Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i 25 Beautiful Homes

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse ROOMS Sitting room, snug, kitchen-diner, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION West London the house was a time capsule,’ explains Mike Fisher, creative director and founder of interior design company Studio Indigo, who was commissioned to renovate this mid-terrace, Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse in London. ‘It was like stepping back in time. The house hadn’t been decorated since the 1940s – it even had a little bomb damage – with most of the original architectural features from the 1820s still evident.’ The owner, Nathalie Hirst, has a good eye when it comes to the important qualities in a house, according to Mike. ‘She knows what she likes and doesn’t like, what would add value to the property and what was important to make…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Emily Hicking, Grid Thirteen (gridthirteen.co.uk) PROPERTY A three-bedroom Edwardian house WORK A new kitchen as part of a wider renovation LOCATION Northumberland The owners of this property, a professional couple with teenage sons, spend their downtime in the northeast, relaxing and enjoying sea sports, but they wanted their holiday home to have a new take on coastal style. Emily Hicking at Grid Thirteen was tasked with the project. 1 CONTEMPORARY ELEGANCE Keen to avoid the formulaic coastal design norm, the couple were drawn to the sleek, contemporary style on offer at Grid Thirteen. Designer Emily Hicking was asked to create a new kitchen, bar area, boot room, utility room and dog shower room. ‘My clients wanted the main kitchen space to be elegant yet timeless, while remaining…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian semi ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, utility room, cloakroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Buckinghamshire Not many people hit the jackpot first time round when it comes to finding the ideal home, but in the case of architects Craig Smith and Holly Gare, the elegant Victorian house that they occupy was the first and only one that they viewed. ‘We’d been searching for somewhere closer to Holly’s office in Henley for a while and had saved several options online including this one,’ explains Craig. ‘When we saw that the price had been reduced, we went to see it. The rest is history.’ Having both studied at Bath University, the couple share a passion for the city’s graceful buildings – in particular, architecture from the Georgian period.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Arts and crafts-inspired new build ROOMS Kitchen, dining room, snug, study, sitting room, reading room, four bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Surrey the decision to upsize rather than downsize was an obvious choice for Lesley and Paul Owen when their Victorian family home was no longer serving their lifestyle. ‘Once our three children had left home, we were looking for a more intimate living arrangement, but we also wanted plenty of space for when they visit with the grandchildren,’ explains Lesley. ‘And we love to host, especially at Christmas, so there were lots of factors to consider.’ Lesley became more confident after finding a sprawling new build in Surrey, and considered how the sizeable house could evolve to suit this new phase in their life. ‘Once we’d…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached new build ROOMS Entrance hall, dining room, kitchen-diner, family room, sitting room, TV room, laundry room, two cloakrooms, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, two dressing rooms, two offices, gallery, salon, library, gym, sauna, attic game room, attic bathroom LOCATION Central Texas HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? I work as a team with Watermark Homes by David Bratton, which was awarded the project to design this large family home for the clients and their two young daughters. I was originally involved with the fixtures and fittings, however, about six months into the project, I was asked to specify all of the furnishings as well. HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS? They were very involved; she and I visited the Dallas Design District together…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Edwardian house ROOMS Entrance hall, study, sitting room, open-plan kitchen-diner, cloakroom, four bedrooms two bathrooms LOCATION Surrey ‘GLAZED INTERNAL DOORS BRING PRIVACY TO ROOMS BUT ALSO ENHANCE SPACE AND LIGHT’ Just like any couple buying their first home, Zoe and George Edgecombe were excited by the prospect of living together in their dream property. The couple had come across a handsome double-fronted Edwardian house that needed work, but had plenty of potential. However, as busy investment bankers in their thirties, Zoe and George’s careers were demanding most of their attention and nine months after moving in in early 2021, they had a bit of a reality check. ‘It was close to the end of the year and we realised that if we didn’t enlist a…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Four-storey, new-build terraced home ROOMS Kitchen-diner/sitting room, drawing room, cinema room/gym, four bedrooms, five bathrooms LOCATION Dublin WHAT DREW YOUR CLIENTS TO THIS PROPERTY? They are a young family who relocated from a penthouse apartment overseas in 2023. This Dublin townhouse gave them a more traditional layout with garden space in a beautiful area. It had the fabulous classical features they wanted, but as a new build it also features a lift and ample underground parking. