What lies beneath

Looking for a way to add space without going up or out? The Hornsbys’ home proves that underground rooms needn’t be dark or dismal Until the Eighties, the plot where David and Antonia Hornsby’s home now stands held no more than a bunch of lock-ups and sheds at the end of a row of Surrey gardens. The long, thin site was then sold to a developer, who created a split-level, one-bedroom bachelor pad. When the Hornsbys bought the place in 2009, Antonia was expecting their first child, and they were faced with the challenge of turning the limited space into a family home. A chance meeting with a friend on holiday led David Hornsby to contact interior design and architectural consultants Shed – appropriately enough, given the original use of the site. With architect Dave Dalziel, a scheme was developed to turn the part-subterranean house into a three-bedroom home with garage, and to increase the area from 175sq m to 200sq m without extending above or beyond the original footprint. View feature

Pin It Now!

21st Century Cotswolds

Building their own home allowed the Wild family the best of both worlds – a traditional farmhouse façade and hi-tech glamour within. “Plots in the Cotswolds are like hen’s teeth,” says interiors and silverware designer J.B. Wild. “But we’d had a tip-off that this one was coming up for auction: 130 acres of fantastic land, with beautiful hedges and all well maintained. It had been in the same family for 90 years and we were lucky enough to get it,” she exclaims, still delighted at this piece of good fortune. Just a stone’s throw from Bourton-on-the Water, a village voted one of England’s prettiest, J.B., her husband, Chris, and their three children had nabbed themselves an idyllic spot – and one on which their dream to build their own home could be realised... view feature

Pin It Now!

Rainbow House

A period property in South London was given an internal make-over to provide an easy to run modern home for a family with three young children. The house retains many original features but by using a range of colours and vibrant patterns it has been given a fresh and contemporary appearance. There are bright, low maintenance child friendly areas and grown up spaces which follow a more subdued and restful palette; the spacious main bedroom has the bed located in the middle of the room with a custom made storage bed head. There may not be a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow but there is a charming family home... view feature

Pin It Now!

Off the wall

The Dodd family home is a place of dramatic contrasts. During the day, sun shines through the large front windows of the sitting room and glints on the subtle golden background of the wisteria-printed wallpaper and the raised tufts of the pale silk carpet. At the back of the room, a long dark-wood dining table surrounded by comfortable armchairs hints at sophisticated dinner parties. On the first floor, the silver-grey bedroom, with velvet-upholstered chaise and generous curtains, has a restful elegance. The en suite bathroom, with its double walk-in shower, roll-top bath and mirrored dressing table, hints at a life of pampered indulgence. Giant penguins, burlesque motifs, a woodland glade… Sarah and Andrew let their imaginations run free when it came to doing up their idiosyncratic family home... view feature

Pin It Now!

Off the wall

The Dodd family home is a place of dramatic contrasts. Giant penguins, burlesque motifs, a woodland glade… Sarah and Andrew let their imaginations run free when it came to doing up their idiosyncratic family home... view interior feature Pin It Now!

Wild Living - The Stowaways

Jane and Peter Smith’s holiday haven not only reflects its seaside surroundings, but it also has the flexibility they need to accommodate five children, relatives and friends. "Peter’s view was that it should be as comfortable as our home in London," says Jane. To help her fulfil this aim, and to create a house that could cope with varying numbers of visitors, Jane turned to neighbour and interior designer Clare Teed, who is also mother of Robert and Joseph’s surfboarding mates, Sam and Toby. view interior feature Pin It Now!

The Beachcomber

With her bright and airy home on the Kent coast, Maxine Sutton is perfectly placed to source the pebbles and shells that sit alongside her own textile creations dotted around every room. Three years ago the family moved from South London to Kent in the hope of finding more space not only for the family and a much longed for dog, but also to accommodate Maxine’s work. She uses hand and appliqué to create wall hangings and other fabric-based craftworks. The couple’s hands-on and creative abilities were well used around their house. view interior feature Pin It Now!

Perfect Timing

Quirky clockmakers Jim and Chloe Read used a combination of the chic and cheerful to bring a dilapidated Victorian vicarage bang up to date. There are more than 30 clocks in their house. Few of them tell the time, but that’s not the point. This fabulous collection of timepieces is a reminder of what earns them their keep. Although their listed Welsh vicarage, built in 1850, is chocolate-box pretty on the outside, it oozes 21st-century style within. Jim and Chloe’s labour of love has saved the place from a sad and shabby decline, transforming it into a fresh and contemporary family home... view interior feature Pin It Now!

Base Camp

When adventurers Jo Vesty and Steve Brooks stopped globetrotting and decided to start a family, adapting their West London house became a challenge all of its own. Their home is very much about embracing the challenges of family life full on, and the house has been subtly but clearly divided between the children’s fun, colourful spaces and the more sophisticated grown-up areas. We hadn’t intended to do much in the way of alterations but the project grew in that sort of, ‘Oh, actually, could we…?’ sort of way... view interior feature Pin It Now!

Boy Zone

Requiring a house large enough for three energetic sons and an adult space of their own. Mairead and Phil embarked on an unconventional project the conversion of 11 bed-sits back into a family home... click here Pin It Now!

Northern Brights

Escaping the London rat race has not only given Simon Young and Vicky Pepys a beautiful home in Northumbria, but Simon has also been able to realise his dream project. A lifestyle shop selling vintage and new accessories and furniture. It was his passion for collecting vintage pieces that led Simon to his lastest project, RE a lifestyle shop set up with Jenny Vaughan. They had worked together in the fashion industry and both shared a love of interiors and shopping... click here Pin It Now!

Highland Hospitality

A Parisian interior designer was set the task of transforming an old tower like building on the Isle of Jura in to a comfortable and welcoming house. Taking the idea that the place had been lived in by an elderly, eccentric but well travelled aunt; the designer went about collecting the things that this fictitious aunt might have had, and arranging them against a back drop of deep, roll top baths, soft comfortable beds and a long, refectory style dining table... click here Pin It Now!