25 Beautiful Homes January 2020

The new year brings hopes of new beginnings, whether that’s embarking on a major home redesign, starting a room makeover or simply indulging in a big clear-out. Featuring more interiors projects than any of our competitors, 25 Beautiful Homes provides page after page of interesting ideas and real advice from homeowners. In short, we deliver inspiration in spades with every issue. As I’m considering my own plans for 2020, one standout project that’s caught my eye is Barbara Bachmann and Nicolas Commerot’s monochrome flat conversion (page 80). I love the hidden kitchen and stunning original features. As a general rule, we look to source as many case studies as possible from the UK, as we believe this resonates best with our savvy British audience. However, as this January issue brings…

Kate Revere and her husband Simon had been living in New York for two-and-a-half years when they decided to move back to the UK. Happily, finding a new home wasn’t difficult. ‘I viewed the house once, at Christmas, and didn’t see it again until the sale was completed in May,’ says Kate. She had booked in decorators to start work the next day. ‘However, we quickly realised it was going to be a much bigger task, so the guys told us to put our stuff in storage and go away for the summer.’ A considerable amount of structural work was required. All the internal walls, ceilings and floors needed to be replaced, and the house was then rewired and replumbed. The kitchen extension was already in place, but the couple replaced…

Looking for the home of her dreams was a lengthy process for Stephanie Wolhuter. ‘I’d looked at many houses that I hated,’ she says. ‘Then, one day during a viewing, the estate agent said, “I wasn’t going to show you this house – I doubt you will like it.” We walked up the road, into a cul-de-sac and there sat this house, facing the sun, with a beautiful bay window and veranda. It was a typical early-20th century house, and the woman who was selling it hadn’t renovated or changed anything, which was exactly what I wanted. I loved it and I haven’t wanted to moved anywhere since.’ While Stephanie was keen to retain the house’s original features, such as its pressed ceilings, Oregon pine wooden doors and sash windows, one…

Christmas at Sarah-Jane and Justin Gray’s home is cosy and welcoming. Roaring fires, bracing country walks and lively gatherings of family and friends are all part of the plan, and at the heart of their celebrations is their huge kitchen and living space. With its long farmhouse table and fabulous views over the countryside, it’s where you are most likely to find the couple and their children Connie, 18, Hamish, 16, and Rory, 13, chatting and relaxing, along with their two spaniels Muckle and Baggins. FAVOURITE FEATURE ‘Opening up the front of the house to make a large kitchen has made the biggest difference. We love spending time there and the view is beautiful’ It wasn’t always this way. On the wall hangs an early gift from friends: a framed photograph, seen…

The 15th-century Italian nunnery that was to become Benta Wiley’s home secured a place in her heart long before she moved in. ‘I used to peer in through the windows and admire the beautiful internal courtyard,’ she says. An architect and strategic communications planner, Benta had been living with her two daughters Aurora, 19, and Marisole, 14, in an apartment where she had also been working from home. When a friend tipped her off that two of the nunnery apartments in the historic centre of Reggio Emilia, midway between Milan and Bologna, had become available to rent, she moved decisively. ‘I realised I needed a separate space for work and the two apartments provided the perfect solution,’ she says. Both were similarly sized, with the one on the ground floor…

Happy childhood memories of frequent family skiing holidays in the French Alps inspired Nick Addyman to buy a small holiday flat there. Fast forward several years. By this time, Nick had met and married jazz singer Lucy Rathbone and the couple had two daughters. Nick’s beloved flat simply wasn’t large enough for his growing family. Determined to keep the old traditions alive, the Addymans began searching for a house where they could continue to enjoy spending time in France. Before beginning their search, Nick and Lucy both agreed it shouldn’t be a conventional ski chalet. ‘We didn’t want anything twee with gingham, or modern and sleek, but were after something a bit more quirky,’ says Lucy. ‘We started looking around the area of Megève,’ she says, ‘but couldn’t find anything large enough,…