Innehållsförteckning för June 2025 från 25 Beautiful Homes

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER/ OWNER Leoma Harper (interiorsbyleomaharper.com) PROPERTY A detached five-bedroom Victorian house WORK Updating the family sitting room LOCATION Surrey Having originally decorated the sitting room nine years ago when she and her family moved in, interior designer Leoma Harper felt that the space was long overdue a refresh. 1 CHANGE OF BACKDROP ‘The room has beautiful period features, like the fireplace, original cornicing and ceiling rose,’ says Leoma, ‘so when we first moved in, it was just a matter of adding wooden flooring, new radiators and painting throughout. We opted for a dark blue on the walls originally, which we loved, but after nine years, the room was starting to feel tired and I wanted to lift it with a lighter colour scheme. Keeping our lovely coral pink…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached cedar-clad lodge built in the 1950s ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-dining room, utility room, four bedrooms, four bathrooms LOCATION Perthshire ‘In the kitchen, there is a view of the mountains – we chose white walls and units so there would be no distraction from that’ After 15 years spent working in architectural practices in San Francisco and New York, architect and designer Susie Whyte was influenced by American-style decks and porches. When the chance to buy Dun Aluinn estate, a Victorian country manor with a 1950s caretaker’s cottage in Highland Perthshire came up, Susie and husband John Burke leapt at the opportunity to create something unique. Serial renovators John and Susie bought the estate to be close to John’s son, Ruairi, who was living nearby and…

PROJECT DETAILS OWNERS Maria Mele, her husband Mariano and their three children PROPERTY Semi-detached Edwardian house WORK The house was extended to create a large kitchen-diner LOCATION London When Maria Mele moved to her new house two years ago she knew it would need a top-to-toe renovation, but her vision for the kitchen was clear from the start. ‘I love Scandinavian-style interiors,’ says Maria, ‘and steel-framed glazing was a must-have – everything needed to work around those.’ 1 MAKING PLANS Maria worked with architect Maria Steimberg from Ohma Studio on the design to create a sociable space that’s perfect for her family, ‘We spend so much time in the kitchen, it was important to get it right,’ says Maria. ‘I wanted to be able to do things while the children…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II-listed former farm building ROOMS Kitchendiner/living area, utility area, three bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Suffolk The plan for Gem Boner, her partner Thom Scherdel and their two children Aries and Deia, was quite simple – they wanted to move out of east London and settle somewhere in the bucolic English countryside. But exactly where, they had no idea. ‘We’d dreamed of setting up a business for a while but we didn’t know exactly what we wanted or where to do it, so one weekend we drew a two-hours’ circle around London and started to look for places with lots of land,’ Gem explains. The lure of vast swathes of idyllic countryside and proximity to beautiful beaches made Suffolk stand out as the number-one choice. With…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Semi-detached Bauhaus property, built in the 1930s ROOMS Sitting room, study, kitchen-diner/living area, utility room, pantry, cloakroom, five bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION London the hustle and bustle of Central London might only be 10 minutes on the train, but for Catherine Banner and her husband, Rod, the Big Smoke feels a million miles away when sat in their generously glazed kitchen extension that opens onto a lush, verdant garden. ‘We were careful to plant hardy evergreens like pittosporum, ferns and grasses so it feels like a real city oasis all year round,’ says Catherine. At a time when elegant Victorian townhouses were all the renovation rage, Catherine and Rod’s decision to take on this flat-roofed Bauhaus property raised eyebrows, however, its wide, double frontage, large garden…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Semi-detached Edwardian Tudor Revival house ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-dining room, music room, cloakroom, office, five bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Surrey WHAT WAS THE BRIEF? Originally it was to review the plans for an extension from an interior perspective and I was also able to connect the clients with Beckmann Architecture. I not only designed the interior space and selected the finishes but also collaborated closely with the architect. The ground floor was broken into small, disjointed spaces. The kitchen featured a step down, resulting in an awkward and impractical level change. The existing loft had been adapted but still held potential for further development. My brief was to reimagine the ground floor interiors – redesigning and creating schemes and selections for the kitchen, two reception rooms,…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A city penthouse ROOMS Kitchen, dining room, sitting room, study, cloakroom/laundry room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, mezzanine nook, roof garden LOCATION London WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS PROJECT? The challenge of designing custom furniture that felt truly personal and bespoke was a big draw for me, as I love working on spaces that feel as unique as the people who live in them. WHAT WERE THE CLIENTS’ MAIN PRIORITIES? Privacy was key, but they also envisioned a welcoming space where they could host dinner parties with friends from all over the world – a home that felt personal and effortlessly sophisticated at the same time. HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS? They were incredibly hands-on. We shared a vision of creating a place that felt deeply personal…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached 1960s house ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, boot room/laundry room, walk-in pantry, cloakroom, hidden office, four bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Nova Scotia, Canada WHY DID YOUR CLIENTS BUY THIS HOUSE? The couple loved the prime location in one of Halifax’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. With two children, aged six and eight, they appreciated having a school within walking distance and being a 30-minute drive to the ocean. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT? Our interior design studio, Stil James, worked with Lily’s father on his waterfront home and Mike was our corporate real estate broker who helped us secure our first office space, so the connection felt natural. HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS? Very – but in the best way! They trusted us to…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Sean Symington (seansymington.com) PROPERTY Detached Tudor farmhouse WORK Main bedroom redesign LOCATION Suffolk ‘Our clients asked us to create a bedroom retreat as their personal sanctuary within this country farmhouse,’ says designer Sean Symington. ‘The brief was to design a scheme that would balance tradition with modern comfort.’ 1 CURATE A RESTFUL MOOD ‘The clients wanted a space that would maintain the historic Tudor character with its exposed beams while also feeling restful; the perfect place to unwind,’ says Sean. ‘We felt it was important to choose calming designs and colours that would create a sense of tranquillity and peace. Our starting point for the scheme was the botanical print: with its soft colours and texture, we knew it would be instantly relaxing.’ 2 GO GREEN ‘The…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Renovated 1980s bungalow ROOMS Kitchendiner/living area, snug, utility room, five bedrooms, four bathrooms LOCATION Isle of Wight It was a family gathering on the Isle of Wight that led Rosie Stanton and her brother, Edward, to purchase this house in St Lawrence, just outside Ventnor. ‘We used to come to the Isle of Wight when we were children because our dad was a keen yachtsman, but we’d never really visited the south of the island,’ recounts Rosie. ‘This area has its own microclimate and there are some wonderful beaches – the house is situated just above one of them, Steephill Cove. When we saw it, we fell in love.’ Rosie and Edward run a property company together, and the sibling duo decided to purchase the house…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Converted agricultural barn dating to 1909 ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, office, two bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Hampshire ‘Creating the mezzanine level was the smartest decision – it’s a really flexible space and is used in many different ways’ When Celia Freeman’s daughter, Jess, discovered a lovely farmhouse for her family in the Hampshire countryside, the unexpected bonus was a derelict barn on the land. ‘It felt like the perfect opportunity to create our own bolthole,’ recalls Celia, who lives in London with her husband, James. ‘It meant we could visit Jess and the children without being under their feet.’ With the vision set, an architect was brought in to draft plans, and Celia also enlisted the help of interior designer Lucy Taylor. ‘Jess introduced me to Lucy…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Edwardian townhouse ROOMS Double sitting room, snug, kitchen, conservatory/dining area, cloakroom, four bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION Shropshire Transforming a house into a home can often be an evolutionary process. When Jane Davies and her husband Martin purchased a period property in a market town in Shropshire back in 2002, their intentions were always for the long term. With three young children in tow, with ages ranging from six years to two months, any house deemed worthy of being their forever family home had to deliver big in every sense, even if it meant moving in and then temporarily moving out for essential works to be done. ‘The whole house needed rewiring and gas heating installed,’ explains Jane, ‘so we had to move out for a couple…