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? The client had seen our work and knew we would be able to respond to their needs and deliver a stunning family home. We were also open to working with their much-loved existing lighting pieces and bold, funky art and…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Originally two early-19th-century workers’ cottages, this is now a single home ROOMS Kitchen-diner, sitting room, snug, four bedrooms, four bathrooms LOCATION Yorkshire Lee Thornley’s 2022 property purchase was a success on many levels. Not only was it an opportunity to create a home for his family – his two daughters, Iris and Lyla, and his partner, Phil – it also allowed him to develop his passion for using reclaimed materials, some of which hail from his tile business, Bert & May. ‘We chose reclaimed wherever we could,’ he says, ‘There’s handmade terracotta on the floor in the kitchen, reclaimed elm boards throughout the rest of the downstairs and a reclaimed oak floor upstairs.’ Although the pair of cottages had already been joined and extended, the resulting…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Extended farmhouse, originally built in the 1800s ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, sitting room, snug, cloakroom, five bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Suffolk When Laura Emmerson first viewed this property, located in a peaceful Suffolk village, she could immediately visualise the extension they would add. ‘I knew I could bring order to what was a very higgledy-piggledy home,’ she explains. She and her husband Shaun were moving out of London to the countryside with their young children, Annabel, eight, Willa, six and Rory, four, and they wanted an older property that they could modernise and shape to their needs. ‘I really wanted to give our children a country childhood,’ she shares. Laura and Shaun started with a basic upgrade to the decor, making do with the small but perfectly…

PROJECT DETAILS OWNER Richard Loudon PROPERTY New-build four-bedroom house WORK New kitchen LOCATION East Sussex ‘I wanted to build a forever home,’ says Richard Loudon. ‘I couldn’t find a house that suited what I had in mind, so I chose this plot for its ideal location and began to hatch a plan.’ He commissioned MA Architecture & Interior Design to work on the design for the three-storey house. 1 MAKING PLANS The brief for the kitchen was to maximise its views of its beautiful garden setting and create an inside-outside feel. With plans underway, it was time to visit Tim Brown, senior designer of Design Interiors, who had designed a kitchen in Richard’s previous home, to produce the kitchen space. 2 CREATING THE WISH LIST ‘I enjoy cooking and find…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A converted 19th-century Methodist church ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, office, two bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION North London Studio 3, formerly a 19th-century Methodist church in north London, is home to designer João Botelho and his beloved cocker spaniel Oscar. Following a separation, João was looking to downsize, but the hunt seemed fruitless until a fortuitous flurry of events led him to this property. It was love at first sight. The conversion from ecclesiastical building to home was masterminded by West Architecture under the skilled guidance of Graham West and Hana Ichikawa. Their distinctive application of timber, steel, resin and brick forms the foundational palette. Split into two levels, the home comprises two bedrooms, an indulgent bathroom and an expansive open-plan living space. The soaring ceiling height and classical…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A new-build house completed in 2023 ROOMS Kitchen/living/dining space, snug, office space, boot room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, dressing room LOCATION Hampshire An overgrown plot strewn with tatty, plastic poly-tunnels may not have appealed to less adventurous types, but for interior designer Anna Foster and her husband, builder and construction company owner Alfie Haynes, it represented so much exciting potential. ‘The plot was an abandoned plant nursery with permission to convert the two barns that were still standing on it,’ explains Anna. The couple’s decision to buy the property marked the start of a three-year adventure. They moved into one of the barns in 2021 and applied successfully for further planning permission to demolish the barns and construct a bigger house, and within a year had…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Polly Ashman (pollyashman.com) PROPERTY Victorian terraced house with five bedrooms WORK Bedroom redesign LOCATION Southwest London ‘I was asked to redesign this main bedroom as part of a whole house renovation,’ says designer Polly Ashman. ‘The owners wanted to create a retreat from their busy life.’ The brief was a calm and neutral scheme with lots of textures. 1 KEEPING IT CALM Happily, little structural work was required, so the remodel began with repainting the walls and ceiling. ‘I chose a light blue wall colour to enhance the sense of light and space and establish a calming ambience,’ says Polly. She also commissioned large bespoke fitted wardrobes to maximise her clients’ storage and keep the space looking clear and clutter-free. 2 MIXING OLD AND NEW To add…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached house, built in 2023 ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, sitting room, boot room, utility room/pantry, office, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, dressing room LOCATION Berkshire Over nearly 20 years Melissa and James Spencer have renovated, extended and updated each home they have had. The only thing left to do was to build their own, in their favourite location. ‘I’d always longed to live in a particular spot a couple of roads away,’ says Melissa, ‘It’s close to green spaces, but handy for facilities, and incredibly peaceful. We’d been thinking about our next move, now that our two sons are grown up, and when a property there came onto the market, we just went for it.’ The setting was the deciding factor, as the four-bedroomed 1950s house was ugly,…