“I was swept up in the momentum
of the project, adding my own style”
DInIng area
Zoe bought the chairs on eBay
and painted them with chalk
paint from anniesloan.com to
blend in with her colour scheme
move as he had a short commute to
work and loved Didsbury. Then in 2013,
when Zoe was driving through the
Cheshire countryside, she spotted a
building that would change their lives.
“I was travelling along a country lane
when I noticed a derelict Victorian
barn covered in scaffolding,” she says.
“There were birds’ nests in it and plants
growing up the internal walls but it was
being renovated. I told Jonah about
it but he said he wasn’t interested.
However, the next day was a sunny
Saturday and I persuaded him to come
with me to the site. Jonah took one look
at the view, which takes in the Peak
District, and said if he ever moved
from Didsbury, it would be to here!”
So the family took the decision to up
sticks and move to the barn. Having
bought it, they remained in their
Didsbury home for six months until
the work was completed. Zoe wanted
to make some changes to the build.
“The developer’s spec was for it
to be minimalist but that wasn’t what
I wanted,” says Zoe. “So once we’d
bought the barn, the developers
planned the layout while I chose all the
interior fittings, such as the fireplaces,
flooring, bathrooms and kitchen.”
Zoe threw herself into designing
the kitchen with cabinet maker Philip
Howard and decorating the rest of the
barn. “I was swept up in the momentum
of the project and wanted it to be
finished for Christmas,” she says.
The main priority was to give the
barn character, as she and Jonah had
only lived in period houses previously.
“We love the character and original
features of old houses and this was
basically a new build in an old skin.
New builds can feel like a blank
canvas and be cold and sterile. It was
a balance between working with
the light in the conversion, as it has
huge windows, and giving it soul.”
Zoe’s aim was to create a
contemporary rural style with the use
of soft furnishings that incorporated
texture as well as print and pattern.
The natural surroundings had inspired
Zoe to start her own business
designing fabrics, and she has used
her beautiful linens to create an >>The bespoke seating
area is ideal for
large gatherings
The mirror from brissi.com
reflects light back into the roomhome inspiration
woman&home IT’S aLL aBouT you! 169