WELCOME HOME A bold, beautiful Georgian property near Spalding.

GRAND, SQUARE & SYMMETRICAL. On prima facie evidence this month’s featured property is every bit the quintessential Georgian home. But inside, however, its owners have avoided the usual cranberry and mustard shades, or austere white tones that you’d traditionally associate with the era, in favour of creating style and drama. “We believe the property dates back to 1780 and it fell into dereliction until 1979 when it was restored,” say owners David Cross and James Dobbs. “When we purchased the house in 2018 it was structurally sound, just waiting for us to put our own mark on it.” “Having renovated older properties before, we’ve always opted for darker bolder shades, and that’s worked especially well here.”

Main/Right: Whaplode House is arranged over three floors and has four reception rooms and four or five bedrooms depending on use.

“When we were going back and forth to purchase the paint, a couple of people expressed a bit of surprise how much we were purchasing, but it was definitely the right decision to use a darker shade.”

“The house is really large and all of the rooms are generous in size, so it can take bolder shades. But also when we considered rooms like the drawing room, a darker shade we reasoned would recede its dimensions, making an otherwise really large room quite a bit cosier... in conjunction with comfy oversized sofas and the log burner.”

The property is located in Whaplode, and carries a Grade II listing. Arranged over three floors, there are four large reception rooms currently arranged as a drawing room, dining room, living kitchen and a garden room.

“The rooms are all generous in size, so they can take bolder shades, and recede large spaces to create a cosier feel...”

The first floor has a rather interesting layout and comprises a nursery bedroom or study, and a generous double bedroom. Adjacent is a family bathroom with stairs in the corner which lead up to the master bedroom. As a result the bathroom is a bit of a whopper in size and benefits from more space and natural light than in most properties. The second floor of the house also features a large landing and two additional bedrooms, plus a range of cupboards... there’s plenty of useful storage space which is one of the hallmarks of an older property against newer houses. David works from home, employed in the insurance industry, whilst James has his own hair salon. The latter he operates from the property’s enormous outbuilding. Not only does this provide a great rural location for clients to enjoy a bit of pampering, it’s also a highly adaptable space for running and growing any type of business from home. “One of the nice things about the location is that it’s so rural, but still within easy reach of civilisation,” says David. “Shops and other amenities aren’t too far away, but still you can look out of any window and see these awesome fenland panoramas. James is from Peterborough so he’s more used to it than me, but I come from Kent and London, so it’s a huge treat.” >>

>> “When we first viewed the property, there were fields of wheat surrounding it, and that was pretty enough, but in recent years we’ve seen more flowers being planted.” “The sight of daffodil flowers in the field isn’t good for farmers as it means they’ve not been able to harvest them pre-flowering. But for us, the sight of an expanse of beautiful yellow flowers is an absolutely amazing one. We think we have one of the prettiest views we’ve seen from our windows.”

“One of our favourite things about the house is the fact that it’s good for modern life, with a huge kitchen, room for appliances and plenty of space. But then, you still have the style and the architecture to work with when you’re decorating.”

“There are lovely touches throughout the property too, like the bread oven that’s built into the range in the dining room, and the cellar, which is a novelty these days reserved only for older properties. We love the hallway too and that was the next project on our mind.”

“We’ve installed LVT flooring downstairs in the hall but were planning to introduce some William Morris style wallpaper and follow through into the dining room with wood panelling.” “However we’ve a move elsewhere planned, which is necessary but a bit frustrating... we’re absolutely in love with the house and we wish we could pick it up and take it with us wholesale. The rural location is great and the house itself is graceful but also really practical. We hope its next custodians will love living here as much as we have. We also hope they’ll come with ideas of their own as to how to make it look and feel really special!” n

WHAPLODE HOUSE, NEAR SPALDING

Location: Holbeach 2.3 miles; Spalding 6.1 miles. Style: Classically proportioned Georgian home with four/five beds and four receptions.

Guide Price: £450,000.

Find Out More: Fine & Country Seaton Grange Barn Offices, Uppingham, LE15 9HT. Call 01780 750 200 or see www.fineandcountry.com.

Blue is the COLOUR

Bold patterns blended with ticking stripes and Bold patterns blended with ticking stripes and solid linen fabrics in shades from indigo to China solid linen fabrics in shades from indigo to China blue can bring a strong look to period properties... blue can bring a strong look to period properties...

