BUCKINGHAMSHIRE HOUSE
Bringing together their love of mending, making and salvaging, Chris and Neil Myers have injected warmth and character into their Edwardian country home
White painted brick and walls, a New England-style porch, and a garden filled with roses, hydrangeas and handmade sheds all point to the hard work Chris and Neil Myers have put into making The Warren their home. From knocking through rooms to clocking up hundreds of hours in the garden and using salvaged materials where possible, no corner has been left untouched. ‘It looked so unloved when we bought it,’ says Chris, who has hand made soft furnishings, restored furniture and transformed an outdoor wilderness into a wonderful cottage garden. ‘House and garden become one in the summer, and I take great delight in being able to step out of the door and cut fresh flowers daily.’ She adds, ‘Neil is very practical and during the warmer weather he spends much of his time making and fixing in the Crooked Workshop, a small building he cleverly made using a tin roof from a WW2 Anderson shelter.’
In 2004 Chris and Neil added a two-storey extension – aplayroom with a porch for their then young sons, with a loft-style bedroom above. Nowadays, Chris uses the groundfloor space – now resembling an old general store – for creative workshops and selling handmade and vintage items. ‘It’s wonderful to have a designated space for being creative and I’d always longed for a porch where I could enjoy my garden and chat to passers-by. It reminds me of growing up in my native Canada.’ It’s important to Chris that their home offers a joyous welcome from the moment visitors come through the gate. ‘Visitors often say that walking up the lavender-lined path feels like walking into a warm hug.’
The first internal job on the list was to interconnect the kitchen, sitting room and dining room by knocking through the walls, starting with the kitchen. ‘It was a hard decision to make as we didn’t want to change the Edwardian look too much; however, it didn’t take anything away from the period feel of the property. In fact, the view towards the original sitting room fireplace has added something to the kitchen.’
AT HOME WITH
OWNER Chris Myers, host of crafting workshop The Cozy Club, lives here with her husband Neil. They have two grown-up sons.
HOUSE An Edwardian detached, three-storey, four-bedroom house in a conservation area in Buckinghamshire.
To complement the freestanding units, rustic furniture and double Aga, Chris and Neil added tongueand-groove boards to the ceiling, another detail w