PROJECT DETAILS DESIGNER Jane Powell, senior designer, Roundhouse (roundhousedesign.com) PROPERTY Edwardian house WORK New kitchen installation LOCATION Southwest London One of the reasons Phoebe and Ryan bought their house was the lofty height of the kitchen. What was less appealing, however, was the layout, since a walk-in pantry was built in the middle of the room. The couple decided to redesign the room and asked Roundhouse to help. 1 PROJECT BEGINNINGS With their three young sons in mind – Adrian, seven, Dougie, four, and Craig, two – and as part of a major renovation project to update the entire house – Phoebe and Ryan decided to reconfigure the room by removing the walk-in pantry and an internal wall between the kitchen and adjacent family room. ‘This created a big open-plan…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached Edwardian home ROOMS Kitchen-diner/living area, cinema room, den, cloakroom, two studies, four bedrooms, two dressing rooms, four bathrooms LOCATION Southwest London ‘OUR SUNKEN SEATING AREA AND THE GLASS FLOOR INTO THE WINE CELLAR ARE OUR FAVOURITE FEATURES OF THE HOUSE’ Iraj and Gemma Ali were on the hunt for a fixer-upper they could turn into their own private sanctuary, away from the chaos of daily life. With two teenage children – Charlie, 19, and Scarlett, 17, plus several pets, the family wanted a house that could provide ample space and separate hangouts for everyone to enjoy. When they found this detached Edwardian home in southwest London, they fell in love with its period charm and yet they could see it had the potential to work…