Innehållsförteckning för December 2016 från 25 Beautiful Homes

Traditional red and gold, white and silver, natural, bright, Scandi, vintage – the list goes on for the descriptions there are for Christmas decorations. Our house falls into the white, silver and natural group, so each year I buy a few extra decorations to add to our collection. Last year’s additions were mad colourful fish with feathers, which don’t fit in at all, but I’d generally say don’t be swayed by this year’s colour look if it doesn’t suit you. You’ll always find decorations to add to your collection and don’t forget that they’ll hold memories for you and your family. When my brother, sister and I shared out my mother’s baubles after she died, we didn’t want the ones she had bought recently but the ones from our childhood…

BUTTON-BACK SOFA I’ve been looking for a buttoned grey sofa (maximum width of 165cm) that will not look too bulky in my bedroom. I spotted the lovely design in the home of Cassia Morris (p25, April 2016) but I think that will probably be too wide. Can you help? JEAN HAY, BY EMAIL That sofa came from Bardoe & Appel (01483 511477, bardoe andappel.co.uk) and is no longer available, but I can suggest a couple of compact options. Sofa Workshop (0800 230 0048, sofaworkshop.com) has a model called The Hunter (shown), which sits lightly in a room thanks to its petite proportions. It comes in a number of fabrics and measures H81 x W160 x D89cm, from £1,953. Primrose & Plum (01372 750648, primroseandplum.co.uk) has a grey button-back, two-seater chair…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached red-brick house LOCATION Central Netherlands ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, office, utility room, three bedrooms, attic room, bathroom PURCHASED 2006 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in a smaller wooden house in the forest,’ says Marielle. If you go down to the woods today, you may just find Marielle and Michel Essenstam’s winter idyll. The red-brick house is surrounded by nothing but trees and a thick blanket of fresh snow, and that’s just the way Marielle likes it. As an in-demand make-up artist and stylist, she is often called to Amsterdam, 50 miles to the west, to work on photo shoots and film sets, so the isolation of her house is a welcome respite. It’s not the first time the couple have experienced woodland…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY An 18th-century cottage LOCATION East Sussex ROOMS Hall, sitting room, drawing room, dining room, kitchen-diner, garden room, cloakroom, four bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 1992 PREVIOUS PROPERTY 'This lovely house is our weekend retreat,’ says Maggie. ‘Our main home is in London.' The cosy East Sussex cottage that Maggie and Louis Calmels escape to at every opportunity is a far cry from the scenes of dilapidation that greeted them 24 years ago. Unloved and untouched for decades, the property struck an instant chord with the pair, who live and work in London. ‘We wanted a place where our two young children, Francis, then 6, and James, 5, could be unleashed,’ smiles Maggie. ‘But unable to afford a bigger house in the capital, we decided…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 17th-century farmhouse LOCATION Aberdeenshire ROOMS Hall, drawing room, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, study, utility room, boot room, seven bedrooms (three en suite), bathroom INHERITED 2002 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We moved here from a Victorian terrace in London,’ says Catriona. Christmas at our house is a village affair,’ says Catriona Farquharson of the Aberdeenshire estate she and her husband, Donald, inherited in 2002. ‘Each year, all the locals come together to take part in a nativity held in the stable block in front of our house.’ The Finzean estate has been the centre of this community for 400 years, and home to the Farquharsons, which included the esteemed Victorian landscape artist, Joseph Farquharson, for 16 generations. So Catriona and Donald felt a certain responsibility when…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A stone cottage, built around 1620 LOCATION Oxfordshire ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen, study, utility room, boot room, four bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 2003 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we rented a farmhouse on an estate a few miles away,’ says Caroline. Christmas is an important time of year in the Godden household, with family and friends gathering to join in the celebrations. ‘I really enjoy this season,’ smiles Caroline. ‘The house lends itself perfectly to winter, and especially to Christmas.’ But the scene was not always idyllic. In fact, caterers Caroline and Nick searched for their ideal home for several years before they came across this Oxfordshire property. ‘We rented a farmhouse on a local country estate for a long time,’ explains Caroline. ‘But we…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A Wells cottage, built in 1932 LOCATION Sussex ROOMS Hall/drawing room, TV room, dining room, kitchen, study, utility room, shower room/ cloakroom, turret room, five bedrooms (two en suite) PURCHASED 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We sold our last home near Toulouse to move here,’ says Sue. When Sue and Rob Lewis moved back home after some years of living in France, it seemed the perfect time to buy a picturesque cottage in Sussex. ‘As soon as we set eyes on this one, we were smitten,’ says Sue. ‘In some ways it had a French feel,’ she adds, pointing out the round tower. ‘We also liked the Tudor-style features – the arched windows with leaded lights, the big fireplaces and the characterful nooks.’ Undaunted by the discovery…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II listed 15th-century timber-framed house, with later extensions LOCATION Hampshire ROOMS Hall, drawing room, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, two offices, cloakroom, playroom, wine cellar, six bedrooms (three en suite), family bathroom PURCHASED 2001 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in an 18th-century thatched cottage in a nearby village,’ says Julia.    Julia and Charles Annandale’s Grade II listed timber-framed home in Hampshire is the ideal venue for Christmas celebrations. There are plenty of bedrooms to accommodate visiting loved ones, a spacious kitchen for cooking and catching up, and a dining room designed for the ultimate candlelit banquet. Add to that a cosy sitting room where family of all generations can gather in front of the roaring fire for fun and games. ‘The…

