Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2025 i 25 Beautiful Homes

Natural decorations with an abundance of texture are definitely in favour this year judging by the majority of our Christmas houses. For Claire Georghiades and Chris Mitsis, a simple combination of fairy lights and foliage brings out the magic of their thatched cottage in West Sussex (p28). Chelsea Nelson takes a similar approach in the London home she shares with her partner and their young son (p69) – it’s all about keeping it simple with foraged branches, twigs and fir cones ‘to dress it up a bit’. Even in her 19th-century French country house, Valérie Le Montage prefers a pared-back festive style as a backdrop to family gatherings (p82). Wherever you’re celebrating, have a very happy Christmas.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Thatched cottage dating from 1898 ROOMS Kitchen-diner, dining room, sitting room, snug, cloakroom, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION West Sussex The weather may be unpredictable at this time of year, but for Claire Georghiades, it is probably her favourite season. ‘There is something very special about heading out for walks by the sea and then warming up by the wood burner,’ says Claire, who moved to a seaside town in West Sussex with her husband, Chris, in 2019. ‘We are both Londoners, but we decided we wanted to be by the coast; we fell in love with this area because it has so much to offer – from wonderful vineyards to the beautiful South Downs,’ she says. Three years after moving, the couple decided that they…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian detached house ROOMS Kitchen-diner, utility room, sitting room, dining room, snug, gallery space, office, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, separate two-bedroom annexe LOCATION Surrey When Laura and Adam Walford decided to move their family from London to the Surrey Hills, their brief to estate agents was quite specific. ‘As well as lots of light, we needed big walls where we could hang very large paintings,’ recalls Laura, who together with her mother, Anna Hunter, runs Belgravia Gallery, an art gallery founded by Anna over 35 years ago. Laura continues, ‘Our decision to move out of the city came at the same time that we decided to close the London gallery, so I needed the house to be both a family home and a place where we…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached house dating to the late 19th century ROOMS Sitting room, library, kitchen, dining room, games room, study, three cloakrooms, six bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Northern France WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS HOUSE? I have vivid memories of childhood holidays at my cousins’ manor house, with its high ceilings, grand staircases and secret nooks and crannies. I had always envisaged our three young children growing up in a place like that, and when we viewed this late 19th-century house near Lille, we immediately felt it was right. It’s a large house, but easy to live in, and it has the advantage of a wonderful garden. DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE. Having grown up in a house full of antiques, I like to use antiques and vintage finds, mixing…

BATHROOM FOCUS no. 18 PROJECT DETAILS OWNERS Rachel Lasson, her husband Simon and their two children PROPERTY Georgian farmhouse WORK Updating a bathroom as part of a whole house renovation LOCATION Somerset Rachel Lasson and her husband Simon aren’t rushing the renovation of their run-down farmhouse but one room they prioritised was the bathroom. ‘We’re trying to do justice to the property, so we’ve slowly been renovating,’ says Rachel. 1 GETTING STARTED The couple started renovations with essentials, like replacing rotten windows and installing a new boiler and electrics, before starting work on the bathroom. ‘The bath taps didn’t work,’ remembers Rachel, ‘it’s lucky we had a shower room downstairs to use. Plus it had a separate small toilet, which was dark and dingy.’ When the couple pulled back the…

no. 21 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A Victorian terrace house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner/living area, larder, utility room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION East London HOW DID YOU FIRST COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT? It was slightly unusual in that the clients had already had an extension drawn up by another architect for planning purposes. But when it came to building it, they couldn’t figure out how to make it work. We got involved to rethink what they had been given approval for and consider the practicalities of the layout. WHAT WERE THE OWNERS’ PRIORITIES FOR THE LAYOUT? The owners wanted the house to be highly functional for family life, guest visits and working from home. They didn’t touch the beautiful room at the front of the house,…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Double-fronted Victorian semi ROOMS Sitting room, reception room, family room, dining room, kitchen, five bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION East Sussex Amanda and Oliver Wilson live in the East Sussex town where Oliver, who works in finance, grew up. With no prior renovating experience, the couple didn’t know where to start with the interiors of a grand but dated Victorian semi and sought guidance from interior architectural designer Emma Capron from Bean Interiors. ‘Emma was great at prompting us with image boards to get us thinking,’ says Amanda, a stay-at-home mum to daughters, Anna, eight, and Chloe, five. ‘We soon realised our home was all about our love for living in this location – it’s where Oliver and I met, we had our children and built our…

