Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i 25 Beautiful Homes

EDITOR’S LETTER When it comes to INSPIRATIONAL homes, and indeed homeowners, it would be difficult to beat JP Clark’s stunning WATERSIDE bolthole. A serial renovator, JP has boundless energy and his PASSION for property has really come to the fore in this revamped 1960s deckhouse (p28). Displaying similar dedication, Bridget and Andrew Hall spent five years renovating their Lake District FARMHOUSE and this labour of love threw up many challenges (p68). ‘There were times when we questioned the wisdom of buying a dilapidated property in such a remote area,’ says Andrew. Happily, the couple are now reaping the rewards of their hard work. We hope every house we feature provides inspiration and, of course, the BEST way to make sure you never miss out is to take advantage of…

no. 3 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY 1960s deckhouse designed and built by Vernon Gibberd of architectural practice Gore, Gibberd and Saunders ROOMS Living area/kitchen-diner, two bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION Hampshire Since we met, John and I have harboured a desire to live by the coast,’ says blogger and online influencer JP Clark. Twenty four years later, married and with 10 renovations behind them, the sale of their former West Sussex home has made the dream a reality. ‘With each move we inched nearer to the sea,’ says JP. The catalyst for the move was triggered in lockdown. ‘We had finished the renovation of our home and garden and despite loving it, realised the upkeep was a huge ongoing commitment.’ Coinciding with the slowing down of JP’s at-home hairdressing salon, thoughts turned…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A four-bedroom Edwardian house ROOMS Sitting room/dining room, kitchen, utility room, four bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION Newcastle upon Tyne ‘The fluted panelling on the extractor hood adds another lovely layer of decoration’ WHAT LED YOU TO THIS PROPERTY? Both James and I are drawn to period properties for their proportions and character, so we had focused our search around our local area. After 50 viewings and several rejected offers we realised the market had boomed beyond our reach, so we broadened our search to other parts of Newcastle. Our patience was finally rewarded when we found this Edwardian property. It was in desperate need of love and attention, but we knew with some clever planning we could create a wonderful home. WHAT WORK DID YOU DO? The…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian semi ROOMS Kitchen, dining room, sitting room, cloakroom, utility room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION South London ‘Bespoke joinery, like the cupboard and wine rack in the dining area, allows you to accommodate what you need’ When Andrew Griffiths embarked on the redesign of this family home, he started by asking the owners how they wished to feel when they walked through their front door. Their answer? ‘They wanted a sense of warmth and ease.’ As a result, Andrew put together a carefully calibrated mix of textures that creates a sense of calm, from rustic herringbone flooring to a wall of textured tiles that catches the light in a beguiling way. As the founder of interior design studio A New Day, Andrew took care to…

no. 18BATHROOM FOCUS PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Elizabeth Ennis at Wolfe Interiors (wolfeinteriors.co.uk) PROPERTY Five-bedroom Victorian house WORK Reconfiguration of the existing en suite LOCATION Yorkshire A memorable stay in Soho House Berlin inspired Natalie Cosgrove and husband Richard Baker to transform their existing en suite into a luxurious hotel-style bathroom. Interior designer Elizabeth Ennis of Wolfe Interiors was the creative brains behind the project. 1 COLLATE IDEAS One of the key requirements was the inclusion of both a bath and walk-in shower. Natalie and Richard wanted a high-end look, while still maintaining a period style that was in-keeping with their 19th-century property. ‘Our starting point was recreating that Victorian public convenience vibe with dark tiles,’ says Natalie. ‘I also knew I wanted a black bath – the freestanding tub was…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A ground-floor apartment in a Victorian house ROOMS Sitting/dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, bedroom, bathroom LOCATION Northwest London Take one ‘unloved blank canvas’ of a home with two creative owners (and their beagle Clooney), plus a couple of architects who make up the practice Twinning Design and the result is a transformed space that oozes sophistication, ingenious ideas and a refined colour palette. Things weren’t always like this. Fashion brand manager Lisa Harris and her partner Joshua Collard bought the one-bedroom ground floor flat within a handsome Victorian house both for its proximity to a garden square in northwest London and for the fact that it’s just three tube stops to Bond Street station. ‘We are fortunate to have the best of both worlds,’ explains Lisa, ‘it’s…

