18 minute read
WELCOME HOME Mark and
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THE DETAILS Hambleton Grange, Hambleton, Rutland
Location: Hambleton village. Provenance: Luxury new build property, winner of What House’s 2021 Best Luxury House award. 6,000sq ft living space in total. Rooms: Four receptions currently living kitchen, sitting room, dining room, cinema room. Five bedrooms, gym, sauna, wine cellar and study. Triple garage with car stacker.
Guide Price: £3,500,000.
Find Out More: Pelham James, Saddler’s Court, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7GH. Call 01572 497 070 or see www.pelhamjames.co.uk. n “THE KIDS have always got people round...” say Mark and Tammie Howard. “We’re definitely the preferred house for their friends! But that was always the idea. We wanted to create a home that would be a great place for our daughters, and one that would accommodate family fun, reflecting all of our interests.” It’s game, set and match in that respect; Hambleton Grange incorporates a cinema room, a wine cellar (with tasting room), a fully equipped gym with sauna, and grounds landscaped to incorporate outdoor ‘reception rooms.’ Throughout the property, too, is a full Crestron home automation system providing music and scene lighting to create the right atmosphere for entertaining. “We’ve lived in Rutland since 2002. I’ve worked in financial services for about 25 years, but we build and renovate properties too. It was incredibly difficult to find land in the area, so we were absolutely overjoyed to discover this plot. The novelty still hasn’t worn off in that respect. We love the view over the water, over the surrounding countryside, and we love how the seasons change.”
“There was a smaller property on the site, and quite understandably the planning people were keen for the property we created here in its place to look and feel commensurate with the character of the village.”
“People are always surprised how large the house is as it doesn’t look as big from the front. It’s arranged over three floors and has a guest suite on the lower level plus a principal bedroom with dressing room and en suite on the first floor plus two additional bedrooms with en suite and an extra bedroom as well as a large family bathroom.”
“On the ground floor is a kitchen and living area which has ten-metre wide bi-fold doors to really bring together the indoor and outdoor space in the warmer months.”
“At the heart of the home, the living kitchen was created by Laura Deaton of Intone Designs, incorporating grey cabinetry, white Corian solid worksurfaces, appliances by Wolf and Sub Zero as well as a Quooker boiling water tap and a Miele steam oven and dishwasher.
The kitchen has a porcelain tiled floor and like the rest of the property, it features an underfloor heating system. The home is also warmed using an air source heating system which ensures that despite offering over 6,000sq ft of space, it costs very little to run.
Each of the property’s bathrooms have been created using Villeroy & Boch fittings and Porcelanosa tiles. The lighting, meanwhile, has been designed by a London-based company, with Tammie contributing her flair to the rest of the property’s interiors.
Another of Mark’s interests is reflected in the property’s study, with memorabilia of his
motorsport career – canvases and trophies – all over the study. Mark began racing in 1990 in turbocharged Renault Five cars, then raced 1,600cc Clios, joining the Clio Cup and then racing touring cars. His daily driver is pretty special; a British-made McLaren, and upon returning to Hambleton Grange, the two-level garage has an electrically powered car stacking system, storing three cars, safe and sound.
“We’ve really worked hard to make sure that no detail has been overlooked in designing the house and I can honestly say that we’ve got everything right,” says Mark. “There really is nothing I’d change and the location is absolutely fantastic. In fact, What House awarded us the title of Best Luxury House in their 2021 awards, which we were thrilled about!”
“Family changes mean we’re having to move elsewhere but we’re all really going to miss the place. We wish we could just pick the house up and put it down in another location. Sadly that’s not the case but we’ve had an amazing time here and we’re certain that the next owners will love the property – and the village – as much as we have.” n
n Cheriton House,Thorney
Guide Price: £1,100,000
A handsome Grade II listed house built in 1728 with eight bedrooms and five receptions including a first floor drawing room, ground floor reception, dining room, breakfast room and library. Over 5,000sq ft of living space.
www.fineandcountry.com
n Tudor Cottage, Thorpe by Water
Offers in excess of £650,000
A beautifully extended Grade II listed ironstone cottage in a quiet Rutland hamlet. Six bedrooms, three bathrooms and four reception rooms currently arranged as a living kitchen, living room, family room and garden room.
www.jamessellicks.com
n Gatehouse Lane, S/Luffenham
Guide Price: £675,000
Beautifully presented, substantial detached family home situated in a popular Rutland village and enjoying far-reaching countryside views to the rear. Three receptions, four bedrooms.
