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How to successfully blend period character with modern style is a design dilemma many of us face – and it’s one that has been solved in several of this month’s homes. For designer Anna Haines, this meant embracing the quirks and historic character of a beautiful Victorian terrace while selecting one-off pieces to introduce a fresh style. Take a look at how she did it on page 78. In a similar way, homeowner Nicki Moffatt used her favourite artwork and a carefully thought out colour scheme to bring her country house up to date without sacrificing its period charm. See it on page 118. We hope their solutions will help with your projects too.…
HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached house dating from the 1980s ROOMS Entrance hall, kitchen-diner, snug, study, sitting room, garden room, boot room, cloakroom, dressing room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION The Cotswolds moving from the other side of the world and embracing British life is a huge challenge, but one that Australians Mary and Peter Robinson undertook with aplomb when they moved from Sydney to the Cotswolds to be near family. ‘We have one son who is married to an English woman and they now have two children. We were separated during Covid for three years and afterwards we decided we didn’t want to be apart from them again, so we packed up and left Australia,’ explains Mary. Finding somewhere to live was difficult as the retired couple didn’t know…
HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Edwardian bungalow ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, study, cloakroom, two bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Calgary, Canada HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? We were brought on board just as the renovation was getting underway. The clients had already begun working with an architect to restore their Edwardian bungalow. We came in at the perfect time to help shape the interior and exterior design. We collaborated closely with the clients, architect and planning department to ensure the home remained cohesive and respectful of the original architecture, while introducing a fresh, updated feel. HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS? Very involved – in the best possible way! They were engaged in every detail and wanted a home that felt warm, welcoming and modern. Their…
HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 16th-century converted village pub ROOMS Entrance hall/boot room, kitchen-diner/living area/snug, office, utility room, music room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION East Sussex After a sale fell through on buying a converted barn, an online search led Alan Bird and his husband Geraint Lewis to the most unexpected of discoveries: a 500-year-old pub in a Sussex hamlet. ‘We were actually about to buy a converted granary, but the deal fell through,’ recalls Geraint. ‘When we started looking again, we cast the net wider – and that’s when we found this old pub, with a change-of-use permission already sorted and amazing views over the High Weald National Landscape.’ The pub had definitely seen better days and although they both hesitated at the thought of a full-scale conversion,…
HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II-listed semi-detached Georgian townhouse built in 1805 ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen, dining room/office, cloakroom, three bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION North London The focus of my passion for architecture is conservation and heritage, so living in a little piece of London’s history felt magical,’ says architect Nancy Gouldstone. The house she and her husband, David, also an architect, and two young sons live in is a pretty period townhouse a stone’s throw from Hampstead Heath. ‘Despite the property being very run-down when we bought it, we were so happy to have an authentic stucco-fronted Georgian townhouse of our own,’ explains Nancy. The house also appealed because of its scale. ‘It’s got the proportions of a bigger house, even though its square footage seems small on paper,’ says…
HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian villa ROOMS Sitting area/kitchen-diner, pantry, five bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Cheshire There is much to admire in this Victorian villa, such as the easy-on-the-eye green colour palette and the considered design and art choices. The look now is elegant and airy, a far cry from the house’s previous 1980s incarnation that saw it upholstered to the max. Professional cook Gemma Wade has lived here with her family, in a bustling village in rural Cheshire, since 2019. And a lot of that living – specifically, working, eating and entertaining – takes place in the kitchen. It is the beating heart of her home. ‘Everyone gravitates here, especially when I’m cooking,’ says Gemma. ‘For work, I needed the kitchen to perform well and it’s where we spend…
