Innehållsförteckning för October 2017 från 25 Beautiful Homes

Some of the most interesting homes we feature in 25 Beautiful Homes are those where the buildings started life as something completely different – for instance, in this month’s issue we have a converted pub and a house that was once a forge. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for people to live where they worked. Being a bit of a romantic, I always love looking at windmills and water towers, and I think how wonderful it would be to live in one, but I’m not sure how well I would deal with the circular rooms. For some people, it’s the setting rather than the structure that makes a home attractive, like the houseboats I pass on the river on my way to work. My dream is to move into…

When Fionnuala and Matt Oomen left their central London factory apartment for a more family-friendly home, they took their sense of style with them. ‘We moved here from a big,open-plan loft-like space that was interrupted only by pillars,’ says Fionnuala. However, once their first child, Lorcan, came along, rooms without borders became more of an issue. ‘We needed a different kind of home for life with a toddler – and we longed for a garden, too.’ Now, with Lorcan, 6, and second son Elis, 3, the couple live in a five-bedroom Victorian house in south London, which has given them ‘space to breathe’. The couple loved its classic double-fronted proportions, wide hall and period features. But Fionnuala and Matt were not ready to ditch their love of contemporary art…

Jody Shaw knew he had found an unloved gem when he saw this semi-detached south London property. ‘It was the perfect place to try out my project management and interior design skills,’ he says. ‘It was crying out for renovation.’ Jody, who is a qualified solicitor but wanted to retrain as an interior designer, had already remodelled a Victorian garden flat with his engineer sister, learning about full-scale renovation the hard way. ‘My sister taught me invaluable skills regarding load-bearing walls and which doors and windows can and can’t be moved,’ says Jody. So, when he and his partner Simon bought this property in 2009, Jody felt ready to take on a new project. The house was in a sorry state – aluminium windows had replaced the original sash designs…

Emma and Al Byrnes found that two into one goes perfectly after buying a pair of run-down flats in an Edwardian house in Dublin. ‘I didn’t love the house at first but knew it had potential,’ says Emma. ‘Although it’s not very pretty from the outside, we both loved the high ceilings and bay windows, which create an airy feel in such a small property.’ However, some major challenges had to be addressed before they could move in. The two flats had to be turned back into one house, which meant removing flimsy partition walls, reconfiguring the flow of rooms on the ground floor, restoring blocked-up fireplaces and landscaping the overgrown back garden. It took a year before Emma and Al actually moved in, staying nearby in a friend’s…

 In a small flat and planning a family, Katharine Le Hardy, a contemporary landscape artist, and Guy Phillips, a financier, began to look in their local south London neighbourhood for a home in 2012. They were concerned that if they didn’t upsize soon, they’d be priced out of the area. A 1930s house with generous proportions and a good-sized garden caught their eye. To Katharine’s mind, the home was a blank canvas and she could see it had the potential to extend. ‘We were going to undertake a kitchen extension first, but, rather than have all the upheaval twice, we decided to do the loft at the same time,’ she says. With the arrival of their first child Theo, now two, and baby Alice on the way, the work went…

My fiancé Jim wanted to be by the sea, and I wanted to live in the countryside, in a house that was old and had character,’ says Philippa Hartley. She lived in London at the time but Jim was based in Devon, so it made sense to look for a house there after they got married. And they found one that ticked all the boxes: a former forge with bags of character that was close to the coast but had been on the market for 18 months. ‘It had been in one family for 50 years and hadn’t been touched since the 1970s,’ says Philippa. ‘It was a huge project, which is why no one else had snapped it up.’ The couple loved the aspect of the courtyard with stunning…

Buying a new-build townhouse has proved to be a convenient and stress-free way for Sammy Patterson and her husband Matthew to get onto the property ladder. The couple met in Santorini, Greece, seven years ago, where Sammy, 30, worked as a wedding planner and Matthew, 31, was enjoying a summer of fun as a barman. On their return to home soil, Matthew was offered a marketing job in Leeds and it wasn’t long before Sammy found a job there too as a pension income manager. However, after renting a maisonette for few years, the couple were desperate for more space. ‘Matthew was using our spare room as an office, so it wasn’t ideal for guests, plus we really wanted a garden so we could have a dog,’ explains Sammy. Soon…

1 FOCAL POINT Large Utility light in Cameo Blue, £69.95, Dotcomgiftshop 2 NATURAL SELECTION Wooden scoops, £4.50 for set of three, National Trust Shop 3 ULTIMATE SHELFIE Round Dorm shelving, £129, The Modern Nursery 4 PUT A LID ON IT Large storage pot in Chalkhill Blue, £27.95, Mini Moderns 5 TAKE A SEAT  Skagerak Hven oak armchair, £499, Cloudberry Living 6 PLUMP IT UP  Kadence woven cushion, £9, B&Q 7 SMART STORAGE  Utility pot with leather handle in Milk White, £34, LSA International 8 RIGHT STRIPE  Revival recycled cotton throw, £60, Helen Moore at Black by Design 9 CHOP CHOP Round wooden board, £8, Matalan…