SPRING GREENS
Fresh, modern and verdant. This month we’re showcasing new examples of Fresh, modern and verdant. This month we’re showcasing new examples of spring greens from the country’s finest fabric and wallcovering designers... spring greens from the country’s finest fabric and wallcovering designers...
Rutland and Stamford’s independent interior design studios can create furnishings in designer fabrics that are beautifully bespoke to suit your home...
Top: Morris & Co’s Willow Boughs with entwining stems and delicate willow leaves. Above/Right: Long Water Botanical from Zoffany’s Kensington Walk Collection. Right: Morris & Co, Acanthus. This much-loved is design from 1875.
Clarke & Clarke’s Monique in Apple and Mineral colourway.
Clarke & Clarke’s Rochelle in Apple and Mineral colourway.
Stamford & Rutland Interiors: Broughtons: Leicester, 0116 2341888,www.broughtons.com. Delcor Interiors: Stamford, 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. Elizabeth Stanhope Interiors: Oakham, 01572 722345, www.elizabethstanhope.co.uk. Hunters of Stamford: 01780 757946, www.huntersinteriorsofstamford.co.uk. Sarah Harding Interiors: Uppingham, 01572 823389, sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk. Simply Stamford: St Mary’s Street, Stamford, 01780 481852, www.simplystamford.co.uk.
Transform your home this Spring
Create unique interior styles with the elegant prints and vibrant colours of the Caspian Collection from GP & J Baker. Call into the Showroom to browse our pattern books, see the latest home accessories on sale and treat yourself to a relaxing coffee break at the Hayloft.
Showroom and Coffee Shop
Open Monday to Saturday 9am-4.30pm
The Stables, Copthill Farm, Uffington, Stamford PE9 4TD
Call 01780 757946
THE HEART OF YOUR HOME
A really well-designed kitchen is the beating heart of your home. So, this month, we’ve a trio of absolutely superb companies who can help you to ensure your new room functions well and looks great!
CREATING A DREAM KITCHEN
Lockdown provided an ideal opportunity for Sharon and Steven Gallagher to complete their dream kitchen, in conjunction with Moir Wade...
Words: Rob Davis. Images: www.paulbrownimaging.co.uk.
AS THE SAYING GOES, the best things come to those who wait. That’s especially true in respect of Sharon and Steven Gallagher’s Aga, the order for which was placed a whopping nine years before it was finally installed. The couple had a good reason to spread out the renovation of their early 20th century property in Leicestershire over the best part of a decade. As another expression goes, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans and a night out at a charity ball back in 2009 introduced the two to the plight of young people living with both learning difficulties and physical disabilities over in Rwanda. It was an evening which changed their lives and improved the lives of the countless young people they’ve worked with since. “We began taking an interest in the work that others were involved in, trying to improve the life of youngsters who were struggling to find somewhere to live following the closure of several orphanages in the country,” says Sharon. “We began working with an existing charity, where I eventually became CEO before setting up our own organisation in 2016. Having set up four houses in the country, employing 15 members of staff and caring for 22 adults, it was soon quite an undertaking.” “Once you’re involved with caring for people whose lives are so dramatically different from our own, it’s impossible not to remain involved, and we were soon travelling to the country at least four times a year. Plans for our home back here were soon neglected in favour of running the charity, but with the advent of Covid, we had the time to work on the house which needed, not least, a new kitchen.” The couple’s home was originally a small bungalow and had been extended several times to its current five bedrooms and two storeys. The original pine kitchen had been painted and needed replacing, with the object of the exercise also to consolidate a much smaller kitchen, its utility room, garage and rear second kitchen into one single living area. >>
Opposite: Sharon and Steven Gallagher’s kitchen features a seating area for five people with a limed oak finish. Cabinetry is painted in Farrow & Ball shades. The kitchen’s work surfaces are finished in white quartz with light grey veins.
