25 Beautiful Homes

EDITOR’S LETTER At last, summer is here! We seem to spend the rest of the year willing it to arrive and in this issue we meet homeowners who have created retreats perfect for SUMMER LIVING. It was at the end of a holiday in Cornwall that Sarah-Jane and Matthew Cousens decided to enquire after a property for sale in the same MAGICAL location. The house (p19) has turned out to be everything the family could have dreamed of. Also enjoying a rural idyll are Emilia Amodio and Tom Schroeder, whose New Forest cottage is surrounded by acres of woodland (p26). And for Ines Parker, renovating her COASTAL home was quite a challenge but she has been rewarded with the ideal place to enjoy summer in STYLE (p84). Whether you’re…

no. 1HOUSE OF THE MONTH HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Terraced Victorian cottage ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner/living area, snug, garden room, cloakroom, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION South London When her mother passed away, leaving her the small family home in south London, Emma Wilson’s original plan was to renovate the house in order to rent it out or sell it. But having appointed architect and friend Oliver Browning, as well as interior designer Lara Clarke, to transform the outdated property, it began to dawn on Emma that she wasn’t prepared to let go of the house. ‘This is my roots – it is where mum and I had lived,’ says Emma. ‘Talking to Oliver and Lara, I realised we could create a home that was bespoke to my family. It…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A detached cottage ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, porch, snug, utility room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Cornwall When Sarah-Jane Cousens and her husband Matthew visited a secluded Cornish cove for the first time, they never expected their holiday memento to be a 200-year-old cottage. ‘During our family break in Port Gaverne, we regularly discussed how magical it would be to own the attractive stone house that was up for sale,’ says Sarah-Jane. On the last day of their holiday, back in 2016, curiosity got the better of the pair and they set up a viewing. ‘We felt compelled to step inside Leat House after my mother, who’d come to stay with us, gave me a painting depicting this very property,’ she says. During the viewing, when…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Converted cottage, built circa 1930 ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, garden/TV room, utility room, cloakroom, boot room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, attic playroom LOCATION New Forest Nestled within eight acres of leafy woodland gardens in the heart of the New Forest sits the stunning converted cottage of Emilia Amodio and Tom Schroeder. The couple, who have three young children, bought the home as a retreat from the bustle of London life. ‘Everyone is so busy these days and spending quality time with each other at weekends was a big motivation for finding this home,’ says Emilia. ‘We wanted a place to run away to at weekends – where our children could play freely outdoors.’ While the exterior of their new home is every bit what…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Modern custom home, completed in 2021 ROOMS Living/dining room, kitchen, office, playroom, family room, bar, gym, six bedrooms, six bathrooms, laundry room on each floor LOCATION California WHY DID YOUR CLIENTS MOVE TO THIS AREA? Our clients, Shawn and Rupa Badlani, were living in a high-rise in San Francisco when they bought a plot of land in 2017. It’s in a beautiful community surrounded by rolling hills and was ideal for their growing family, which now includes Arjun, seven, Jay, six and baby Laila. WHAT WAS THEIR DESIGN BRIEF? They had a clear vision of their dream family home. It had to have a very modern style with lots of jewel-tone pops of colour throughout, as a reflection of their Indian culture. WHAT WERE THE MAIN…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A four-storey Victorian property ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, cinema room, home office, utility room, playroom, prayer room, five bedrooms, five bathrooms LOCATION North London ‘Our Persian rugs took over two years to make by hand – we love the handcrafted feel and intricate designs – it’s essentially like floor art’ Having wanted to live most of her life in Regency-style homes, Ushma Sivarajah didn’t have a moment’s hesitation when she first noticed this house. She fell in love with period homes while living in Brighton as a junior doctor, before buying a flat in Highbury. ‘As soon as I saw the stunning hallway and the feeling of grandeur in the sitting room, it was love at first sight,’ says Ushma. She and her husband Sanji were…