Bigger, brighter, better

How a sociable couple created an entertaining space that celebrates smart design

Six key style ingredients for the heart of the home

There is nothing quite like a barn conversion with its characterful features and nod to an agrarian past to get the pulse racing, so who wouldn’t love one of these distinctive homes magnificently transformed for rural living

Barnbarroch House, Barnbarroch, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. A country house with views towards Urr Water estuary with two two-bedroom cottages in the grounds. It has period fireplaces and a kitchen

Working with an interior designer helped this couple realise their home’s potential and even carve out a guest suite during its renovation – just in time for their baby’s arrival

So often an underused dumping ground for the family’s clutter, your loft has the potential to become a valuable extra room, giving you that bedroom suite, bathroom or home office you’ve been dreaming