HOUSE OF THE MONTHno. 1 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A barn conversion built in 2017 ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, walk-in larder, utility room, snug, six bedrooms, four bathrooms LOCATION Suffolk i used to mentally walk through the house every night as I was falling asleep, trying to envisage how the layout would work,’ says Onitha Jarrold, who, with her husband Dan, developed the site for their new home on the grounds of her old family home. The couple wanted to incorporate as much eco-conscious design as possible into the build. The floors throughout the downstairs are 300-year-old oak planks, reclaimed from a French chateau, while much of the furniture is vintage. ‘There is very little that has been bought new for the interiors, but the barn, as a self-build, uses mostly…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY 19th-century farmhouse with later additions ROOMS Kitchen-diner, two sitting rooms, study, utility room, boot room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, plus a self-contained two-bedroom cottage LOCATION Surrey It was meant to be ‘just a quick look’ when Holly Shanly spotted the Kinks lead singer Ray Davies’ house for sale – a stone’s throw from her current recently renovated home in Surrey. However, her buyer’s instinct kicked in and once Holly had viewed the Victorian farmhouse, she knew this was her next project. ‘Much to my children’s annoyance, I have a track record of buying old houses, renovating them and then moving on to the next one that catches my eye!’ laughs Holly, interior designer and founder of Aspen House Interiors. ‘I understand why many people prefer the…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A contemporary-meets-Victorian new-build house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-dining area, office, utility room, cloakroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sauna/bathroom LOCATION East London When you’ve just built a house, plus the one next door, established an architectural practice and had a baby, life can be pretty full-on. So when it comes to the festive season, you deserve to put your feet up. ‘We intend to,’ says architect Alex Wright, one half, along with interior designer partner Chelsea Nelson, of Nelson Wright Architects. ‘My mum is Finnish, so in Scandi-style, we celebrate with our big meal on Christmas Eve with close family who live nearby.’ The next day, the family, including baby Rufus, venture out for a nature walk in the ancient woodland minutes from their home…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Victorian home ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, office, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Hertfordshire Christmas is all about family in the Seidler household. The big day is spent with loved ones, the lead-up is full of cosy nights at home with a glass of red wine and a mince pie or two in front of the wood burner. However, Katie, whose Victorian house is in a busy market town in Hertfordshire, will admit that she likes to keep the decorations simple and minimal, with lots of natural elements that fit in with their home’s pared-back Scandi style. Having bought the three-bedroom property, after many years of renting, the couple were keen to make their mark on the place and fill it with their love of Scandinavian design.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Newly built detached house ROOMS Sitting room/dining area, kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, basement swimming pool LOCATION West Sussex The first thing that strikes you on entering the beautiful home of Steve Ackhurst, a producer and screenwriter, and Bronwen Malcolm, an artist, is an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquillity. This is an architect-designed house with impressive eco credentials and a softness at its heart. Split over three floors, the design is an open-plan arrangement that allows light to flow through the property from all four sides of the building. A few iconic pieces of furniture pepper the concrete floors, which are sparse enough to retain the minimalist aesthetic, but just enough to feel comfortable and homely. It is, after all, a family home. The overall…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 1930s terraced house ROOMS Sitting room, dining area, kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Southwest London Christmas for interior designer Justin Coakley never meant snow falling and chestnuts roasting over an open fire. Raised in South Africa where December is midsummer, Christmases were spent by the pool. ‘It’s all cold meats, salads and ice cream,’ laughs Justin. ‘I love English Christmases. Getting cosy and warm and lighting the fire when it’s all snowy. I actually prefer it.’ This year, he and his partner, Michael, are looking forward to welcoming friends and family to the house they’ve renovated. Their 1930s terrace is the first home they have purchased in London, determined to buy after years of renting. ‘We wanted to stay southwest of London,’ says Justin.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Modern farmhouse ROOMS Kitchen, family room, sitting room, dining room, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, office LOCATION California WHY DID YOUR CLIENTS’ BUY THIS HOUSE? They purchased it in 2022 with the intention of remodelling it, while living in another house in Mill Valley, California. With two young children, the 3,775sq ft property was perfect for their expanding family and they were drawn to the open feel of the indoor/outdoor floor plan. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? The homeowners contacted us online, having found us through our shop and design studio in Mill Valley and seen our projects on Instagram. WHAT WAS THE HOMEOWNERS’ BRIEF? They wanted a clean, organised, and family-friendly home with subtle print and pattern – a well-designed space…