25 Beautiful Homes July 2019

As Editorial Director of this magazine, I am lucky enough to see inside hundreds of homes each month as we gather together an edit of 25. The projects that we choose to feature in our pages very intentionally cover a wide range of sizes and styles, but they always have one crucial thing in common: their owners are passionate homemakers. Some of the projects evolve gradually, over years or even decades; others happen in a matter of months, but all are created with buckets of attention and affection. And for me this is what makes them ‘dream houses to inspire’. The stories are of the creative spirits who, for one reason or another, fell in love with a building and decided to make it their own. This is the key…

As Editorial Director of this magazine, I am lucky enough to see inside hundreds of homes each month as we gather together an edit of 25. The projects that we choose to feature in our pages very intentionally cover a wide range of sizes and styles, but they always have one crucial thing in common: their owners are passionate homemakers. Some of the projects evolve gradually, over years or even decades; others happen in a matter of months, but all are created with buckets of attention and affection. And for me this is what makes them ‘dream houses to inspire’. The stories are of the creative spirits who, for one reason or another, fell in love with a building and decided to make it their own. This is the key…

There’s something about the fresh sea air that makes ex-Londoners Anna Carloss and her husband John Carver realise they are in a part of the country they want to call home forever. They live in a detached black weatherboard house located on the banks of a river in a small town near the East Sussex coast. ‘We have several meetings a week up in London and can feel our shoulders relaxing when we set foot on the train home,’ says Anna. What’s more, the couple, who founded creative agency Cunning, say they are living among kindred spirits. ‘The area seems to attract artists and writers, perhaps because it’s not in the commuter belt and it’s stunningly beautiful and inspiring,’ she continues. The couple first moved from London to the East Sussex countryside,…

There’s something about the fresh sea air that makes ex-Londoners Anna Carloss and her husband John Carver realise they are in a part of the country they want to call home forever. They live in a detached black weatherboard house located on the banks of a river in a small town near the East Sussex coast. ‘We have several meetings a week up in London and can feel our shoulders relaxing when we set foot on the train home,’ says Anna. What’s more, the couple, who founded creative agency Cunning, say they are living among kindred spirits. ‘The area seems to attract artists and writers, perhaps because it’s not in the commuter belt and it’s stunningly beautiful and inspiring,’ she continues. The couple first moved from London to the East…

Three years ago, part-time vintage dealer and upcycler Claire Goddard and her husband Steve decided that rather than downsizing after their four children had left home, they would make Claire’s childhood wish come true in their existing Cumbrian home. ‘I’d always dreamt of having a welcoming rustic kitchen that had a real fire, a scrubbed pine table and a comfy sofa,’ Claire says. ‘So, we decided to stay put and knock down a few walls to create a much bigger room where I can indulge my passions for cooking, baking, sewing and reading. Having a larger space means it can also be easily transformed into a workshop for my recycling business, Thriftwood Vintage, when the weather won’t allow me to paint outdoors. Plus, it’s a great place to entertain when…

Elin and Carl Christensson’s Twenties Stockholm suburban home has been nothing if not flexible. Following a few years working in London to launch their careers after university, they returned to Sweden in 1997 for the birth of their first child, Wilhelm, and chose a home that had plenty of scope. ‘I was raised in a house where everything was practical – the bed, desk and drawers were built-in,’ says Elin. ‘I was desperate to rearrange the furniture, but it just wasn’t possible. So when it came to buying my own house, I was determined to find one that could easily be adapted.’ Elin was instantly attracted to a property until it was a suitable home for the four of us.’ Having achieved their goal, the family promptly moved to Shanghai and then…