HAMPSHIRE HOUSE
Life during lockdown gave London-based designers Laura and Aaron the impetus to seek space, solace and sophistication in rural Hampshire
Ladaura Hammett had always dreamed of a country life but the practicalities of running a business in the capital kept family life firmly rooted in London. Until lockdown, that is. ‘With our design studio based in London, we never thought moving to the country was an option, until remote working showed us it was possible,’ she says. So, in 2020, Laura, husband Aaron, daughter Willow and son Fox, along with their cats Lilo and Coco, sold their London home and moved. ‘I fell in love with Hampshire many years ago, and I am like a dog with a bone when I get an idea in my head,’ she laughs. ‘I viewed about 20 properties and knew what a gem this one was as soon as I came up the drive.’
The house is detached, with a majestic but mellowed red brick Georgian exterior, an enviable amount of room for living, entertaining and working, and five bedrooms spread over three floors. There’s also a separate barn that the couple eventually plan to transform into guest accommodation. It has all the space, inside and out, that a growing family could wish for, with the added bonus of Laura’s perfect balance of countryside and community. ‘I was hesitant to move to a fully rural location,’ she explains ‘but here we have neighbours as well open fields. When we first arrived, we had the amazing surprise of seeing that we had sheep in the field at the end of the garden!’
It is a pretty pastoral corner of quintessential England yet only 90 minutes from London, and the epitome of Georgian gentility with the market town of New Alresford and its pastel-painted period buildings on the doorstep. There’s a lively mix of restaurants and boutiques and it also delivers beautifully on rural life, with a yearlong calendar of community get-togethers ‘There is a lot of celebrating,’ says Laura, ‘with every festivity having an event, including the annual Duck Race!’
The move was, she says, for the long term. ‘The house had all the potential to renovate and make it our own, but it wasn’t a complete back to brick renovation, so we were able to live in it and take our time with the works.’ While it had been well maintained, there was so much potential for cosmetic updates. ‘It had colourful carpets, including in the bathrooms! And a bright green kitchen, which is not our style.’
Laura and Aaron are adept at designing interiors for their clients that are classic and contemporary, with a clever mix of neutral tones, modern materials and eye-catching detail. The aim here was always to create a rel
