12 minute read
Cosy Cottage
John and Carole Price fell in love with their dream home just down the road from where they lived, and turned Four Wells Cottage into a bright and cosy home
SITTING ROOM In the sitting room, wool cushions and a matching throw add warmth to the neutral colour scheme. Carole plumped for a cream linen covered sofa and armchairs. The wooden trunk was a junk shop find and it works well as a coffee table and offers extra storage
When John and Carole Price moved home two years ago, they didn’t have far to go. “Our new home is all of 150 yards up the hill from the cottage where we used to live,” explained Carole Price. “Although it had been on the market for eighteen months, we hadn’t even considered viewing it until one day walking back from the pub, we had a Eureka moment and thought it might suit us very well. The owner, who had long since moved out, arranged for us to be given the keys and within minutes we knew we’d found our new home.” Although the house was in need of updating, the Prices could see the potential. “We
love old houses and part of the property dates from 1654. It was one of five coaching inns in the village. Later on, during the 1920s it became the village post office.”
John and Carole married some ten years ago and the cottage, their first home together, although idyllic they found to be on the small side. “Once John retired and was home all day, we realised that more living space was required, as well as another bedroom or even two, for friends and family to stay. Living here makes us very popular!”
As soon as they had completion on the house purchase, John and Carol moved into their new home. “The day we moved in we found the vendors had left us a bottle of champagne as well as two letters from previous owners saying how happy they’d been living there. It was a lovely touch.” The couple lived on site whilst the builders got on with the renovation work and camped in whatever room wasn’t being pulled to pieces. “We got used to shuffling our things around from one part of the house to another,” said Carole, laughing.
As the daughter of a carpenter and joiner, Carole has a sanguine attitude to sharing her
As the daughter of a carpenter and joiner, Carole has a sanguine attitude to sharing her space with sawdust and pots of paint
space with sawdust and pots of paint. “I learnt a lot from my father; he was meticulous about workmanship and not one to cut corners. One of his pet hates was to see pine and other poor quality wood the Victorians used for doors and furniture, stripped of paint. That opened my eyes to the magic of paint, and I’ve been painting ever since. I like to keep up with changing taste so some of my favourite pieces of furniture have been repainted over and over again, transformed each time by a new colour.” Although she had no wish to pursue a career in interior design, as Carole grew up, she developed a keen interest in building and decorating.
When it came to project managing the refurbishment with John, Carole’s early grounding in practical matters stood her in good stead. “We knew there was a problem with damp so that needed resolving and then the ground floor was dug out so that we could install underfloor heating. All the services were ripped out and replaced and we had the walls re-plastered in order to cover the existing Artex.” Some of the interior walls were of exposed stone but Carole
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KITCHEN The island unit, fitted with a solid oak worktop, was built to John and Carole’s design by a local company. Above it hang three pendant lights which highlight this central kitchen feature
had those skimmed with plaster and painted over. “I find exposed stone oppressive and dark – it makes me feel as though I’m living in a cave,” she said, adding, “I find rooms that are full of reflected light much more comfortable.”
Carole decided on a colour scheme of pale creams and off whites which she used throughout the house, maximising the sense of space and establishing a feeling of continuity. “Even painting the window frames a lighter colour makes a huge difference to a room,” she said. Another feature is the limestone floor which extends from the hall to the dining room and kitchen at the rear of the house; it looks appropriate in the period setting whilst the pale colour and smooth finish give the house the lighter, more contemporary look which Carole wanted. In the sitting room, the couple opted for a new wooden floor adding to the feeling of mellow warmth.
The light and airy kitchen was the result of careful planning by John and Carole. “Our previous kitchen was on the small side so the prospect of having one with plenty of workspace was irresistible,” noted Carole. Made by a local company, the design centres on the sizeable island unit, which incorporates open and closed storage beneath a solid oak worktop. “We decided against wall cupboards as we
thought they’d make the room feel smaller.” In order to emphasise the visual link between the kitchen and adjoining dining room, both rooms were painted the same shade and the limestone floor extends throughout.
Identical wood burning stoves were chosen for the inglenook fireplaces in the dining room and sitting room. “We had the same make in the cottage and were impressed by the amount of heat it threw out and of course there’s no need to lay an open fire every day.” Carole grouped
MAIN BEDROOM In the main bedroom the Victorian style iron bed with brass finials was bought locally at auction as was the armchair, which was re-upholstered BATHROOM A bedroom was sacrificed in order to make a spacious en suite guest bathroom
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ATTIC BEDROOM The attic bedroom is simply furnished with antiques and junk shop finds Some of my favourite pieces of furniture have been repainted over and over again, transformed each time by a new colour
the seating area in the sitting room around the fireplace, choosing a top quality comfortable sofa and a pair of armchairs. “Worth every penny,” she maintained. “They’re remarkably good value as the quality is excellent and the design is timeless, they just go on and on.” She used a selection of different cushions and throws to change the look according to the seasons. “It’s easy when the scheme is neutral. During the winter I use warm colours in wool, and in the summer I’ll opt for pale stripes or checks in linen.”
For the curtains Carole wanted “a creamy white self-stripe cotton weave but had no idea where to start looking so I handed the problem over to an interior design service. Within about ten minutes they produced exactly the right fabric – it probably would have taken me weeks of trawling through different suppliers.”
Even during the festive season Carole maintains the ‘less is more’ approach to decoration. “I prefer the simple look – especially where space is at a premium. Candlelight is attractive at any time of the year and so I’ll group a selection of candles in all shapes and sizes on the sideboard and the dining table and add to the effect by placing them on mirrored surfaces. The Christmas tree is the finishing touch of course – it goes without saying that it’s decorated in whites and silver with lights to match!” l
Photos: GAP Interiors/Nick Carter Text: GAP Interiors/Amanda Harling
