Country_Homes_and_Interiors_-_November_2019

howI wantedtomodernisethatspaceassoonas

I sawit.Bothourbedroomandthekitchenarelinked

bya hugeglasswallsothedecorinbothhadto

complementeachother.’However,outsidewasn’t

assimple.Thepropertyis a GradeII-listedbuilding,

soevengettinganadditionalkitchenwindowmeant

negotiatingformonthstosecureplanningpermission.

‘Wecontacteda highlyexperiencedlocalstonemason,

whoweknewunderstoodthesebuildingsandhedid

anoutstandingjobofblendinginthenewwindow to

lookasif it hadalwaysbeenthere,’saysHelen.

Thefamilylivedinthebarnduringmostofthework,

apartfromthreeweekswhenthemajorityoftheplace

wasguttedandthe‘BeastfromtheEast’decidedto

makeanappearance.Helenadmits,‘I’dbelyingif

I didn’tsaytheearlydaysofthebuildwerestressful

andlong,especiallylivingonsitewitha youngfamily.

Butwitha greatbuildingteamandmypragmatist

husbandbymyside,I justkeptthinkingaboutthe

endgameandwhywestartedthejourneyinthefirst

placeandit wasthatattitudethatgotusthrough.’

Theworktookabouta yearfromstarttofinish.

‘Ahousethisageandsizerarelycomeswithoutits

foibles,’saysHelen.‘Sowegenuinelyfeelwe’veearned

ourstripesonthisone.Butthebarndeservedtobe

a beauty again and I believe that’s what we’ve made it.’

ONOUR

DOORSTEP

Visit...‘NewtonBeachhasmiles

ofsandtowanderalong,andis

idealforwalkingthedog.Thereare

dunesandrockpools,too.’

Shopat...‘LeafInteriors

(pylegardenvillage.com/leaf-

interiors),inPyle.It sellsbeautiful

fabrics,perfectforhandmade

blindsandcurtains,andalsooffers

quality,uniquehomeaccessories

notfoundonthehighstreet.’

Goforamealat...‘TheJolly

SailorPub(sabrain.com/pubs-and-

hotels/leased-tenanted/rc/jolly-

sailor).Thisis theoldestpubin

Porthcawland,witha woodfireand

deliciousSundaylunches,it’sa

greatplacetorelaxona chilly

lunchtime.It’sdogfriendly,too!

BraseriaElPrado(01656649972)

inLalestonis a greatlocal

restaurantservingSpanish

foodandwine.’

EnsuiteHelenchose

a vanityunitwithplentyof

storagetokeepthespace

unclutteredandcalm.

Vanityunity;walllights,

allNeptune.Blind;

mirrors, all Leaf Interiors

56 COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS

FEATURE

LISA MOSES

PHOTOGRAPHS

COLIN POOLE

WELSH BARN