COASTAL CHARM Shoreline-inspired motifs in fresh whites, nautical blues and sandy hues will deliver relaxed, beachy bliss to your home this summer SUNSHINE STYLE Get a joyous holiday atmosphere all year round with sizzling designs in bright citrus shades that radiate happy energy and a sense of fun URBAN EDGE Exquisite forms featuring luxe finishes ooze sophistication and will lend glamour to both traditional and contemporary interior schemes…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY 16th-century stone house ROOMS Open-plan sitting room, dining area and kitchen, cloakroom, six bedrooms, four bathrooms, pool house with a bathroom, guest house with a further bedroom and bathroom LOCATION Île de Ré, France Situated on Île de Ré, an island off the west coast of France, the home of Gaëlle Gevers is a true jewel within the historic port town of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. ‘The house was built in 1586 by the future king of France, Henry IV, for his mistress Esther Imbert,’ says Gaëlle, who immediately fell for the building’s charms when she first viewed it four years ago. ‘You enter through a discreet gate and suddenly you have a 16th-century forecourt in front of you; it is breathtaking,’ she explains. The building hadn’t been renovated…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Renovated 500-year-old Italian farmhouse set in five acres of olive groves ROOMS Open-plan kitchen-diner, sitting room, cloakroom, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Puglia, southern Italy Fashion designer Collette Dinnigan and her husband, consultant Bradley Cocks, had little idea, when they planned a years’ sabbatical in Italy, that they’d end up making it their permanent home. ‘I had wound down my fashion business and wanted to explore southern Italy,’ says Collette. ‘Our children Estella,18 and Hunter, 10, came too, and we began by touring the “toe and heel” of the country.’ Arriving in Puglia felt like a stroke of fate and the couple were captivated. ‘We loved the area’s wilderness and found the old masserias enchanting,’ says Collette. While staying around Ostuni, famous for its whitewashed city…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached 1970s house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, utility room, study, snug, four bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Buckinghamshire Emma Daniel has a creative eye for space planning but struggled with the interiors of her home. However, she was concerned using a professional might not reflect her style. ‘We wanted an impressive family house with a classic look that wasn’t so precious we felt uncomfortable, but I didn’t quite know how to achieve this,’ explains Emma, who is a business journalist and lives here with husband, Peter, a solicitor, and children Charlie, eight, Georgie, six, and Izzy, two. ‘Interior designer Gloria Gambini made the effort to get to know us and created beautiful spaces that were also practical for our family. She knew exactly where to place furniture…

no. 5 ‘There’s a special lighting panel on the kitchen ceiling – when switched on it looks like a skylight with a clear blue sky above you’ HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY An apartment in an early 20th-century building ROOMS Cloakroom, kitchen/living area, library, main bedroom with en suite, two guest bedrooms, two home offices, bathroom LOCATION Helsinki, Finland WHAT WERE YOUR KEY TASKS IN THIS PROJECT? When I viewed the apartment with my clients I could see it had huge potential. The layout was good but we made it even better. We added French doors and removed the wall between the kitchen and library to create a large family space. We completely redesigned the bathrooms and cloakroom, reinstated period details, and copied the original doors we found in the attic.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached country house created from outbuildings that date back to the 1800s, plus later additions ROOMS Open-plan kitchen-diner, snug, sitting room, boot room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Suffolk One of my favourite things about living here in this tucked away spot is that I can witness the seasons transition from almost every window of our home,’ explains nature-loving photographer and stylist Claire Rogers, whose home is situated at the end of a private lane in a very quiet Suffolk village. This house, Claire says, was originally outbuildings serving the neighbouring cottage, with parts dating to the 1800s: ‘The sitting room was once a barn and cart shed, open to the elements, with a hayloft above that is now our daughter Trulie’s room; the building had…

no. 17 ‘Natural light was an important consideration in the renovation and this room gets lots of it – and we can now see outside from all vantage points in here’ HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A beach house set on an acre of land ROOMS Living/dining area, kitchen, play room, study, laundry room, five bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Melbourne, Australia ‘I love to be able to cook and chat so an island with bar stools was vital in making this a sociable space’ WHAT DREW YOU TO THE PROPERTY? From the moment we laid eyes on it, we knew we had found ‘the one’. What it lacked then, in mod cons, it more than made up for in charm, and we loved the land, privacy, the potential it offered and…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A converted Victorian stables and coach house dating from 1858 ROOMS Kitchendiner/sitting room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Surrey Hills ‘I used as many natural materials as possible, including limestone flooring, scaffold planks and reclaimed oak’ Ask Sarah Druce what influenced her most when she was designing her converted stables home and she’ll tell you it was the time she spent away from it. ‘I’m inspired by the styles of houses and furnishings you find abroad,’ she says, ‘whether it’s a yoga retreat in Majorca, or a beach home in South Africa.’ The renovation gave Sarah the opportunity to bring her favourite global looks to this unique home in Surrey. The stables have been part of Sarah’s life for as long as she can remember. It…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terraced house ROOMS Sitting room, TV room, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION South London When Julia Lindquist and her husband Nick bought their home in March 2021, they particularly loved the high ceilings and feeling of space. ‘It was the only house we walked into where we both felt it was “the one’’,’ says Julia. To make the most of the home’s scale and architectural features, the couple took on a considerable amount of work, including removing carpets, restoring wooden floors, stripping wallpaper and replastering, as well as knocking through the two reception rooms and adding bifold doors. While the sitting room is more of an adult space for entertaining, the second reception room is a family TV space, so the couple wanted…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Semi-detached, Grade II-listed house ROOMS Sitting room, snug, kitchen-diner, utility room/cloakroom, four bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION The Cotswolds When Amelia Harvey viewed a characterful Cotswolds cottage, crammed with quirky period features, she could instantly envisage creating a vibrant bolthole. ‘As my London home has a pared-back, modern look, I wanted to be far more adventurous here,’ she says. Having been brought up in the countryside, Amelia often reminisced about her carefree childhood and, when her son was born, she wanted him to experience a similar upbringing. ‘During the first lockdown, I toyed with the idea of buying a second home in the Cotswolds – one of my favourite areas,’ she says. Intrigued by images of an attractive cottage in a quaint Oxfordshire village, Amelia arranged a…