25 Beautiful Homes February 2022

Bold colour is big news – just take a peek at our cover – and as we step into the new year, and look forward to the longer days, it’s often the time many of us want to embrace a fresh new look for our homes. Colour can play a big part. We love the way interior designer Louise Robinson reinvigorated a family home with delightfully bold shades of rose and raspberry – turn to page 42 to see her stunning schemes. If you want to pep up your house by other means, Luq Adejumo’s Victorian terrace (page 90) illustrates art’s transformative powers. He wanted his large pictures to take centre stage and has redesigned his house to give him plenty of space to display all of his favourite pieces.…

Old effortlessly meets new at the London home of Stephanie Gill, her husband James and their children Arthur, eight and George, 11. Classic panelling sits easily with the sleek lines of a contemporary rear extension, period features blend with new windows, and eye-catching patterns complement a timeless eau di Nil colour scheme. It’s the result of a happy partnership between the German-born calligrapher and Finnish interior designer Pia Pelkonen. ‘Our starting point was that everything in the house should serve a purpose rather than exist purely for decoration,’ says Pia. A MODERN APPROACH When the couple found the property three years ago, it was well-preserved but largely unmodernised. They reappraised its layout with the help of AceSpace Design, planning a rear extension built by ABU Renovations to accommodate flexible, open-plan living, while preserving…

FAVOURITE FEATURE ‘The indoor-outdoor feel – in spring, the doors are flung open and the outside becomes an extension of our living space’ When Sonya Byrne and her husband Toby decided to relocate from London to the Cotswolds, little did they know how long their property search would take. ‘We were house-hunting for four years and viewed 50 properties in five counties before we found the right one – a pair of Cotswold stone cottages with scope to be knocked together,’ says Sonya. ‘Despite being almost derelict, it was the character, the location and the outdoor space that made it the one for us. We had a vision for how we wanted to live and with its outbuildings and private woodland, we knew this place could provide it.’ With the purchase agreed,…

After living in their family home for 15 years, Nancy and Paul Edwards decided it was time for a major overhaul to re-energise their much-loved house. ‘We knew we didn’t want to move,’ explains Nancy, ‘but we really wanted to inject some colour and vibrancy into the house. I’d been admiring a friend’s recent renovation and she recommended interior designer Susan Venn from Susan Venn Design, whose been invaluable throughout the whole project.’ FAVOURITE ROOM ‘We love the energy the orange palette in the kitchen brings to our mornings – there’s a real zing when you walk into the space’ With her holistic approach to creating impactful and timeless schemes, Susan was the perfect partner for Nancy and Paul who favour classic quality over quick fixes and fleeting trends. ‘We knew we…

FAVOURITE FEATURE ‘I wouldn’t be without the Aga – I used to warm the children’s pyjamas on it and now it’s where everyone leans to chat’ The timing was perfect when Sarah and Charles Jarman came to view the pretty village house that would become their home. With a busy family life, they were struggling to manage their extensive rural property and were looking for something that combined period character with modern convenience. ‘This house was unique and full of history, and had also just been completely refurbished after a fire, so it was ideal,’ says Sarah, ‘The minute I walked in, I knew we were going to live here.’ DECOR ATING TIP ‘I like to accessorise with wood, glass, stone and wicker pieces as they add more layers of rich textures’ The…

DESIGN TIP ‘Metal-framed windows and doors have a modern edge and here they are also a nod to this former cowshed’s industrious past’ When the owner of this revamped Victorian cowshed first viewed its tumbledown stone structure, her first impressions were far from favourable. ‘I poked my head inside and thought, how the heck will this ever become a wonderful space to spend time in,’ she cheerfully admits. She and her husband had wanted to renovate the cowshed and adjacent threshing barn ever since they’d bought the neighbouring 17th-century farmhouse more than 20 years before. ‘These outbuildings used to be part of the farm, and we’d always thought they’d make great accommodation for our grown-up children, family and friends,’ she says. TRUE TO ITS HERITAGE Aware that a complete refurbishment of the cowshed would…