Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i 25 Beautiful Homes

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Ground-floor flat in a converted Victorian house ROOMS Kitchen, sitting room, two bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION South London ‘I’m drawn to things that have been discarded but deserve to be appreciated, so I’m always looking on salvage websites’ Re-loving old things is how interior designer Rebecca Buckland likes to approach her interiors so it’s not surprising she relished the challenge of updating a Victorian flat with her husband Fred, an engineer. Rebecca’s ethos is also how she came to set up Editions London, a shopfront selling unique artwork she creates from antique art and curios. ‘I’m drawn to things that have been discarded but deserve to be appreciated,’ she says. The couple settled on Herne Hill in their search for their first home, liking the village feel…

SITTING ROOM FOCUS no. 6 PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Rebecca Hughes Interiors (rebecca hughesinteriors.com) PROPERTY A Grade II-listed early Victorian detached house WORK Part of a whole house renovation LOCATION West London This family home hadnʼt been decorated in quite a few years and the aim was to modernise it without losing its period feel. Rebecca Hughes Interiors was the first contractor to be appointed. ‘The sitting room was to be a quiet space where my client could have drinks with friends, or sit and read a book,’ says Rebecca. 1 STARTING OUT The period features caught Rebecca’s eye. ‘The light coming through the large window was beautiful, as were the high ceilings but there was little furniture so the space felt cavernous and a little cold,’ she recalls. ‘My brief…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Edwardian terraced house ROOMS Front room, cloakroom, open-plan kitchen/dining/sitting room, laundry/utility room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Southwest London WHAT WAS THE BRIEF? The client loves an eclectic mix of new and vintage pieces – you could tell from her home and inspiration images that she has really good taste and prefers to have key pieces rather than a cluttered look. We looked to maintain the original features of the property when reworking the house and to ensure the new extension with an open-plan kitchen/dining/sitting room was in keeping with the age of the property HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS?They loved the design process – we went to kitchen showrooms together and they loved attending the interior design meetings to ensure they were happy with the…

KITCHEN FOCUSno. 15 PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNERS Simon Gray, designer, DesignSpace London (designspace london.com) PROPERTY New-build house WORK A new kitchen LOCATION Oxfordshire Simon Gray of DesignSpace London was asked to create a kitchen for this new home. ‘The build was 90% complete when I became involved,’ says Simon. ‘One of the owners is an airline pilot and during lockdown he considered building the units himself. Then, as air travel restarted, he didn’t have time and asked me to take over.’ 1 MAKING THE WISH LIST ‘Lockdown had given my clients time to carefully consider what they wanted, so they were able to give a concise brief – natural materials sympathetic to the woodland setting of the house, a design with a contemporary feel and a layout suited to family life with…

BATHROOM FOCUSno. 18 PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Susan Roach, design consultant, West One Bathrooms (westone bathrooms.com) PROPERTY Edwardian house WORK A new bathroom LOCATION Hertfordshire A large bathroom can be tricky to plan, as West One Bathrooms’ Susan Roach explains: ‘It’s tempting to plot the fittings around the edge of the room, but that leaves an empty space in the centre.’ Such a challenge faced these new owners, who approached Susan to design a new en suite. 1 MAKING A PLAN ‘The existing bathroom, although generous in size, had a basin, bath, shower cubicle and WC pushed out to the sides of the room,’ explains Susan. ‘The owners asked me to rethink the layout to make better use of the space, avoiding the empty centre and creating a more cohesive feel.’…

