sensitively renovated to create a contemporary home that respects the traditional values of the local area A STILL LIFE Neutral tones and artfully arranged

Perched high up on a hill above the ancient coastal port of Lyme Regis sits the home of artist Marianne Gibson, husband Philip and their son Horatio. It’s a popular and unspoilt seaside town with a fascinating maritime history going back to the

Middle Ages. It has been the source of some of the best fossil finds in the world (the renowned 19th-century collector Mary Anning once lived here) and visitors come from all over the country and further afield to search for fossils. And for Marianne and Philip, this idyllic spot is very much their home after stints of living abroad.

Entering the house you are greeted by an inviting hallway lined with books and shelves filled with interesting vintage pieces. The kitchen sits to the back of the house and is the hub of the home. Decorated in calm greys and whites, the Ikea units work alongside vintage pieces like the old painted French armoire, which stores china and glass. Open shelves display the carefully curated collection of white antique and old china, gathered over the years.

Despite being built in 1972, the house has an air of a classic Edwardian seaside home with colonial touches –its leaded windows, balconies, outside veranda and tables placed to enjoy the view. The sitting room is

Marianne’s favourite –a beautiful large open space with a triple aspect creating fabulous light. The comfortable handmade sofa and chairs, together with a wood-burning stove, sit at one end and a cosy dining area at the other.

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KITCHEN The space has been designed with a carefully considered mix of practical high-gloss base units alongside vintage painted furniture (far left) for storage and display. Marianne is always on the lookout for antique white china to add to her collection. For a similar look, Angel & Boho’s New Country painted larder cupboard, £1,150, would fit well

decorating tip ‘If you can live with it, leave it. But if you choose to make changes go for them wholeheartedly –pick a bold colour not a wishy-washy version’

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SITTING ROOM The painting of peonies is by Marianne –they are her favourite flowers. The small antique writing bureau (below) was bought from the previous owner who owned a homeware shop. Antique chairs (below) upholstered in a similar fabric to Black Ticking, £29.50m, Ian Mankin. Mercury dinner candle holder, £20, The White Company, has the same look Colours are pale with accents of earthy greens and contrasting dark wood furniture.

Marianne has always felt a strong affinity for the Dorset countryside and she owes her love of the area to her Dutch mother, who came to live here as a young married woman. It is not surprising that their home has many stylistic ‘nods’ to classic Dutch style –pared-back furnishings, pale colours, dark furniture with pleasing arrangements and groupings of objects old and new… you are never far from a real or painted still life in this home.

Art is Marianne’s passion, and every morning she walks down the lane through the town to her small riverside studio. You will find her there, painting her latest commissions and meeting passing customers. Her work has taken her to some exciting and diverse places and includes royal portraits (HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 2015), military and regimental paintings now held in Whitehall, fabulous food paintings as well as mesmerising seascapes of the local coastline.

Philip spends his day cultivating the vegetable patch and keeping an eye on all the free-range chickens and turkeys, as well as running their small holiday rental before collecting Horatio after his school day.

Enjoying the magical views from the first floor across to the Jurassic Coast in one direction and the Golden Cap and the lighthouse at Portland Bill in the other, is just part of the appeal of this stylishly understated home. And this ever-inspiring landscape is one of the many reasons why Marianne and Philip never plan to leave here.

inspiration ‘ I have always loved visiting art galleries and have found the Dutch Old Master paintings of interiors particularly inspiringÕ