…

When buying a property overseas, getting the best exchange rate for your money is a top priority. If you are planning to purchase abroad, using a foreign-currency specialist can be an effective way of making your money go as far as possible. Anyone used to dealing with currency markets will know that sudden movements in exchange rates are to be expected. The question is, what can be done to protect yourself against foreign exchange volatility? ADVANTAGES OF EXPERT ADVICE Using a foreign-currency specialist could be one answer. 25 Beautiful Homes has teamed up with foreign exchange expert, moneycorp to bring you an international money-transfer service. You will be allocated a personal account manager to provide expert market guidance and assist you with every aspect of your currency transaction. They can…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A period apartment in a converted Victorian merchant’s house LOCATION East Belfast ROOMS Hall, sitting room/ dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2010 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before this we lived in the wing of a 17th-century manor house. It was a listed building,’ says Anne. Having grown up in Northern Ireland, securing a job there in 2010 meant a homecoming for diplomat Johnny Rollins. But his wife Anne wasn’t convinced about moving there. ‘We’d been living in the East Midlands in what had once been the wing of a manor house, parts of which were 400 years old. It was idyllic,’ she explains. Wanting to keep the family home, they decided she would remain there and fly over at weekends. Johnny, meanwhile,…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Renovated early-Victorian grade II listed house LOCATION Surrey ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room, orangery kitchen, snug, study, wine storage/utility room, cloakroom, three bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom, external art studio PURCHASED 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a cottage in Merrow, near Guildford, but wanted more entertaining space,’ says James. For interior designer James Willing, his criteria are that a home should always feel warm, inviting and comfortable. In his search for a new home to renovate with partner Tim Dolby, he knew exactly what he wanted. ‘It had to be something we could really get our teeth into, with all the right characteristics,’ he says. ‘When we found this house, set in a beautiful conservation area, we didn’t hesitate, as these sort of…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Semidetached house, built in 1950 LOCATION The Netherlands ROOMS Hall, sitting room/ kitchen-diner, studio, utility room, cloakroom, three bedrooms, family bathroom PURCHASED 2012 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We moved to this house from an apartment in the nearby city of Arnhem,’ says Angela. Angela Derks and her partner Gerg Visser felt they had outgrown their city apartment and yearned for a different lifestyle in new suroundings. In search of a home with more space, they spotted a rundown 1950s house on the outskirts of Arnhem in The Netherlands, which was ideal. According to Gerg, who runs his own property developing business, the place ‘oozed potential’. Angela, however, had initial reservations. ‘I loved the quiet location and the large garden, but the house was dark, dated and needed…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY B listed Georgian flat LOCATION Edinburgh ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, four bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom, shower room PURCHASED 2014 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a three-bedroom Victorian flat in Edinburgh, which we also fully restored,’ says Asta. Asta Young-Smith and her partner Stuart Holligan have a passion for neglected period properties. Where other people might see a wreck, they see an exciting project waiting to happen. But still, the Georgian flat they bought in Edinburgh’s New Town in 2014 took considerable visualisation. ‘I liked the bow-ended walls in the sitting room and master bedroom, but the floors, decor and everything else was terrible,’ says Asta. ‘There was magnolia everywhere,’ adds Stuart. ‘These types of properties weren’t designed to be boring – quite the opposite.’…

REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Edwardian house LOCATION Norfolk ROOMS Sitting room, snug, kitchen-diner, utility with shower room, cinema room, four bedrooms (two en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before this we had a Victorian house in north London,’ says Ruth. Despite long owning a holiday cottage in Norfolk as a welcome escape from their busy lives in north London, it took some time to dawn on Ruth and Trevor Bailey that their coastal retreat had in fact become the place they wanted to call home. ‘For years, we had a holiday property here,’ says Ruth. ‘We had busy lives in London and split our life between there and Norfolk, coming up here as much as we could at the weekends.’ It’s easy to see why the couple…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II listed cottage, built around 1670 LOCATION Gloucestershire ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, family room, utility room, pantry, boot room, six bedrooms, four bathrooms PURCHASED 2000 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving to the country, we lived in a terraced house in north London,’ says Sally. When Sally and Rod Rowland left London in search of green, open space, they discovered a picture-perfect period house in Gloucestershire. Surrounded by woodland and meadows, it seemed the ideal place to raise their children, Daisy, now 23, Hugo, 22, Barnaby, 18, and Jessica, 14. While the couple were still mulling over whether or not to buy the house, PR consultant Sally received an unexpected job offer from fabric and wallpaper company, Lewis & Wood. ‘This opportunity was…

Current decorative trends are stepping away from traditional wallpaper and paint. A truly distinctive scheme can be created by experimenting with new materials on walls, from raw concrete to polished plaster, corrugated iron, wood cladding, cork and bamboo. Whether you decide on an industrial or natural finish, you can add character and warmth to your home by playing with a textured look. Love imperfections The trick to trialling new finishes on your walls is not to seek perfection, but instead to celebrate the beauty of imperfection, as seen in the Japanese art of Wabi-sabi. This popular interior design philosophy is a useful reference point. Exposed brick, the first iteration of the pared-back wall finish, is still popular. Now, however, bare concrete and plaster are key trends, too. Both materials can…