Back in 2011, a work move caused Chrissy and Dave Butler and their four teenage children to relocate from Manhattan Beach in South Bay, Los Angeles. Having sold their house in California, they soon began to realise how much they missed having a home near the ocean. ‘Two years later, I was browsing online with the vague idea of finding another beach house for summers and holidays when a listing sparked my interest,’ says Chrissy. ‘I could hardly believe my eyes – a three-storey house with an extra-wide frontage on one of the highly sought-after “walkstreets”, just one block away from our previous home and a stone’s throw from the ocean. The house was also for sale at a reasonable price, because the housing bubble had burst the previous…

Pausing on a whistle-stop tour of her Cairo apartment, Souraya Hassan points out some of her favourite pieces. There is the burnished gold table from Holland, a glass carafe, hand-blown in Egypt, and a slender candlestick from Sweden. It is a cross-cultural trio that sums up the style of this home; a fluent East-West combination, where cool Scandi tones and streamlined shapes chime with the warmer, hand-crafted textures that come from Middle Eastern design. The Nordic brightness of the apartment is immediately striking. ‘Traditional Egyptian interiors are quite dark,’ says Souraya, a photographer and designer, who lives here with her actor-filmmaker husband, Mahmoud. ‘This place was a mix of purple and red with brown doors. So the first thing I did was to paint everything white.’ Underfoot, sombre tiles were…

Bringing the tropics to London was Valerie Leipheimer’s mission when she and her husband, Peter Allen, bought their Victorian terrace seven years ago. ‘Pete and I spent a lot of time travelling before we had our sons, Logan, 8, and Jensen, 6,’ says Valerie, ‘so I wanted to reflect our exotic adventures in our new home. ‘I was born in California, and have lived and worked in New York and Italy, too,’ she continues. ‘So I have a love of contemporary architecture and design that I thought would fuse well with an older property.’ The couple decided to employ architecture and design company Zachary Pulman Design Studio to take on the renovation work. ‘Pete and I have been inspired by the hotels and restaurants that we’ve visited over the years,’…

 Turning three cramped and tatty bedsits back into a house did not daunt artist Elaine Grainger and her publican husband Alan. ‘It was close to Dublin city centre, with a good-sized garden and original features,’ says Elaine. ‘I liked the ceiling height and the double reception rooms. We knew we could turn it back into the house it had once been.’ The couple were first to bid on the property but had to let it go when Elaine’s mother became ill and later passed away. However, later that year they saw the house was still on the market. ‘We decided it was meant to be, so we actively pursued it again,’ she says. ‘It was around the time of the property boom in Ireland and bidding was going up…

Design ideas COSY WINDOW SEAT Karine and Ossi Valtanen’s dining room not only offers a formal space for dining, but a smart window seat provides an inviting nook to snuggle into. The seat base is built into the bay window, and is painted in the same, muted blue-grey to tie in with the walls and cabinetry in the rest of the room. The elegant framed drawers underneath are great for storage, and have been given a classic look with timeless brass knobs. Warm yellow is the perfect partner for mid-grey, and the plump seat pad and a row of scatter cushions in graphic, Scandi-style prints in the same palette ensure the nook is comfortable enough to sit down with a coffee and a good read. FEATURE TILES When Souraya Hassan…

We both grew up in the countryside – me in Kent and my husband Iain in Surrey, so we wanted our children to have a similar rural upbringing,’ says Amelia Heggie, owner of interior design company Denim Interiors. ‘We felt we needed space for the children to roam and be free. We also wanted a lifestyle change.’ At the time, she and Iain were living in London. ‘We worked on a pop-up pub at Goodwood and fell in love with the area,’ says Amelia. ‘By coincidence, my granny and my aunt came from nearby. As we wanted to be within easy reach of London and be surrounded by pretty countryside, West Sussex ticked all the boxes.’ The hunt was then on for a suitable property. ‘We were looking for village…

A  Abigail Ahern abigailahern.com Alhambra Home alhambrahome.co.uk Alno alnokitchens.co.uk Amara amara.com Amode amode.co.uk Andre Upholstery andreupholstery.co.uk And So To Bed andsotobed.co.uk Andwoodcraft andwoodcraft.co.uk Anna & Beau annabeau.co.uk Anorak anorakonline.co.uk Appliance City appliancecity.co.uk April And The Bear aprilandthebear.com Argos argos.co.uk Arlo & Jacob arloandjacob.com Arrow Electrical arrowelectricals.co.uk A Rum Fellow arumfellow.com A Small Studio asmallstudio.co.uk B  B&Q diy.com Barker & Stonehouse barkerandstonehouse.co.uk Bathrooms at Source bathroomsatsource.co.uk Bathstore bathstore.com Benchmarx benchmarxkitchens.co.uk Bijou bijoulifestyle.co.uk Blakes London blakeslondon.com Blue Suntree bluesuntree.co.uk British Ceramic Tile britishceramictile.com Bunting Boutique buntingboutique.co.uk C  Cast Iron Radiator Centre castironradiatorcentre.co.uk Cath Kidston cathkidston.co.uk Chadwicks chadwicks.ie Chelsea Textiles chelseatextiles.com Chesney’s chesneys.co.uk Chesterfields Direct…

