Innehållsförteckning för February 2023 från 25 Beautiful Homes

no. 3 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY New-build house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, playroom, pool room, cloakroom, four bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom LOCATION Hampshire The desire for a spacious, light-filled home where their love of design could be fully realised was the basis for Phoebe and Tom Henderson’s brave decision to embark on designing and building their own home. ‘We were looking for a house that would be practical and comfortable for our lifestyle without compromising on our strong design and style ideas,’ explains Phoebe. ‘We were living in a lovely Victorian terraced house with lots of period features but our space, both inside and out, was limited, especially with our two boys, Johnny, 11, and Leo, nine.’ The couple found a large plot of land in Hampshire and built…

As she sat with her husband and business partner, Justin, enjoying lunch overlooking the river, interior designer Lou Gomm (gommstudio.com) was surprised to find herself meeting a new client. ‘We had just finished a project in Chelsea, so took ourselves out for a treat,’ recalls Lou. ‘As the waiter brought our lunch, the couple on the next table stood up to leave – and Justin realised he knew them from years ago, and we started chatting.’ It turned out that the couple, Jo and Chris George, had just bought a new house and asked Lou when they should hire an interior designer for their renovation project. ‘Sooner rather than later, I said – because it’s always better to start at the outset so we can work with the architect on…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY New-build oak-framed house ROOMS Sitting room, study, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, living room, utility, boot room, three en-suite bedrooms, dressing room LOCATION Anglesey, Wales ‘A lot of our pieces are second-hand because we wanted our new build to feel lived-in and not super-polished’ For all of her life, Julie Schofield has known the plot in rural Anglesey where her house sits. Her parents bought a couple of acres in a tiny hamlet some 40 years ago and built her childhood home here. And she was delighted when they offered her and husband, Jonathan Dean, a business consultant, some land to build their own home. ‘I adore it here. We have gorgeous countryside and sea views, and this is where I’d come and visit the ponies as a child,’…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Double-fronted Edwardian terrace ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, snug, playroom, utility, cloakroom, gym, six bedrooms, dressing room, three bathrooms LOCATION North London Looking around this seamless home, it’s almost impossible to believe it was once a dilapidated property split into two flats. The terrace’s many original features had become faded or spoiled, but Michelle and Ben Shelton could see the potential beyond its crumbling walls. ‘We’d been house hunting for a while, mainly looking at places that had already been done up but nothing was jumping out at us – there was always something that wasn’t quite right,’ says Michelle, owner of a fashion agency. ‘We spotted this house and it excited us; we loved the bones of it – it’s a huge Edwardian double-fronted house with…

HOUSE OF THE MONTHno. 1 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Sustainable new build, completed in 2020 ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, reading nook, orangery, kitchen, study, cloakroom, utility room, five bedrooms (all en suite) LOCATION North Holland After more than two decades living abroad, Inge and Dirk Jansen had drawn up a wish list for the home that they dreamt of building in their native Netherlands: ‘We wanted to be as close to our family as possible, and we wanted to live sustainably – we were looking for a plot of land that we could turn into a food forest, in harmony with surrounding nature,’ recounts Inge. A plot bordering a nature reserve close to Zandvoort in North Holland proved the perfect find. ‘Birds, bees and deer feel welcome here, yet…

