No.11
A big move to the country started a new chapter for Jonathan Baker-Perry and his family and they are planning on staying put in this forever home
FEATURE KAREN DARLOW
HOME TRUTHS
THE PROPERTY A detached house built in the 1980s
ROOMS Sitting room, kitchendiner, playroom, study, games room, utility room, cloakroom, five bedrooms, nursery, dressing room, four bathrooms
LOCATION Surrey
Preparations for their new life as a family involved a radical house move and refurbishment for Jonathan Baker-Perry, his husband and their three-year-old son Monty, as they exchanged city living in London for a five-bedroom home in Surrey. While the new home on the edge of the North Downs has all the trappings of family life, it maintains a sophisticated edge thanks to a full-scale redesign and an array of contemporary artwork.
The house appealed for many reasons, not least because of its generous footprint and large garden overlooking fields. ‘It was homely and the layout was good,’ says Jonathan. ‘It felt cosy even though the rooms were large and we liked the flow of the house, with all the main rooms opening onto the garden.’ The decor was dated, however, and needed a refresh. The pair wanted to make changes but weren’t sure where to start. A friend put them in touch with interior designer Sarah Timney, whose company Oatim offers a full renovation, project management and interior design service.
It was a very broad brief. ‘We said, we just want it to look stylish,’ says Jonathan. ‘There were conversations with Sarah about what we would keep and what had to change, and how best to incorporate the furniture and art we’d brought from our Brixton home.’ Sarah had ideas for flooring and paint and presented the couple with options until a plan emerged. ‘It was a relief to have professional input, because although we can instantly say whether we like something or not, we didn’t have the vision to come up with the ideas,’ says Jonathan. ‘The best thing is that Sarah understood what would work for us, even when we didn’t know it ourselves.’
The family decamped to a rented house for six months as Sarah project-managed the refurbishment. Knocking down two pillars in the kitchen and replacing them with RSJs created an open-plan kitchen-diner with views of the garden. The existing wooden cabinets were spray painted.
The first-floor layout was rejigged and new bathrooms fitted, including a main suite