Top: Sharon’s Aga was finally installed, whilst a matching utility room is an ideal space to keep laundry equipment, vacuum cleaners and housekeepers’ supplies!
>> “We had our Aga on order for a number of years,” says Sharon. “They’d phone us every so often and ask if we were ready for its installation yet. We also had a few designs by another kitchen company, but halfway through 2020 we spoke with Moir Wade’s Jonathan Wade and Will Moir… and right from that moment we were so happy with their professionalism.” “We already had a bit of an idea, but there was a real sense of a collaborative design experience with the two. They work with your idea but grow it, refine it and create a room that not only looks good, but one that’s really easy to live in too.” “I’ve been busy in the room since its completion and several times I’ve just stopped and smiled at the fact that everything is to hand, it’s so ergonomic and well-thought out. Everything is just where you use it, and just how you use it… right down to a hidden space I discovered that was created specifically for the tin foil and cling film!” The couple’s kitchen is created in a shaker style, the firm typically using English Oak, Walnut, tulip, maple, cherry wood or a range of veneers. The couple opted to finish the kitchen in several Farrow & Ball tones including Ammonite, Cornforth White and Mole’s Breath. Moir Wade usually create work surfaces in Corian, granite, quartz, timber or Pyrolav, but used quartz from Langar-based World of Marble on this occasion. White and grey veins added real drama to the large central island. “Will suggested Swarovski crystal handles on the island for a bit of glamour and drama, whilst the other units have brushed chrome handles which add a lovely glint, wrapped in black leather. They’re lovely and tactile and they look great!” The couple employed refrigeration from Liebherr and other appliances from Siemens and Miele. A housekeeper’s cupboard has brackets for brooms and ironing boards, whilst the butler’s pantry incorporates spaces for everything from sugar and spice to all things nice. Other touches include hand-carved trays which stow away neatly. Moir Wade integrated a limed oak table seating area for five people with Lloyd Loom chairs and created a coffee table to match the kitchen cabinetry which sits between the couple’s Designer’s Guild-covered chairs in an area reserved for morning coffee. “We wanted a company which coordinated all of the trades, and that’s just what Moir Wade did,” says Sharon. “The whole installation was smooth and professional, the craftsmanship is superb. Everything was project-managed, and the end result feels like it was a product of just that kind of organisation and planning… we even managed to get the Aga installed, finally!” “We love the room and we’d definitely recommend Moir Wade to anyone. One of the moments of the process which stood out to us was when we visited Moir Wade’s workshops. We could tell that the whole team took great pride in traditional craftsmanship. It was really wonderful to see such care and professionalism!” n
Find Out More: Moir Wade is based on Nelson Street, Syston, Leicester LE7 2JQ. Call 0116 269 5915 or see www.moirwade.co.uk for a free, no obligation, pressure selling-free discussion about your project.
SPECIALISING IN QUALITY
Nobody regrets an investment in quality. And when it comes to your kitchen, style and substance are standard when The Fitted Furniture Company brings its creative flair and technical expertise to bear in your home...
Words: Rob Davis.
AN INVESTMENT IN QUALITY will rarely give you cause for regret. Nor are you likely to regret investing in your home, with a hand-crafted and beautifully made bespoke kitchen.
We’ll direct you towards Easton on the Hill, and to the workshops of The Fitted Furniture Company, which celebrated three decades and many many satisfied customers last year. The company is home to Jason Nicholls and fellow craftsman Graham Fowkes, who pride themselves on bespoke cabinetry made with sub-millimetre accuracy and in producing kitchens that are made to last decades, not years. “There’s a difference between cost and value, which is a distinction that all of our customers recognise,” says Jason, showing us around the workshops. “Prior to Covid we encouraged people to visit us here to ensure they understood our approach. We don’t have a showroom so we don’t have to fund a High Street presence, nor do we price our kitchens to accommodate a salesperson’s commission.” “Working as part of a three-person team, our overheads are as low as they can be and our work is as competitively priced as we can allow without compromising on quality.” “We can accommodate budgets from £25,000 or so, and typically specify solid cabinetry in sustainable oak, with dovetailed drawer joints and work surfaces created in engineered stone or natural granite or quartz. Detail is really important even in the more mundane parts of a kitchen. We could purchase hinges for pennies but instead we spend a few pounds.” “Doing so has a direct result on how one of the tell-tale signs of a good or a poor kitchen wears. We have to know that once a client has that kitchen in their home, it endures as long as we would want it to do in our own homes. Likewise we’re accountable for the design and installation of all of our work, so there’s nowhere to stand except behind our craftsmanship.”
