Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i 25 Beautiful Homes

How to successfully blend period character with modern style is a design dilemma many of us face – and it’s one that has been solved in several of this month’s homes. For designer Anna Haines, this meant embracing the quirks and historic character of a beautiful Victorian terrace while selecting one-off pieces to introduce a fresh style. Take a look at how she did it on page 78. In a similar way, homeowner Nicki Moffatt used her favourite artwork and a carefully thought out colour scheme to bring her country house up to date without sacrificing its period charm. See it on page 118. We hope their solutions will help with your projects too.…

‘Adding texture on the smallest things – from a lamp base to a pendant light – increases the sense of warmth’ HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A 200-year-old stone cottage ROOMS Entrance/snug, sitting room, kitchen/dining room, boot room, pantry, cloakroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION County Cork, Ireland Mention a traditional home on Ireland’s West Coast and a stone-built cottage comes to mind, with small windows and spectacular views, set against the soaring seascapes of the Atlantic mountains. This is exactly what the Willis family found when they searched for a base in their home country: a retreat from their busy international lives where they could make memories with their two young daughters. ‘We fell in love with the charm and the old cottage style,’ says Niamh. ‘It had a beautiful…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terrace ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, study, cloakroom, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION North London the power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely,’ declared Louisa May Alcott, and that dictum could apply to the owners of this Victorian terraced home in north London with its interior that nods to the Japanese art of wabi-sabi. Interior designer Anna Haines was tasked with reimagining the three-storey property, undertaking a considered renovation that focused on honouring the home’s historic character while at the same time injecting modern functionality. Original mouldings and features were carefully restored with natural and reclaimed materials woven in for authenticity and sustainability, and unique finds judiciously introduced, resulting in a home with its own distinct personality…

PROJECT DETAILS OWNERS Karen and Phil Moseley PROPERTY 1950s house WORK Connecting a separate WC and small bathroom to create a larger space LOCATION Nottingham As part of a whole-house renovation, Karen and Phil remodelled their floor plan to better suit their needs. ‘We reconfigured the upstairs to create the largest bathroom we could – we learnt from our previous house how important this was.’ 1 KEY CHANGES One of the items at the top of Karen and Phil’s wish list was a bigger bath. ‘In our last house, the family bathroom was never quite big enough. When we moved in here, there was a separate bathroom and WC, a large landing and huge built-in cupboard, which resulted in a lot of dead space,’ says Karen. ‘We decided to knock…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Grade II-listed semi-detached Georgian townhouse built in 1805 ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen, dining room/office, cloakroom, three bedrooms, bathroom LOCATION North London The focus of my passion for architecture is conservation and heritage, so living in a little piece of London’s history felt magical,’ says architect Nancy Gouldstone. The house she and her husband, David, also an architect, and two young sons live in is a pretty period townhouse a stone’s throw from Hampstead Heath. ‘Despite the property being very run-down when we bought it, we were so happy to have an authentic stucco-fronted Georgian townhouse of our own,’ explains Nancy. The house also appealed because of its scale. ‘It’s got the proportions of a bigger house, even though its square footage seems small on paper,’ says…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian maisonette ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen, dining area, three bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Nottingham Bland and minimal just won’t cut it for Jodie Hazlewood of The House Upstairs, her homeware brand that specialises in handmade upholstered furniture that brings her love of fabrics to life. Evidence of this can be seen throughout the top floor of the former lacemaker’s mansion that she and her partner Olly bought in 2020. When the couple first saw it, the property hadn’t been touched since its 1960s conversion, which lowered the ceiling heights and removed the fireplaces. Once they took ownership, Jodie set about restoring the home to reflect the best of its 19th-century origins. ‘We put in a new staircase, knocked through the sitting room and discovered our bedroom…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A newly renovated Tudor-style property built in 1927 ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, family room, kitchen, breakfast room, office, two cloakrooms, multipurpose attic room, five bedrooms, five bathrooms LOCATION Washington, DC ‘CHOOSING CLEAR GLASS PENDANTS OVER THE KITCHEN ISLAND KEEPS THAT AREA FEELING BRIGHT AND LIGHT’ Hard to believe and deeply impressive, this Tudor-style home built in 1927 went from tired and dated to fresh and fabulous in just over five months. The family who bought it in April 2023 were relocating from San Francisco to Washington DC and needed it to be ready for the new school term in September. Lillian Byers of Platt Home and the studio’s principal designer Katie Jackson were trusted with the challenge because Lillian had known the family for 10…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY First-floor flat in an Edwardian building ROOMS Kitchen-diner, sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, cloakroom and study. Annexe with living area, bedroom and shower room LOCATION Southwest London WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THE PROPERTY? We were living about a mile away from our current home – close to Kew Village but we wanted to move somewhere smaller before we became too old to look after our three-storey Victorian house. As we approached our empty-nester stage, we were looking for a flat to rent that would also be suitable for ourselves when older. One day we saw a for sale sign outside this Edwardian property and decided to ask for details. We are both tall and it met our criteria of large rooms with high ceilings. It was…

