COLOUR EDITION NOTTINGHAMSHIRE HOUSE
A dated cottage has been thoughtfully transformed into a welcoming and colourful home with richly patterned textiles and heritage wallpapers
FEATURE AND STYLING JANET MCMEEKIN
Inject life and colour in an instant with a beautiful arrangement of flowers
Realising that her mother was struggling to care for her father presented adilemma for Catherine Wells. What would be the best way to help? ‘My husband David and Iknew we had to step in, and initially toyed with moving from our home in Hertfordshire to either Norfolk or Suffolk, buying aproperty with an annexe for my parents,’ says Catherine. But it was 2021, and the post-pandemic property frenzy meant many others were also relocating, so Catherine and David constantly found themselves being pipped at the post when they found aproperty .
It was on avisit to her parents’ home in the Vale of Belvoir in Nottinghamshire that another option presented itself. ‘I was browsing online, just about to take my mother to ahospital appointment, when I spotted aperiod property just seven miles from their house,’ Catherine reveals. She arranged to see it that afternoon. ‘We had already exchanged on our own home and, being in such astrong position, persuaded the agent to let me take alook ahead of any other viewings,’ she explains.
The next day, David drove to Nottinghamshire to go with her for another viewing, and they swiftly had their offer accepted on their lucky find. ‘The fact that abeautiful deVOL kitchen had recently been fitted was ahuge bonus,’ says Catherine. ‘I knew the ground floor layout would need tweaking and the décor wasn’t to our taste, but the cottage had such tremendous scope.’
Moving in just four weeks later and following discussions with an interior architect, the couple made the decision to create amore spacious hallway, which would incorporate a dining area at the front of the house. ‘By removing the downstairs cloakroom and asmall music room, the hallway would become amuch brighter, more welcoming space, ideal for dining and entertaining,’ says Catherine. ‘And the suggestion to knock through to the double garage and barn section of the cottage to create another living room, plus new cloakroom and utility/boot room was fantastic.’ They hired a builder and the structural changes were made the following year.
In the meantime, Catherine discovered interior designer Claire Orders. ‘I really like Claire’s style and the way she cleverly incorporates antiques into her projects,’ says Catherine. ‘From our first Zoom call in August 2021, I knew that she would be able to work her magic here.’
Claire devise
