AfterinteriorstylistLisaGoodandherhusbandMatthew
movedintoa diminutiveperiodpropertyinKent,
spacesoonbecameanissue.FirsttheirsonOliver,now
seven,camealong,followedbydaughterLola,five.‘We
beganlookingfora biggerhousebutwanteda projectthatwecould
addvalueto,’saysLisa.‘Weinitiallythoughtwe’drenovatea house
andlivetherefora coupleofyearsbeforemovingon,butwe loved
whatwefoundsomuchthatwedecidedtostayhere.’
Thehouseinquestionis a Grade-IIlisted,six-bedroom
farmhouseandwhenthecoupleviewedit theywerewonoverby
itsproportions.‘Weputinanoffer,whichtheowneracceptedwith
theprovisothatwecouldexchangewithinsixweeks,’saysLisa.
‘Wemovedheavenandearthtotryandmakeit happen.’Butdue
toa lullinproceedingsovertheChristmasperiod,it wasa further
threemonthsbeforethepurchasecompletedinJanuary2015.
A hugetasklayaheadofthepairasthehousewasextremely
dated,withnoinsulationorcentralheating.‘Wemovedintorented
accommodationwhiletheworktookplace,whichwasthebest
decision,’saysLisa.‘Tohavelivedtherewithalltheupheavalwould
havebeenimpossible.’Soonaftercompletion,thecouplebegan
callingintradespeoplebutit quicklybecameapparentthatit was
a biggerjobthananticipated.‘Wehadcertainissueswiththelocal
conservationteamandthenI fellpregnantagain,soweneeded
somehelpgettingeverythingmoving,’explainsLisa.Eventually,
theyturnedtoHazelwoodBuilding&Restoration,whoa friend
hadrecommended.‘Wegotthemtomanagethemajorityofthe
renovationwork,andI thenoversawthedecor,’saysLisa.
ByMay2016,thehousehadbeencompletelytransformed
andthefamilywereabletomoveinwiththeirnewaddition,baby
Willoughby.Theexternalwallshadbeeninsulated,underfloorand
centralheatinginstalledandtheentirepropertyrewired,refitted
andredecorated.Therehadalsobeenextensiveroofworkand
halfofthewindowswerereplaced.Fortheinterior,Lisachosea
predominantlyneutralpalettetoallowhertomovefurniturefrom
roomtoroomif required,andaddedcolourthroughfabricsand
accessories.‘Youhavetobesensitivetothebuildingyouarein,’
shesays.‘Ourstyleis usuallyquiteindustrialbutwehaven’t
implementedthatinthispropertyaswedidn’twantit tojar.’
Thekitchenis brightandairywithviewsovertheformalgarden.
‘Wechosea dark-paintedislandwithlightercupboards,and
replacedtheexistingAgawitha five-doormodel,’saysLisa.‘I had
togotoa cookingdemonstrationtolearnhowtouseit!’Alittle
staircaseoffthestudyleadsdowntoa basementplayroom.‘We
decidedtogofora Crittall-stylebalustradeandstudydoortoletthe
lightflowthroughtothedownstairsspace,’explainsLisa.Upstairs,
thesixbedroomsandthreebathroomsaresplitovertwofloors.A
highlightis theluxuriousen-suiteatticbathroom.‘Thechildren
aren’tallowedupthere,’saysLisa.‘Youcanlieina candlelit bath
andlookupthroughtheskylightandseethestars.’
Meanwhile,thegardenoffersa symmetricalplantedarea,
lawn,treehouse,zipwireandswimmingpool.‘Matthewhada
strongideaofwhathewantedandweaskedgardendesignerKate
Balltoputtogethera planforus,’saysLisa.Thecoupleespecially
lovethepool,inspiredbya hotelthefamilystayedatinMallorca.
‘It’sthebestmoneywespent!’Therearemoreplansafoot,albeiton
amuchsmallerscale.‘Wehaveplanningconsentforanoak-framed
garage,’saysLisa.Butfornow,theGoodsarecontenttojustsit back
and reap the rewards of this stunning transformation.STUDY
Thesmallarealeadingdown
totheplayroomwasturned
intoa cosyreadingspot.
SCPBalzacarmchairandstool,
£4,090,Heal’s.Custom-made
neonlight,priceonapplication,
bag&bones.Norr11LineOne
floor lamp, £549, HouseologyENSUITE
Thisspa-likesettingprovides
theperfectplaceforLisato
enjoysomeprecious‘metime’.
Fora Lagoonbath,tryThe
BathroomBasement,£999.
Taps,froma selection,CPHart.
ArammakesLeCorbusierchaise
longues to order, from £3,52225bh | listed farmhouse
68 | 25bhjuNE 2019