6 minute read
My nature inspired interior
We wanted to raise our children in the countryside, so we both agreed Mursley in Buckinghamshire was the perfect place. It was important for us to find a large plot with countryside views and we finally found a bungalow within our budget. It had enough outside space with mature trees where we could hang a swing, and space to grow vegetables. It also had room for my hens, so it ticked all the boxes.
After a year of settling in, we started to draw up plans for the rebuild, which turned out to be bigger than we’d imagined. In the end, only the playroom has remained untouched. Everything else has been altered or is entirely new. We went to an architect with a brief and drew our own designs too. We then spent six months with all the drawings pinned to the walls in the hallway and we picked all of our favourite elements and combined them into one final set of drawings. We built a temporary kitchen in the garage and lived through the build as much as possible. It was quite stressful with two small children, but it was one of the most exciting things we’ve done.
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Décor-wise, we’ve used natural materials and the colour palette is neutral. I love that the interiors are inspired by the countryside, picking up the greens, blues and rusts that we see through the seasons.
Style idea
Customise a kitchen island by painting the cupboards in a colour of your choice Welcome TO MY HOME
A BIT ABOUT ME I’m Helen Lawson, 36, a social media manager at The Open University. I live with my husband, Craig, an engineer at Red Bull Racing, and our two daughters Ottilie, five, and Pippa, seven, plus our cairn terrier, Alf, and five hens.
WHERE I LIVE Our home is a four-bedroom house in Mursley, Buckinghamshire. I post interior updates on my Instagram @cedar.tree.house.
WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE When we bought this house, it was a two-bedroom bungalow. We wanted a larger home with plenty of space for the whole family. There wasn’t much to like about the old house when we moved in, but the location and the garden more than made up for that.
HOW I MADE IT MY OWN We extended the building to give us more space. We thought hard about making the rooms welcoming but beautiful and functional too. Craig handmade lots of the furniture and we decorated with neutral colours and natural materials to give a warm, cosy look that feels connected to the countryside around us.
MY FAVOURITE PART I love how we’ve managed to connect the space so well with the environment. We deliberately planned the house so that no matter where you are, you can see the garden and the far-reaching countryside views.
Kitchen-diner
‘The old kitchen was much smaller than this and it was exciting to see the new area being built. This room really is the heart of our home. The cabinets are from DIY Kitchens, but we customised it to suit our style. We used a quartz worktop and combined it with a large circular wooden worktop, which Craig made. We also painted the doors in Farrow & Ball Cornforth White and the island in Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue for an extra splash of colour. Built-in furniture is dotted throughout the house, all designed by us and handmade by Craig. The bench seat with storage underneath makes the most out of every inch of space, as well as showcasing Craig’s beautiful carpentry. Craig even made the dining table, which can seat the extended family over Christmas. The same mix of neutral colours continue through the whole house to give continuity and link each room together.’
‘We made the growth chart ourselves from a length of solid oak. It’s very popular in our house and we’re always looking to see who’s grown the most. The set of leaf artwork is from Slinky Prints’ ‘I love to mix different tableware together. I purposely didn’t buy a matching set of plates and bowls because I think mixing it up gives the table a more interesting look’
Style idea
Bench seating is a practical option if you often have extra people for dinner
HOW TO... Decorate with neutrals
Beige is far from boring. Get a classic, cosy look with these style tips Incorporate lots of different materials to add warmth to your space. A mix of linen, sheepskin and chunky knits alongside wood, wicker and rattan will add interest and make the space feel cosier. You can almost never have enough textures.
Head to the high street for expensivelooking but budget-friendly accessories. H&M Home and Zara Home are great for linen bedding, cushions and throws in pared-back colours for a good price.
Use darker tones to highlight architectural features in your home, such as chimney breasts, alcoves and window frames.
If you’ve got kids, think about how you can make the look family friendly. Going for darker neutrals, instead of all-whites, is more practical and you’ll probably worry less about grubby fingerprints or muddy shoes.
Add to the look’s calming effect with organic shapes that boost feel-good brainwaves. There are lots of irregular-sized mirrors, wiggly vases and curved furniture on the high street right now.
Neutrals are all about understated chic, so don’t ruin the vibe by having too much stuff. Stick with a less-is-more approach.
A contrasting mix of materials, such as brick and marble, adds interest
The little pink chair is from a local charity shop and ties in perfectly with the room’s soft scheme
Pippa's bedroom
‘We asked the girls how they wanted their rooms to look and they both chose pink. We went for muted, dusky pink on the walls to soften the room and make it feel more sophisticated. A built-in window seat, made by Craig, with storage underneath makes perfect use of the space. The metal bed from IKEA fits snugly in the corner and looks very festive with some Christmas bed linen from Next.’
A row of star stickers is a quick and easy way to add a magical feel, while a pretty garland made from fabric offcuts adds interest to the metal headboard ‘We’ve made the most of the unusual shape and put a shower head at the highest point. We also created cupboard space for storage’
Bathroom
‘We combined three different materials; marble, brick and porcelain in the bathroom to add extra interest and highlight the shape of the roof. It works really well as our family bathroom and feels bright and fresh. We’ve incorporated some storage to hide away our bathroom bits and bobs, too.’
WHAT I LEARNED...
Location was key for us. Being surrounded by a lovely garden was important and we knew that we could then transform the bungalow into the perfect home.
Take your time thinking about how you want to live in your home. We asked a few architects for ideas and stuck all the designs on the walls and mulled them over for a while until we worked out which aspects we liked and put them all together for the final design.
It’s really important to consider practical materials with children and pets. The vinyl flooring looks like wood but it’s much easier to mop and keep clean.