no. 7 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 1930s semi ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner/living area, utility room, shower room, three bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION Kent ‘The new extension is packed with character thanks to an eclectic mix of vintage finds and contemporary design’ Fom the outside, Charlotte Luxford’s home appears much like any other 1930s semi, but once inside, it becomes apparent what makes this house special. A metal-framed glazed door in the hallway offers a glimpse of the greenery beyond, luring visitors into the open-plan living space for the ultimate ‘wow’ moment. An impressive span of sliding doors and a tall picture window frame uninterrupted views of the tree-lined North Downs. ‘This is my favourite spot, perching here on the banquette seating and gazing out at the hills – the incredible…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Jasper Middleton of Middleton Bespoke (middleton-bespoke.co.uk) PROPERTY Georgian villa WORK New bespoke kitchen LOCATION London After a recommendation from friends, the owners of this London home called on Jasper Middleton, design director at Middleton Bespoke, to create a sanctuary to cook and spend time together, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. 1 DESIGN FOR LIFESTYLE ‘With three children and a dog in tow, the previous kitchen didn’t meet the family’s needs and it was key to create a space where everyone could relax and enjoy the views across the garden,’ explains Jasper. The owners wanted to replace the original kitchen with a current take on the classic Shaker style with enhanced storage, plenty of working space and a more sociable layout that allowed for…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A new-build house that was built in 2019, with a two-bedroom barn dating from the early 1900s ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, playroom, six bedrooms (one en suite), two bathrooms LOCATION The Hamptons, USA HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? Our clients are originally from the US East Coast but moved to Los Angeles for work. I designed their home in Los Angeles, but then the pandemic hit and they bought a summer place in the Hamptons in 2021. The location is wonderful – it borders a local farm and they are within walking distance to town and bikeable to the beach. Halfway through the design, they decided to move there permanently. HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS? Very involved. They have incredible taste and…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A detached 1950s house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, study, four bedrooms (two en suite), bathroom LOCATION Cheshire HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? My British clients were so pleased with my interiors in their Abu Dhabi home, they asked me to work on their house in the UK. This is where the family spends the school holidays. WHAT WAS THE BRIEF? Previously, the property had been extended and renovated so there was no major building work, but my clients wanted smarter, more stylish interiors. They liked the idea of a character-filled home with a mix of moody and lighter elements, ideally with a neutral palette offset by darker hues. Although the house isn’t their primary residence, it was important the interiors reflected…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A three-storey semi-detached townhouse dating from the 1920s ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen/dining area, study, cloakroom, four bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom, dressing room LOCATION London ‘FAUX LEATHER CHAIRS, EASY-CLEAN OAK FLOORS AND ROUNDED EDGES SUIT OUR YOUNG FAMILY’ With their hearts set on finding a family home in vibrant west London, Veronika Rodrigues spent over a year looking for a dream property for herself, her husband and their two daughters, now aged four and seven months. In the midst of the Covid pandemic, they secured a much sought-after three-storey townhouse in the heart of old Chelsea. ‘We knew the area well and couldn’t believe how perfect the location was, but once we were inside, we discovered that the property was in need of a complete overhaul,’…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A detached two-storey, red brick Victorian/ Edwardian manor house ROOMS Sitting room, drawing room, dining room, kitchen-diner, study, utility room, cloakroom, eight bedrooms, four bathrooms LOCATION Shropshire ‘MIXING AND MATCHING COLOURS AND FABRICS, WHETHER MINE OR SOMEONE ELSE’S, IS A JOY’ HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT? Through my husband Ben, whose grandparents bought the house in the 1950s. Ben’s father moved in in the 1970s. He was very much the English country gentleman, and in the latter part of his life he lived here alone, in just three of the 27 rooms. Ben inherited the house from him, sadly too early, in 2013. WHAT CONDITION WAS THE HOUSE IN PREVIOUSLY? The fabric of the house hadn’t been touched for 50 years, and typically…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached new-build house ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, utility room, playroom, six bedrooms (one of which doubles as a study), three bathrooms, cinema room, snug and gym, sauna and garage LOCATION Lancashire ‘We got this home by putting a letter through the letterbox to see if the owners were interested in selling’ After being rescued by boat when their first home flooded on Boxing Day 2015, Joanna and Sam Fletcher were eager to buy their next house on higher ground. Sam had always liked the look of some 1950s bungalows that sat atop a hill in their village, so he sent a letter to each one, enquiring if the owner was interested in selling. Some months later, the couple was surprised to get a phone call from one…

KITCHEN FOCUS no. 14 PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Jessica Sroga, senior designer, Krantz Designs (krantzdesigns.co.uk) PROPERTY Barn conversion WORK Bespoke kitchen as part of a conversion LOCATION Nottinghamshire Eager to find a property on the edge of a sought-after village in Nottinghamshire, surrounded by paddocks for their beloved horses, the new owners set about converting a large barn into a characterful home, complete with a supersize kitchen. 1 CREATE DIFFERENT ZONES ‘There were two main requirements,’ recalls Jessica. ‘Firstly, the couple were concerned that such a large room could feel echoingly empty and wanted to create inviting zones in the 12x5m space, and secondly, they wanted a classic country feel to respect the agricultural heritage of the barn, but with a contemporary edge.’ 2 ESTABLISH A FOCAL POINT ‘It made sense…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Sara Malek Barney, the founder of BANDD/DESIGN (bandddesign.com) PROPERTY A 1980s detached WORK Complete renovation and redecoration LOCATION Austin, Texas Designing her new bathroom entirely from scratch gave interior designer Sara Malek Barney the perfect opportunity to utilise all her design ideas. ‘We decided to take over a space that we weren’t using and make a larger suite,’ she says. 1 GET A SANCTUARY FEEL ‘I wanted to create a sanctuary-like feeling with natural materials. But, as with all my projects, I wanted to inject a hint of glamour,’ Sara explains. ‘It’s also important to me that bathrooms and kitchens feel like other rooms in the house with freestanding furniture, rather than a collection of appliances,’ she adds. 2 THINK PRACTICALLY ‘Inside the shower is a waterproof…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Georgian mansion apartment ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, bedroom (en suite), art studio LOCATION Southwest London Walk into this artist’s second floor apartment and the first thing that strikes you is a sense you are viewing a 3D canvas – a calm backdrop punctuated by the vivid strokes of someone used to playing with colour and scale. And that is exactly the essence that Cairo Dwek (cairodwekart.com) wanted to conjure when she moved into her first home, having relocated from LA to London with her parents during the pandemic. ‘This is the first opportunity I’ve had to put my own schemes together,’ she says. ‘I knew I wanted to balance masculine and feminine by combining soothing colours and textures with powerful shapes.’ The home had good…