Design ideas PHOTO SPLASHBACK A splashback creates an eye-catching feature in the Annandales’ kitchen, where a collage of family pictures has been turned into one. Photographic splashbacks are a great way of personalising this room. Your pictures are digitally printed onto glass or acrylic panels, and the higher the resolution of the image, the better the result will be. Photo splashbacks can be custom-made to fit any space. Search for photo printed splashbacks online to find a website providing this service. Most companies simply ask that you upload your images and measurements. For real impact, consider having one photograph blown up to create a striking image splashback. Black and white photos work well, too. PAPER BAG DECS A bench in the Kastens’ entrance hall has been decorated with a seasonal…

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INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached new-build house LOCATION Lincolnshire ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, snug, family room, five bedrooms (two en suite), master bathroom PURCHASED 2011 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before, we had a 1930s detached home in Nottingham,’ says Sarah. We love a natural Christmas,’ says Sarah Crozier. ‘Instead of having a traditional tree, we go out into the country lanes and see what we find in the hedgerows.’ And, for Sarah and her husband Paul, their rural home provides all the pastoral inspiration they could want. ‘This area is so tranquil and at one with nature,’ says Sarah. Sarah and Paul had been city dwellers for years before they relocated. ‘We’d always been intrigued by country living,’ says Sarah. ‘We wanted to be able to go for long hikes…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Part of a listed farm building, built in 1868 LOCATION East Netherlands ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, barn PURCHASED 2009 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We used to have a colonial-style home just across the border in Germany,’ says Jacqueline. The notion of spending Christmas in a rustic, welcoming house among the forest greenery proved irresistible for Jacqueline Kasten and her husband Jochem. The couple had both grown up in this same area of the eastern Netherlands, near the German border, and making the move back to the wooded landscape in 2009 was a happy homecoming. However, when Jochem said he had found the perfect home, his wife’s first reaction was less optimistic. ‘He had said the same thing many times before,’ explains…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian stone cottage LOCATION Rutland ROOMS Hall, sitting room/ kitchen-diner, snug, office, utility room, cloakroom, three bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2011 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in a large stone house in rural Lincolnshire,’ says Alison. Alison and Peter Hutchinson scoured the whole of Rutland in search of a new home, and had seen more than 40 properties before an unloved stone cottage in the heart of a picturesque village caught their eye. ‘We had decided to downsize and find a new house close to our daughter Olivia’s (now 15) school,’ explains Alison, a former interior designer. ‘The property was in a sorry state when we bought it but we knew immediately that by extending at the rear, it would have real potential as…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Terrace built circa 1890 LOCATION Southeast London ROOMS Hall, sitting room, kitchen-diner, study, cloakroom, three bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 2014 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before, we had a Victorian cottage in south London,’ says Mary. After losing out on eight other homes, Mary Maddocks found herself looking around a run-down property in southeast London one dark winter’s evening a couple of years ago. ‘There had clearly been two or three people sleeping in each room and it was really dilapidated, but I could see it was a solid house with good-sized bedrooms, the potential to have a big kitchen-diner, and space for me to craft so it ticked almost every box,’ she says. Mary convinced her husband Raoul to put in an offer and they ended up in…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Ground-floor garden apartment in a Victorian building LOCATION North London ROOMS Sitting/dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, three bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before moving here, we lived in west London in a four-bedroom townhouse,’ says Tine.     Hygge’ is a word that pops up a number of times in conversation with Tine Green, a Danish fashion buyer turned interior designer. ‘For me, Christmas is all about hygge – that uniquely Scandinavian sense of cosiness and being together,’ she explains. ‘Spending time in our homes is something we love to do.’ Tine shares an apartment in north London with her French husband Jean-Christophe Wicker, his son Thomas, 11, and their baby Anton, 1. The interior emits a sense of warmth and conviviality, with…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Terraced house, built in 1862 LOCATION Southwest London ROOMS Hall, sitting room, playroom, snug, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, two bedrooms, bathroom PURCHASED 2013 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We used to live in a small flat around the corner,’ says Charlotte. The unique layout of Charlotte Wood and Neil Broadbent’s London townhouse owes much to the days when the Victorian terraces around it were being built. The developers named the petite property an ‘infill house’, as it bridged the gap where builders’ carts would access the backs of the larger houses during construction. Once the terraces were built, this two-up two-down house was built to fill the space. ‘It’s like a doll’s house,’ says Charlotte. ‘It’s symmetrical, but only one room deep.’ But, for now, the house is a perfect…