1 HALLWAY STORAGE Entryways, whether it’s a small hallway at the front of the house cluttered with coats or a back-door area piled with boots and shoes, often become a dumping ground for outdoor belongings. If space allows, consider upgrading a standard coat stand by adding a slimline bench underneath that will give somewhere to sit while putting on shoes, plus cubbyhole space for storage. Mary opted for a bespoke piece for a sleek look, but this Haldane unit (above right), £895, Cox & Cox, gives a similar effect for an ‘off-the-peg’ price. 2 CEILING WALLPAPER In attics or loft spaces where sloping ceilings and tricky recesses can be an issue, wallpapering walls and ceiling to match is a clever way of disguising height differences and awkward angles. Gemma chose…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Edwardian bungalow ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, study, cloakroom, two bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Calgary, Canada HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? We were brought on board just as the renovation was getting underway. The clients had already begun working with an architect to restore their Edwardian bungalow. We came in at the perfect time to help shape the interior and exterior design. We collaborated closely with the clients, architect and planning department to ensure the home remained cohesive and respectful of the original architecture, while introducing a fresh, updated feel. HOW INVOLVED WERE THE HOMEOWNERS? Very involved – in the best possible way! They were engaged in every detail and wanted a home that felt warm, welcoming and modern. Their…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian villa ROOMS Sitting area/kitchen-diner, pantry, five bedrooms, two bathrooms LOCATION Cheshire There is much to admire in this Victorian villa, such as the easy-on-the-eye green colour palette and the considered design and art choices. The look now is elegant and airy, a far cry from the house’s previous 1980s incarnation that saw it upholstered to the max. Professional cook Gemma Wade has lived here with her family, in a bustling village in rural Cheshire, since 2019. And a lot of that living – specifically, working, eating and entertaining – takes place in the kitchen. It is the beating heart of her home. ‘Everyone gravitates here, especially when I’m cooking,’ says Gemma. ‘For work, I needed the kitchen to perform well and it’s where we spend…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Converted barn ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen, dining area, TV area, cloakroom, six bedrooms, three bathrooms LOCATION Northumberland ‘I USUALLY KEEP THE COLOUR PALETTE SIMPLE – BLUE, GREEN AND RED ARE MY GO-TO-SHADES’ Confronting a lack of direction in her life, at the age of 47, Charlotte Gaisford went back to college and became a student again. A brave move to embark on a new career maybe, but driven by an insatiable need to be creative, the mother of two reignited a lifelong love of artistic design and began a degree in textile design. Fast-forward more than a decade and Charlotte’s home, a 150-year-old converted barn and cottages in the beautiful Northumberland countryside, is filled with her own striking fabrics and wallpapers now coveted around the world.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Apartment in a 1930s art deco mansion block ROOMS Open-plan living and dining room, kitchen, utility, office, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, cloakroom LOCATION London After years of living in a modern self-build in Wandsworth, Amy Hughes, a company director, and her husband Nick, a financial services consultant, decided it was time for a change. They wanted to swap suburbia for the buzz of central London and set their sights on a leafy neighbourhood they had known and loved for years – with the intention of downsizing and embracing a more walkable, culture-rich life. Their search quickly led them to a splendid red brick 1930s art deco mansion flat, just minutes from theatres, restaurants and parks. ‘It had that special something – a quiet grandeur with a…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Detached 1920s house ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, basement LOCATION Toronto, Canada WHY DID YOU BUY THIS HOUSE? The location and potential appealed to us and the home’s character – combined with the neighbourhood – made it the right fit for our long-term family home. My husband and I bought it in 2018 and lived in it for four years before planning the renovation as our family grew. As the manager of business development and communications for interior design practice Dart Studio (founded by my sister, Olivia), we always knew we would use the firm for our project. WHAT WAS YOUR BRIEF? To create a durable, practical and beautiful home for our family of five, with ample storage, natural light…