no. 21 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terrace ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, utility room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, storage room LOCATION West London After the arrival of their two children Finlay and Isla, now aged six and nine, Angus and Justine Flockhart knew that they had outgrown their three-bed maisonette in Shepherd’s Bush, which had already maximised its extension potential. Looking for a bigger family home, the couple decided to rent an Airbnb and test out living outside of the capital. However, it took less than a week for them to realise country life wasn’t for them. ‘I’ve never seen Angus so miserable,’ says Justine, who was on maternity leave at the time. ‘We also realised that if I was doing the same commute we would never see our children,’…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A timber-framed country house ROOMS Open-plan kitchen /dining/breakfast area, boot room, sitting room, drawing room, family room, three bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Oxfordshire Finding a spacious, bright family home with plenty of outdoor space to accommodate their horses was Anna and Oliver Giles’ aim when looking for a new home. Their search led them to an unexpected find that left them with a difficult dilemma. ‘We loved the location and the surrounding meadow but didn’t think the house was quite right for us and it certainly wasn’t light-filled,’ says Anna. Despite initially dismissing the property as too dark and cramped, the couple were enchanted by the private location and extensive grounds. A second viewing with a trusted builder friend gave them the confidence to see beyond…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terraced house, built in 1870 ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, family room, laundry room, utility room, three bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION West London When Emma Jennings and her husband Andrew first moved to London from abroad they had no idea how long they were likely to stay so began searching for rental accommodation. Twelve years later, and now with two children and a small dog, they own the home that captured their imagination all that time ago. ‘As soon as we saw it, we just loved it – it’s a house with so much story. It transports you to another time and place. We still go away now and come back to be awed again by the beautiful bones of the house and its…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A detached Georgian house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, laundry room, music room, cinema room, orangery, library, cloakroom, five bedrooms, six bathrooms LOCATION West Yorkshire ‘I love sculptural lighting and made sure each room had a stunning ceiling pendant’ Lucy Peters, a retail and hospitality stylist, had been collating images of creamy neutrals and sculptural furniture on her ‘dream home’ Pinterest board for years before the scheme became a reality. After renovating 12 houses with her husband Adam, her dream house finally came on the market. ‘We’ve been very fortunate to live in cottages, barns and farmhouses but I craved a home with bigger proportions, high ceilings and large windows,’ Lucy explains. ‘We used to walk our dogs past this beautiful Georgian property but didn’t think we’d…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached house built in 2012 ROOMS Family room, kitchen, dining room, her study, pantry/laundry room, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, cloakroom, media room. Pool house with games room, his study, gym, bathroom, barbecue and bar area LOCATION San Francisco Bay area ‘Living the California lifestyle absolutely means making the most of the weather – the design includes creating a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces’ WHAT WAS THE BRIEF? This full home renovation project, designed for a family with adult children, was designed to meet the homeowners’ needs (and a few desires) as well as to be a welcoming home for friends gathering and family returning home to visit. WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE SCHEME? Living the California lifestyle absolutely means making the most of…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A three-storey detached house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner/living area, utility room, cloakroom, five bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Cheshire ‘The space under the island was made deep enough so the bar stools could be tucked away out of sight for a more streamlined look’ ‘Accessories like a rug and painting in a kitchen are unexpected and add even more character and softness to the space’ When an ex-rental house came on the market two doors away from her mother, Becky Nevitt was eager to take a look. Along with husband Steve, she had recently renovated a four-bedroom detached 1920s property on a busy road. By contrast, this 20-year-old Georgian-style detached house was on a cul-de-sac within a gated estate, making it more suitable for sons Ethan, 12,…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Jessica Buckley of Jessica Buckley Interiors (jessicabuckley.co.uk) PROPERTY A stone-built detached house WORK Complete renovation, reconfiguration and redecoration LOCATION Edinburgh The owners, a couple with two children, asked interior designer Jessica Buckley to help renovate their new home. This standout space is the main bedroom, where colour and pattern evoke a cosy scheme that’s super elegant, too. 1 COUNTRY CASUAL Creating a bedroom that was calm and pretty, but also had a relaxed, elegant feel was top of the owners’ wish list. ‘Our clients had decorated the bedroom in their previous home in a much sharper modern style that suited the city centre location,’ says Jessica. ‘They wanted a style to reflect their move to a house with much more of a countryside feel.’ 2 PLAYING WITH…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A converted 17th century Grade ll-listed barn ROOMS Living space, dining area, kitchen, utility room, cloakroom, four bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Kent My home really is my sanctuary,’ admits Natasha Miller – and it’s not difficult to see why. This mellow Kentish barn, nestled in the North Downs, is a calm, cohesive, light-filled space that feels effortlessly stylish. But there’s more to it than that. Natasha has a degenerative eye condition, which means her sight is severely impaired. ‘I have no peripheral vision so I have to look at things in sections,’ she explains. ‘It can make everyday life a bit challenging, so coming home to a place where I always feel happy, relaxed and safe has become increasingly important.’ The barn has been a much-loved…

no. 8 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Semi-detached Edwardian house ROOMS Sitting room, open plan kitchen-diner, family room, music room, office/storage room, cloakroom, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two dressing rooms LOCATION North London ‘I was keen to go a bit further with colour – I love the richness of the hues we’ve chosen and the warmth they give’ Opposites attract, and that was certainly the case for Michelle and Steve Curtis and their children Audrey, 12, Sylvia, 11, and Jack, nine, when they moved from a contemporary, open-plan maisonette to a nearby Edwardian period home that now showcases a wealth of bold colour. ‘The maisonette served us well while the children were young but as they grew up, we needed a bit of separation, partly for noise levels, and the children…

KITCHEN FOCUSno. 11 PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Lucy Wilks, Herringbone (herringbone kitchens.com) PROPERTY 1960s-built house WORK A rear extension with new kitchen LOCATION North London With plans prepared for an extension across the rear of their home, the owners asked designer Lucy Wilks to produce a new kitchen. ‘They wanted to create a large, open-plan space as the sociable hub of their home and fully geared to relaxed family life,’ explains Lucy. 1 DESIGNING THE VISION ‘The owners had a clear vision of the style of cabinetry they wanted, but had been unable to find a company able to make it,’ recalls Lucy. Several roads led to Herringbone, known for its bespoke kitchens and flexible approach. ‘At our meeting, I began sketching ideas for a double layered Shaker-style door, before our workshop…

no. 20 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Extended four-level detached house ROOMS Library, craft room, open-plan kitchen-diner/living area, utility room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms. The property also includes a two-bedroom flat with bathroom and kitchen LOCATION West Cornwall We were looking for a home with parking, some land and lots of light, but that is like gold dust here,’ says Lucy Lawrence, who was seeking the perfect retirement home with her husband, David. The couple found themselves drawn to the far west of Cornwall, but the small fishing village they loved didn’t have a property they wanted to buy. Things turned around when Lucy found an old bungalow in a nearby hamlet. The property she had discovered ticked (almost) all their boxes, but it was too small. Even worse, only one…