“We enjoy our work because we know we do the job properly, and because clients really become enthusiastic during the design process, knowing that there are no limits but what’s technically feasible.” “We can finish our kitchens in any colour from brands like Farrow & Ball, Little Greene or Zoffany, and we can supply and install appliances from Neff, Siemens, Miele, Sub Zero, Wolf or Lacanche... again, quality brands we know will last years.” “Our clients return to us for fitted studies, bedrooms and for freestanding furniture, because they appreciate our approach and because we know that we’re not just providing a room that looks good, we’re respecting and making the most of the investment they’re making to improve their home.” n
Above: Whilst kitchens are a mainstay of the Fitted Furniture Company’s work, freestanding furniture as well as studies, bathroom and bedroom furniture are frequent commissions too.
Find Out More: For a free, strictly no-obligation discussion about your home and to find out why the Fitted Furniture Company has been trusted by hundreds of customers for 31 years, call 01780 480080 or see www.thefittedfurniturecompany.com. The company is based at Easton-on-the-Hill PE9 3NT.
CLASSIC FORM
MODERN FUNCTION
For over three decades, Simon Jennings has been helping clients to choose kitchens which blend style with function. If you’ve a country property, a Georgian town house or somewhere a little more modern, a PDA kitchen will soon become the heart of your home...
DURING LOCKDOWN, and over the festive season, the chances are you’ve spent more time than ever becoming familiar with your kitchen and its flaws or deficiencies.
Quite beyond being rooms whose look and feel can make or break your home, a kitchen has a direct impact on how you’re able to cook, dine and socialise... not to mention the fact that a good kitchen can add a staggering amount to the value of your home relative to other improvements. But creating a new kitchen is just about the biggest outlay a homeowner will make during their time in a property, and replacing a kitchen is a tricky business. Kitchens have to stand up to the slings and arrows of family life, handing high temperatures, steam, tsunamis of water when an attempt to drain a pan goes awry, and over-enthusiastic cleaning. Happily, for over 30 years, Peterborough’s Simon Jennings has kept his eye on every brand, every product and every kitchen design, amassing a wealth of experience.
“We’ve installed hundreds of kitchens for clients across Peterborough, Stamford, Rutland and the rest of the UK too,” he says. “Families are unique, their properties are unique, and by extension their kitchens should be unique too,” insists Simon. “But some values – quality and user-friendly features – are ubiquitous.” “So too is the desire to enjoy a hassle-free installation, which is why we offer full project management and can bring our experience to bear by coordinating all of the different trades necessary to install your kitchen from building work to electrical, plumbing and gas services, to the installation of the kitchen furniture itself and finishing touches like tiling, flooring and decoration.” “For the customer, that means a single, accountable point of contact who can understand how to troubleshoot any problems which arise, which is especially important for installations in those period properties which like to throw up a few surprises.”
“Taking that burden away from the client leaves them able to concentrate on more enjoyable matters, like choosing from the almost infinite variety in the look and feel of our ranges.”
“We’ve curated what we believe to be the best quality brands with everything from modern handleless stone-effect kitchens for newer properties or contemporary barn extensions to traditional shaker kitchens which work well in practically every home.” “We can provide cabinetry in any paint colour our customers choose, including those in the Farrow & Ball palette, and can pair them with the latest engineered stone surfaces which can withstand even the most enthusiastic of cooks and continue to look great for years to come.” “With appliances from Neff, Siemens, Bosch and Miele, from range cookers and steam ovens to boiling water taps, cooling appliances and dishwashers, the result is the latest technology, quality you can rely on and a kitchen that you’ll be proud to spend time in, whether you’re cooking, dining, working or socialising.” “Our expertise has been honed for three decades, and now it’s your turn to benefit from our ability to create a beautiful new kitchen for your home.” n
