25 Beautiful Homes December 2022

EDITOR’S LETTER Anyone who is sent into panic mode at this time of year may not want to linger for too long over Eve Caudy-Prudhon’s description of her Christmas preparations. Months beforehand, she is planning her decorations and, she says, ‘I pay huge amounts of attention to how I wrap my Christmas presents’. Her beautiful period home on page 30 is a testimony to her festive prowess. Also full of holiday cheer is Marie-Charlotte and Romain Toczé’s stunning abode on page 100. Inspired by her childhood viewings of Home Alone, Marie-Charlotte takes a wonderfully full-on approach to the holidays. If you like your seasonal style with a contemporary twist, have a look at Maxine and Miles Hancock’s new build on page 153, where they have incorporated lots of greenery and…

FAVOURITE FEATURE ‘One is the bay window area we added in the kitchen to create a seating nook’ Katie and Paolo Frade originally planned to move house in 2016. ‘Our previous home was almost perfect, but didn’t have enough space for entertaining or a separate area for adults – two of our “must haves”,’ says Katie. Deterred by the uncertainty of the post-Brexit property market, they decided to improve, rather than move. Then fate took a hand. ‘Typically, as soon as we’d completed the refurbishment, Paolo found this house online,’ says Katie. ‘We hadn’t considered this location at all, but the house backs onto the park and as soon as I walked in, I knew that this was “the one.”’ Despite their favourable first impressions, the couple knew the house…

Tucked away in a warren of Victorian terraces in Bristol, a welcoming rosy-pink front door dressed in a simple wreath hints that a stylish and festive interior lies within. Step inside and a distinct prettiness is accompanied by an air of faded glamour, a warming nod to the East, twinkling pops of gold and a faux floral thread running joyfully throughout. The home of Jade Oliver, owner of lifestyle brand Heavenly Homes and Gardens, and her husband Gary Uglow, an environmental manager, comprises a subtle colour palette, carefully chosen vintage pieces, soft velvety textures and plenty of architectural interest. Before Jade was able to flex her interior design muscles the house needed a complete renovation, a task the couple largely undertook themselves. ‘Despite most of the original features being removed,…

When Tracy Gray first viewed her home she was enchanted, not just by the oversized front door and spacious hallway, but also the variety of windows and the individuality of every room. ‘Virtually all of the windows were different shapes and styles, including two quirky little portholes,’ says Tracy. ‘I’d always hoped my forever home would be a property of this era, bursting with charm and character – and this house surpassed my expectations.’ A REDESIGN IN THE MAKING Back in 2012, Tracy, who owns Under The Rose (undertherose.co.uk), a personalised jewellery company, and her husband Mark, who works in IT systems, began house-hunting for a long-term home for themselves and daughters Caitlin, 20, and 17-year-old Maddie. ‘Although we liked where we were living, we knew we wanted to live…

Even as a child, Eve Caudy-Prudhon was decorating her bedroom with her collections. ‘I had lots of postcards that I would arrange on my walls,’ she remembers, adding, ‘My father was a painter and I grew up in a very artistic milieu. Perhaps my love of decorating stems from that.’ The former farmhouse Eve shares with her husband Thierry and her three children, Ludmilla, 23, Héléna, 22, and Zacharie, 15, is filled with inspirational arrangements, from collections of woven baskets in the kitchen to framed botanical prints in the bedroom. ‘My day job is very different: I work as a psychiatric nurse and when I come home, I like to be surrounded by lovely things; I think it soothes me,’ Eve explains. When Eve met Thierry a few years ago,…

DECORATING ADVICE ‘Don’t be afraid to scale up your furniture, even in a small space, as it never fails to look impressive’ Lynda Myles-Till admits Christmas is her favourite time of year. ‘If I could, I’d start decorating in August, but my family might have me committed,’ she laughs. As an interior designer and fundraiser for Action for Children, Lynda’s Christmas countdown is meticulously planned – she has even built a shed just to store her decorations, which are all packed neatly in marked boxes. As Lynda has discovered, however, being this organised takes time and effort. Downsizing from a mansion meant ‘I had loads of furniture, but not the budget to buy a big enough house to fit it into,’ she says. So when she spotted a For Sale…