DIFFERENT HEIGHT To add interest and variety, wall units have been set at different levels in Asta and Stuart’s kitchen. An asymmetrical layout works particularly well in spacious layouts, where it makes the room more visually appealing. Here, a sleek linear design with fuss-free handleless units gives this scheme a fluid, minimalist feel. The contrasting dark grey worktops in Corian Lava Rock also help to draw the eye down the kitchen out towards the beautiful vista beyond. Integra Astral Blue kitchen, from £6,928 for a nine-unit L-shaped scheme, Magnet. CEILING WALL UNITS Natasha and Richard van der Molenbeek have got the most out of their compact kitchen by fitting the maximum number of wall cupboards right up to the ceiling. In this bespoke scheme, high-level cupboards were added for seldom-use…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached house, built around 1840 LOCATION East Devon ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, office, art studio, cloakroom, conservatory, three bedrooms, two bathrooms PURCHASED 2012 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘I was living in Sweden and Ian was based in Surrey,’ says Charlotte. ‘We bought this house together when we remarried.’ When Charlotte Kalen and Ian Beards married each other for the second time, they wanted a fresh start on the home front, too. ‘We divorced in the 1980s, and decided to get back together again when we met up 30 years later,’ explains Charlotte. ‘I’m Swedish but I had lived in nearby Totnes in the past, and we both liked the countryside, so Devon was the logical place to focus our house-hunting efforts.’ Following a long and exhaustive…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Edwardian apartment LOCATION Southwest London ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, two bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 2003 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in a village house in Italy,’ says Angela. Finding a home with a view was Angela Bunt’s number one priority, which is no surprise, given her previous residence. Angela and her family moved to the UK from a village in Italy with rolling vineyards and the French Alps in the distance. ‘When I saw this Edwardian flat overlooking a beautiful common, I just knew it was the perfect place for us,’ she says. Angela was determined to see past the rickety kitchen and half-tiled bathroom, and instead made a long to-do list. ‘I tackled these two rooms first,’ she says. But soon after…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY End-of-terrace, built in 1770 LOCATION East London ROOMS Lobby/hall, sitting room, sitting/dining room, kitchen, office, cloakroom, two bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2012 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, I lived in a wonderful flat overlooking Hyde Park,’ says Sean. The long entrance hall took Sean Mathias’s breath away when he first walked through the door of his east London home. ‘The road beside the property came 50 years after this house was built,’ says Sean. ‘Then the house was adapted, putting the front door at the side, creating a lobby. So the hall is unusual and it’s what makes the house so unique.’ Although the striking lobby, complete with an eye-catching wallcovering, is the first impression as you enter the building, it is actually…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Former rectory, coach house and stables, with Tudor parts dated around 1550 LOCATION Gloucestershire ROOMS Hall, drawing room, breakfast room, dining room, kitchen, study, home office, utility room, six bedrooms, five bathrooms PURCHASED 1999 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in an apartment in Tokyo before this,’ says Natasha. Having spent a great deal of their married lives travelling the globe on business, a return to the UK prompted Natasha and Richard van der Molenbeek’s search for a cottage near their daughters’ boarding schools in the Cotswolds. ‘We never intended to buy anything as large as this Victorian rectory, but we were taken by its beautifully proportioned rooms and huge windows,’ explains Natasha. Other features included four acres of landscaped gardens including a lake filled with water…

NEW-BUILD HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Double-fronted new-build LOCATION County Down ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2006 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before this, I rented a small bungalow in a nearby fishing village,’ says John. You could say that John Wilson is a chip off the old block, as he is the third of his siblings to don a hard hat and wellies and embark on a self-build project. ‘I’ve watched my two older brothers build their own houses and have been nurtured on a diet of home-makeover TV programmes, so it was probably a foregone conclusion,’ he says. ‘Originally I’d wanted to tackle a barn conversion but they’re in short supply so I opted for a new-build,’ he continues. ‘I chose a style…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terrace LOCATION Kent ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, study, four bedrooms, two bathrooms PURCHASED 2010 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived a three-bedroom Victorian townhouse nearby, before moving here,’ says Jennie. Jennie and Matthew Tait moved to Tunbridge Wells after they got married. ‘We had both lived in London,’ says Jennie, ‘but once we decided we wanted children, we started thinking about going back to Kent, where we’d both grown up.’ The pretty Kent town had been at the top of Jennie’s location wish list. ‘It’s a lovely place and a perfect middle ground between town and country. We found an old three-bedroom townhouse and moved in 2001. Our daughter Imogen arrived the following year.’ The townhouse suited the family while Imogen was small, but before…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Double-fronted Victorian terrace LOCATION Bristol ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, office, utility room, music studio, cloakroom four bedrooms (one en suite), family bathroom PURCHASED 2008 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a three-bedroom house, also in Bristol,’ says Rachel. Rachel Newbury and Timo Baker’s former social housing property in Bristol was in a very sorry state when they bought it in 2008. ‘It was awful,’ recalls Rachel, ‘with nicotine stains and damp patches everywhere.’ Despite this, the couple, who have two children, Juno, 12, and Niven, 9, could see it had huge potential, and were impressed by its views across the city and big garden, albeit littered with beer bottles and an old mattress. At this point the house was three maisonettes, each with its own…

Blue and yellow might usually evoke a summery look, but as the days become darker and the nights draw in, the same palette easily lends itself to an autumnal scheme that’s rich in colour and cocoons you in comfort. Sky blue becomes teal and sunshine yellow softens to an ochre to create a warming, sumptuous interior, where glints of gold glitter, illuminating the darkness. While the teal and burnt yellow shades set the tone in this bedroom, the overall look is grounded by the walls and floor in shades of mushroom and charcoal. This refined yet bold look is vibrant enough during daylight hours not to feel heavy. But after dark, with the lamps glowing, and the bed turned down, its moody hues invite you to crawl into bed for…