KitchenShadesof
aubergineandpurplypink
linkthedifferentzones
together.Kitchenisland,
Neptune;paintedinBrinjal
byFarrow& Ball.Worktop,
South Coast Stone
I couldhearwasbirdsongandallI couldseewassky.
Therewaslittlesenseofthetownaroundusatall.’
Amandaknewtheycouldmakethelayoutworkfor
them.‘Wehadthespaceandthewherewithaltodoit,’
shesays.‘SoI starteddrawingfootprintsofthehouse
witha dooratthefront.I gavethesetomybrother,who
is anarchitect,andhecameupwiththeideaofhaving
double-heightbaywindowsonthenewfirstfloor.’
Theremodellingofthebungalowintoa five-bedroom
housetooka year.‘First,wenarrowedthetwofront
roomstocreatea hallwayanda dooratthefront.We
thenwidenedthehouseandaddeda utility,services
andmassesofstoragedownoneside.A ground-floor
extensionwasthenbuiltontothebacktocreatean
open-planfamilyroomandkitchen-dinerwithlotsof
glazingandhuge,full-widthbifolddoorsthatopenout
tothegarden.‘I wantedthistobethepartofthehouse
whereeveryonespendstimetogether.It’swhereweall
naturallygravitate– therestofthehouseflowsfromhere.’
Aglazedpergola,completewithdecking,wasadded
ontotheextensiontocreatea shelteredalfresco
entertainingarea.Upstairs,a furtherthreedouble
bedrooms,twoofwhichareensuite,plusa family
bathroom, were created in the roof space. The work>Livingarea
Sumptuousfabricsbring
a luxefeel.Footstool;
sofas, allSofa.com.
Painting, Paul DolmanLIVINGTHEDREAM
Amanda’sfounda waytolivea
country life in a town settingWhat’sthebestthing
aboutlivingwhereyou
do?‘Christchurchis a well-kept
secret.It hasa fabulousarray
ofrestaurants,plustheriverand
sea are just moments away.’Howdoyoubringa
countryfeeltotownlife?
‘Ourhomeis decoratedina relaxed,
modern-countrystyle.Plus,a quick
ferryrideacrosstheriverleadsto
beautifulcountryside.’What’syourfavourite
waytospenda Saturday?
‘Inthewinterit’stakingthedogsfor
a longwalkandthencosyingup
aroundthelogburner,butinsummer
you’llfindusina CobraRibheading
to the Isle of Wight.’