This Spread: William Yeoward fabrics from This Spread: William Yeoward fabrics from the Palenque, Florian and Delcia collection. the Palenque, Florian and Delcia collection.

Each of our featured fabrics are stocked by the area’s leading independent interior designers...

Top: Manuel Canovas’ new summer 2021 collection; wallpaper Nara in celeste colourway £79/roll, curtains in Nara Celeste £72/m. Furniture and lamp Nicholas Haslem. Above/Right: Kensington Walk from Zoffany £99/m. Right: Wallpaper from Harlequin’s Renew collection £75/roll.

Top: Clarke & Clarke Edgewood fabrics, new collection for summer 2021; sofa in Knightsbridge Denim, foot stool in Portland navy. Above: William Yeoward fabric, headboard in Cuzco, throw in Ceiba, Cushions in Mitla and Balsas. Right: Clarke & Clarke Avalon in denim. Kensington Walk from Zoffany £99/m.

Local Suppliers...

Aitch Interiors: 01522 810961, www.aitchinteriors.co.uk. Anelise Home: 01522 530400, www.anelisehome.co.uk. Delcor: 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. Richard Sutton Interiors: 01472 268377, richardsutton designinteriors.com. Sack Store: 01205 310101, www.sackstore.co.uk. Stevensons: 01472 233111, www.stevensonsgroup.co.uk. n

Please note prices are RRP and should be considered a guide only, availability of brands and ranges at the above design studios subject to variation.

ANELISE HOME

Ideas, inspiration and accessories to help Ideas, inspiration and accessories to help CREATE YOUR HOME CREATE YOUR HOME

From creative advice on how to achieve the look you’re seeking, to interior design expertise, right down to the finishing touches and accessories to complete your work, Lincoln’s Liz Millns can help turn your house into a home and your dream into a design...

BAKING A CAKE relies on combining the right ingredients in the right way. Designing your home is the same.

Combining ingredients, from the larger items in your room to the smaller details and finishing touches, considering textures as well as tones, choosing the perfect colour and working with the architecture of your home. It’s a joy, of course, but also something you want to get right first time, with an end result you’ll enjoy living with for years. That’s why it’s always wise to seek a little help, and why Liz Millns is so well-regarded, not just as a skilled designer, but also a trusted counsel for those who want to get the best from their own efforts. “It’s not about the room, it’s about the person,” says Liz. “Nobody wants to work with someone who is overbearing or takes over, and all of my clients love their homes so they want to be a part of their interior design project.” “So without doubt the secret of being a good interior designer is to facilitate, not impart; to work with the client and bring their personality and their preferences out in the project, not to graft on the designer’s own preferences.” “We can offer as much or as little input in a project as the client wants. Our design projects begin with an initial consultation with me in your home, someone who will listen to your thoughts and ideas to gain an insight into the style you would like to achieve,” says Liz. “We can provide an initial design consultation with written advice on lighting, colour schemes, wall finishes, accessories and furniture for just

“Above all, our service is as unique and as individual as our clients themselves, so our work is collaborative...”

£200, which is designed to help clients who want to create their own home but need a little objective inspiration.” “We can also provide a comprehensive room design consultation which is costed and detailed – right down to lighting, flooring, finishes and presentation – for £450/room.” “A third option is full house design with project management from start to finish, which is designed as a turnkey solution for those who are too busy to oversee a total renovation. Each of our three services have been designed with a view to providing just the right level of involvement for the client.”

“We can source and help in the design of fitted kitchens and bathrooms and all of the fixtures, flooring, tiling and appliances within, and we work in collaboration with local floral designers to also provide exterior design and landscaping schemes too.” “Above all, our service is as unique and as individual as our clients themselves, so our work is always truly collaborative.” “With good communication and strong budget and time management, we can ensure your project is well thought-out and successful.” “Whether it’s perfecting a single room or transforming an entire home, we have a full comprehensive portfolio of home renovations in and around Lincolnshire, and are incredibly proud of the projects we’ve completed over the past decade.” n

Achieving the Anelise Look

As well as its design services, Anelise Home also has a showroom of fabrics, upholstery, accessories and gifts for your home. You can also visit anelisehome.co.uk to shop online.

Find Out More: All of the products featured here are available from Anelise Home on Burton Road, Lincoln LN1 3LW. As well as offering stylish accessories for your home, the company, led by Liz Millns also provides interior design consultations and kitchen & bathroom design. For a no obligation chat about your project, call 01522 530400 or see www.anelisehome.co.uk.