25 Beautiful Homes April 2020

Many of this month’s homes feature bright colours. Fuchsia sofas, green chairs, teal lights and even a pink rhino head lamp. With the arrival of spring, we thought it was time to celebrate bold choices taken by homeowners and to look at palettes you might not normally expect. Charlotte Gueniau’s home (page 132) is the perfect example – not only is it she who has the rhino head, but also a mustard sofa, tropical wallpaper and stained-glass panels. It reminded me that the best way to decorate is with confidence. Filling your home with what you love can only ever look fantastic. Of course, not every big choice involves a bright shade. Louisa and Jonathan Bisson’s barn renovation (page 8) is a feat of vision, too, seeing the potential in an…

Jonathan Bisson was not looking to move home until a medieval tithe barn caught his eye. ‘My wife, Louisa, was idly browsing online and she showed it to me,’ recalls Jonathan. ‘I couldn’t stop thinking about it and went for a viewing the next day. It was a now-or-never opportunity.’ Formerly an antiques centre, the building had been converted but the interiors were exposed to the rafters, and only rudimentary utilities existed. The listed property also housed bats, meaning work could not start until six months after purchase, due to a strict bat mitigation plan. EARLY DAYS Jonathan remained largely unfazed by these setbacks. ‘In reality, there are only so many viable configurations when it comes to barn conversions,’ he reflects. ‘So we knew we’d add a mezzanine floor along the building’s sides,…

When Olya and Philip Lammas spotted this elegant home on the outskirts of a town in Kent they weren’t looking to buy somewhere so grand. ‘But once we’d seen this place, it was hard to consider anything else,’ says Olya. ‘It has an abundance of light and is set in an elevated position, overlooking farmland.’ When they saw the view from the windows of cattle grazing, it sealed the deal. ‘We love being in this countryside setting, yet we’re only moments from town,’ she says. Olya, an interior designer at A House To Love, was keen to create an entirely fresh look for the villa, where she now lives with Philip and their youngest son, Danny, 13. Before she started thinking about the interiors, the house needed plenty of work, from…

As Sally and Rob Appleyard navigated their way through country lanes to view a remote farmhouse, the pair couldn’t help but wonder why the estate agent’s details lacked any photographs of the interior. ‘As soon as we arrived, we were captivated by both the pretty exterior and breathtaking location,’ says Sally. ‘However, when we stepped inside, the photography mystery was instantly solved. The house was a complete wreck and clearly hadn’t been touched for decades. Plaster was crumbling off the walls, there was no central heating and it was crying out for a huge injection of TLC.’ At that stage, in 2011, the couple had decided to relocate from London to the country. Reminiscing about halcyon childhood days spent in and around Rye and Camber Sands, they started their search in…

Having lived in their home for 10 years, Emma and Nick Berry felt the need for a change and started to think about moving house. But after a chance meeting with interior designer Caz Myers from Caz Myers Design, their plans radically changed. ‘We love living in Crouch End as it’s such a vibrant neighbourhood and we just couldn’t find anywhere we liked better,’ recalls Emma. ‘Fortunately, I met Caz at a friend’s house where she was finishing a beautiful renovation and I thought, why don’t we do the same?’ After a positive first meeting with the interior designer, plans were drawn up and the project was underway within a couple of months. ‘When Caz showed us her detailed mood and furniture boards, there was very little we didn’t like,’ says…

Finding a truly dilapidated apartment in central Paris is no easy task, but architect Philippe Harden was determined to unearth a diamond in the rough. ‘I had renovated my previous home on a relatively small budget and this time I was keen to take on a bigger project that required more work,’ he recalls, adding, ‘I also wanted to move away from a strong industrial aesthetic and introduce more luxurious materials, such as marble.’ A year into his search, Philippe was shown this fifth-floor apartment in an early 20th-century building in the 20th arrondissement. ‘The apartment hadn’t been touched for 50 years and, astonishingly, it didn’t have a bathroom, just a sink and a toilet,’ says Philippe. ‘But I could see that it had charm, with its high ceilings, original mouldings…