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REPLANNED HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached 1930s house LOCATION Hertfordshire ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining room/orangery, kitchen, snug, cloakroom, five bedrooms (three en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2010 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Our last home was a mock Tudor cottage in Hitchin,’ says Karen. The view sold the house to us,’ says Karen Gregory, gesturing to the rolling countryside framed by the huge sitting-room windows in her Hertfordshire village home. ‘On a good day you can see The Shard on the horizon, which is the only clue that London is within easy reach.’ At Christmas, the lights of the distant city are complemented by Karen’s own festive style. ‘I like decorations that enhance the interiors,’ she explains, ‘and that involves lots of glitter and sparkle. I stick to a silver-and-white theme, with accents…

1 SCENTED TREASURES Christmas cracker, £33, Jo Malone 2 FALLING STARS Numero 74 stars garland, £24, Smallable 3 EXOTIC EMBELLISHMENT Shangri-La Patricia peacock tree topper, £12, John Lewis 4 STAR QUALITY Glass bauble, £7, Marks & Spencer 5 STATELY STYLE Crown tree topper, £17.99, Very 6 PERFECT PLUMAGE Peacock feather wreath, £65, Liberty 7 FAUX FABULOUS Gold tinsel slim 6.5ft tree, £30, Wilko 8 SUMPTUOUS SET Peacock votives, £15 for three, Debenhams 9 FROST FAIR Antique jewelled snowflake ornament, £30, The White Company 10 GILDED CAGE Gold glitter crown key tree decoration, £3.50, National Trust…

UNIQUE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Victorian rectory LOCATION The Cotswolds ROOMS Hall, sitting room, dining/billiard room, kitchen-diner, snug, garden room, four bedrooms (two en suite), bathroom PURCHASED 2015 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘I have a house in Hertfordshire, and Andrew also has a place in central London,’ says Estelle. There are few better places to spend the festive season than at Estelle Morris and Andrew Moss’s home. With far-reaching rural views, a warm Aga in the kitchen and fires lit from dawn, their rambling country cottage is the perfect setting for Christmas celebrations. Both divorced and with four children between them, the couple were looking for the ideal home for their newly blended family. ‘I work in Hertfordshire, while Andrew is in central London,’ says Estelle. ‘We couldn’t find a place…

INSPIRING HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Semi-detached cottage, built in the 1700s LOCATION Kent ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, playroom, three bedrooms (two en suite) PURCHASED 2012 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We moved here after spending 18 months living in Sydney,’ says Marie. Step inside Marie Nichols’ Kent cottage – with its wicker and eucalyptus wreath on the dusky grey front door – and you’re met with the smell of Christmas baking. ‘Every year, my husband, Simon, and our older son, Albie, 3, set to work in the kitchen – making sausage rolls and creating general chaos,’ says Marie. ‘It’s become a tradition and is lovely to watch.’ The house is every inch the festive idyll – a Christmas tree with its chic zinc planter and understated decorations takes pride of place in…

UNIQUE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian mid-terrace LOCATION Kent ROOM Sitting room, dining room, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, four bedrooms, two bathrooms PURCHASED 2011 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived in an Edwardian terrace in Southeast London,’ says Rune. It was definitely not a case of love at first sight for Rune Wold when he first saw the Rochester home he now shares with his husband Hendrik. ‘It was a wet, miserable day, and I really didn’t like it,’ says Rune. ‘But Hendrik had the vision of changing the house completely and after a few drawings and a second viewing, I agreed to go for it as it was also affordable. Of course, he was right.’ The house was dated, featuring 1980s decoration, old carpets and artificial timber flooring everywhere. Children’s bedrooms were themed…

Tapping into nature with fresh foliage, rustic materials and simple adornments is a fuss-free way to decorate your home for Christmas while creating a warm and welcoming look. The key is to opt for a cohesive style to ensure impact. Back to nature There are plenty of options when it comes to styling your home for the festive season. Rustic decorations like Mary’s are appealing because of their effortless, authentic appearance, while a palette of natural greens and whites complements almost every interior. It’s a style favoured by florist Philippa Craddock. ‘Natural rustic Christmas designs always create a wonderful welcome and a truly homely feel,’ she says. ‘Stick to neutrals such as whites and warm browns, adding a touch of silver or different textures depending on your interiors, to enhance…

DISTINCTIVE HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II listed cottage LOCATION Surrey ROOMS Sitting room, drawing room, dining hall, kitchen-diner, utility room, four bedrooms, two bathrooms PURCHASED 2009 PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘Before, we had a four-bedroom house in Berkshire,’ says Adrienne. This house could have been built with Christmas in mind – it has so much character,’ says Adrienne Michaelides of her picturesque cottage in Surrey. ‘Before moving here, my late husband Sav and I wanted to live somewhere with a history. We had an old cottage when we were first married, then moved to a family house that was bigger but had little character. Once our sons were older, we decided to move again. We wanted to stay in the area, but struggled to find the right house.’ Eventually the couple…

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