25 Beautiful Homes October 2017

Some of the most interesting homes we feature in 25 Beautiful Homes are those where the buildings started life as something completely different – for instance, in this month’s issue we have a converted pub and a house that was once a forge. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for people to live where they worked. Being a bit of a romantic, I always love looking at windmills and water towers, and I think how wonderful it would be to live in one, but I’m not sure how well I would deal with the circular rooms. For some people, it’s the setting rather than the structure that makes a home attractive, like the houseboats I pass on the river on my way to work. My dream is to move into…

1 FOCAL POINT Large Utility light in Cameo Blue, £69.95, Dotcomgiftshop 2 NATURAL SELECTION Wooden scoops, £4.50 for set of three, National Trust Shop 3 ULTIMATE SHELFIE Round Dorm shelving, £129, The Modern Nursery 4 PUT A LID ON IT Large storage pot in Chalkhill Blue, £27.95, Mini Moderns 5 TAKE A SEAT Skagerak Hven oak armchair, £499, Cloudberry Living 6 PLUMP IT UP Kadence woven cushion, £9, B&Q 7 SMART STORAGE Utility pot with leather handle in Milk White, £34, LSA International 8 RIGHT STRIPE Revival recycled cotton throw, £60, Helen Moore at Black by Design 9 CHOP CHOP Round wooden board, £8, Matalan…

Some of the most interesting homes we feature in 25 Beautiful Homes are those where the buildings started life as something completely different – for instance, in this month’s issue we have a converted pub and a house that was once a forge. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for people to live where they worked. Being a bit of a romantic, I always love looking at windmills and water towers, and I think how wonderful it would be to live in one, but I’m not sure how well I would deal with the circular rooms. For some people, it’s the setting rather than the structure that makes a home attractive, like the houseboats I pass on the river on my way to work. My dream is to move into…

1 CUT ABOVE Marble chopping board, £9.99, HomeSense 2 HANGING OUT Magnus pendant light, £84, Dar Lighting Group 3 UNDER COVER Marble print duvet set, £10, George Home 4 CENTRE PIECE Copper and marble candle holder, £45, Amara 5 ON THE SURFACE Low Jinks coffee table, £345, Loaf 6 SWITCHED ON Marble and gold lamp, £45, J By Jasper Conran range, Debenhams 7 SLICE OF LIFE Just Slate marble cheeseboard with copper cheese knife, £54.99, Lakeland 8 SOFT TOUCH Marble-effect cushion, £10, JD Williams 9 TREASURE TROVE Marble print trinket box, £25, Marks & Spencer 10 TABLE TALK Marble coasters, £12 for 4, Sainsbury’s Home…

It was a case of third time lucky when Lottie and Simon Waugh found their dream home in Essex. ‘We were living in an old, higgledy piggledy cottage,’ says Lottie, ‘but we desperately needed more space. When this house came onto the market we fell in love with it – the ceilings were high and the layout felt fluid. It needed lots of work but there was plenty of potential, plus it was near my parents and sister.’ The couple quickly put in an offer on the property, but were outbid. ‘When the first sale fell through, we were still keen to buy but we lost the house a second time,’ recalls Lottie. ‘We were so disappointed. Finally, though, the owner called us directly. He told us he was being mucked…

Back in 2011, a work move caused Chrissy and Dave Butler and their four teenage children to relocate from Manhattan Beach in South Bay, Los Angeles. Having sold their house in California, they soon began to realise how much they missed having a home near the ocean. ‘Two years later, I was browsing online with the vague idea of finding another beach house for summers and holidays when a listing sparked my interest,’ says Chrissy. ‘I could hardly believe my eyes – a three-storey house with an extra-wide frontage on one of the highly sought-after “walkstreets”, just one block away from our previous home and a stone’s throw from the ocean. The house was also for sale at a reasonable price, because the housing bubble had burst the previous year.’ Chrissy…