1 CUT ABOVE Marble chopping board, £9.99, HomeSense 2 HANGING OUT Magnus pendant light, £84, Dar Lighting Group 3 UNDER COVER  Marble print duvet set, £10, George Home 4 CENTRE PIECE  Copper and marble candle holder, £45, Amara 5 ON THE SURFACE  Low Jinks coffee table, £345, Loaf 6 SWITCHED ON  Marble and gold lamp, £45, J By Jasper Conran range, Debenhams 7 SLICE OF LIFE  Just Slate marble cheeseboard with copper cheese knife, £54.99, Lakeland 8 SOFT TOUCH  Marble-effect cushion, £10, JD Williams 9 TREASURE TROVE  Marble print trinket box, £25, Marks & Spencer 10 TABLE TALK  Marble coasters, £12 for 4, Sainsbury’s Home…

When Clara Trussler spotted this Lincolnshire farmer’s cottage for sale, her heart skipped a beat. ‘I hadn’t even been inside before I told my husband Mark that this was where I wanted us to live,’ she says. ‘It was my dream cottage with lots of character – a place to start a family.’ In July 2007, the couple had been looking to sell their new-build and move closer to Lincoln and the cottage fitted the bill. ‘The place had been owned by an elderly couple and had escaped modern updates,’ says Clara. The compact layout featured a tiny sitting room and a kitchen with a few basic units. Along the back was a lean-to 1970s sun room. There was a shower room in the hall, and the dining room…

When Di Overton first came across this Northumberland cottage, she was living in a townhouse in Newcastle, and although having a weekend retreat was her partner Harvey Roll’s dream rather than her own, Di was still keen to see the property. ‘As we pulled up outside,’ she recalls, ‘I said, “This is tiny! Shall we even bother looking?” But the owner was standing, waiting. So we went in, saw the views, looked at each other and both said, “Yes!”.’ Reinvention is what Di does best. As the designer-owner of Ghost Furniture, she takes vintage pieces and creates something new. The couple’s cottage, too, has been reworked for each stage of their ownership, from its early days as a weekend bolthole to its most recent – Harvey sadly died three years…

While Gemma Weston was out for a stroll with her baby, Henry, she spotted homes being built in a former pub car park close to her house in Liverpool and was curious to find out more. A few months later, she passed the same site and noticed that the old pub was being converted into a three-storey house. ‘I spoke to the builders and they invited me inside,’ says Gemma. ‘Although I hadn’t thought seriously about moving, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss, as the sandstone exterior had so much character, but inside it was going to be very modern.’ After Gemma discussed the property with her partner, Daniel Roper, the pair put their period cottage on the market and it sold within two weeks. ‘The work was…

Botanical rug Tropical style has transformed Valerie Leipheimer’s home. Follow her example with a Calvin Klein wool rug inspired by Mayan artefacts, from £369, Houseology. Beaded pendant Can’t resist Souraya Hassan’s fusion style? Get your hands on this Abigail Ahern beaded pendant ceiling light, £150, Debenhams. Insect cushion Alive with bright colour and busy pattern, Valerie Leipheimer’s bed is adorned with the Bell Moth cushions, £138 each, Timorous Beasties. Distressed console The Butlers’ LA beach house has a sophisticated coastal look. To achieve the style, choose worn-wood pieces like the Imperial two-drawer console, £1,460, Sweetpea & Willow. Velvet chair Lucy Smith has added plush texture to her dining area. Re-create the look with the Mauricette velvet chairs, £94.49 each, Maisons du Monde. Origami bowl If, like Katharine Le Hardy, you…

When Russell Hart and Emer Fitzpatrick moved into their Galway home they brought with them a whirlwind of activity. Along with their sons, Eoghan, 11, Alban, 9, and Fionn, 6, Holly the cat and Obi, a rescue puppy, complete the family picture. The house was verging on derelict when the couple viewed it, but they were beguiled by its charm and loved the big windows and generous proportions. They decided to buy, and soon after set to work on their vision, moving walls and opening up the lower floor so that the dining room, sitting room and kitchen are all now connected as part of a free-flowing space. Impressively handy, Russell was kept busy with the endless removal of woodchip wallpaper and the deconstruction of steel and concrete outhouses. The…

Discovering a new angle sums up Cheryl and Andy’s approach to their London home, where they have looked beneath its formal Victorian style to reveal something sharper and altogether more intriguing. Their masterstroke was slicing decisively through the house’s traditional core, inserting sections of glass and crisp lines, so that the once buttoned-up 19th-century space now flows with renewed energy. Cheryl and Andy have succeeded in solving an architectural puzzle that has lain at the heart of this Fulham home since it was built. It’s not obvious at first, but the floor plan of this handsome double-fronted house is more trapezium than rectangle – probably the result of bickering Victorian builders when the land was divided up. It means that the house’s two exterior side walls gently angle inwards, meeting…