25 Beautiful Homes January 2018

Over the next few weeks of celebrations, our home will be at the heart of everything we do, and the memories will be with us for a long time to come. For our children, they will always remember where they left carrots for the reindeer, where the tree stood and that magical sense of anticipation on Christmas Eve. For some, this time of year will see the completion of a house move or an extension, so it will be the first festive period spent enjoying your new space. In January, I like to start thinking about what I want to achieve in the house and garden over the coming months. In reality, if I wrote down all my projects and looked back through them at the end of the year,…

Over the next few weeks of celebrations, our home will be at the heart of everything we do, and the memories will be with us for a long time to come. For our children, they will always remember where they left carrots for the reindeer, where the tree stood and that magical sense of anticipation on Christmas Eve. For some, this time of year will see the completion of a house move or an extension, so it will be the first festive period spent enjoying your new space. In January, I like to start thinking about what I want to achieve in the house and garden over the coming months. In reality, if I wrote down all my projects and looked back through them at the end of the year,…

1 LIGHT THE WAY Pendant light, £539, Davey Lighting 2 NAVY BASE Nest of tables, £79, Marks & Spencer 3 BALL OF FUN Lantern, £10 for three, Talking Tables 4 ALL TIED UP Emerald grosgrain ribbon, £5 for 5m, Nancy & Betty Studio 5 THREE GREEN BOTTLES Vintage green vases, from £45 each, Raj Tent Club 6 SOFT TOUCH Mohair throw, £90, Bronte By Moon 7 PILLOW TALK Draycott cushion, £50, John Lewis 8 PLUSH PERCH Goldfinger velvet lounge chair, £1,950, Jonathan Adler 9 INTO THE BLUE Aegean sea vase, £12, Curious Egg 1 0 COVER OF DARKNESS Plushious velvet bedspread, £320, The French Bedroom Company…

1 CHILL-OUT SPOT Primrose Hill large sofa, from £993, Sofas & Stuff 2 A SHADE DIFFERENT Bloomingville bamboo floor lamp, £95, PAD Lifestyle 3 RUSTIC RELIC Birch branch hanging tree, £44, Nordic House 4 SIDE SHOW Normann Copenhagen large Tablo table, £365, Nest 5 EASY DOES IT Perth cushion in light grey, £49.50m, Ian Mankin 6 SPOON FEED Sheesham salad servers, £15, Nkuku 7 WHITE FANTASTIC Etched Berber rug, £345, Olli Ella 8 NATURAL PAUSE Pitaya two-seater bench, £459, Maisons du Monde 9 WOVEN WONDER Ashcroft large basket, £76, Neptune…

The early signs of Fi Parker Cole’s destiny as a property dealer came to light when she was a teenager: while her friends were rummaging through dress racks, she spent her Saturday mornings in Habitat. After she married Rob, those early purchases found a home when they bought their first flat in south London. Fourteen years and five house moves later, the couple spotted a large country property with lofty ceilings for sale in the Kent countryside. ‘It was the kind of home that Rob and I have always wanted,’ says Fi. ‘We found it after months of searching when we were about to throw in the towel. Most houses in Kent are low-beamed cottages so finding a place like this is extremely rare.’ The one-time merchant’s house is set in…

Emily and Peter Harold had enjoyed weekend trips to Brighton for years, and this eventually swayed their decision to live by the coast permanently. ‘We’d set our heart on a particular street in a conservation area,’ says Emily. ‘We loved the mix of colourful cottages on one side and the white terraced houses on the other. That may explain why we waited over four years for a property to come up for sale on this road.’ At the time, Emily and Peter were living in London, but they were looking for a different pace of life. ‘We enjoyed the community feel in Brighton. There are so many artistic and creative people, and the town has a real buzz.’ In a stroke of luck, a friend of the couple’s had heard…