| FAMILY HOME |
EARTHY TONES AND VINTAGE TOUCHES GIVE MARIE NICHOLS AND SIMON WARD A PERFECT BACKDROP FOR A MEMORABLE CHRISTMAS
Living room
‘We found the inglenook hidden behind panelling and transformed it with a new stove. Reclaimed floorboards now cover the concrete floor.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Try Mendip Ashcott pedestal woodburning stove, from £1,600, Stoves Are Us. York Grey floor tiles, £31.53sq m, Tiles360, are similar. Demure armchair, in Mustard, £369, SLF24, has this look
HOME NOTES
Interiors stylist Marie Nichols lives here with her husband Simon Ward, a graphic designer, their two sons Albie and Freddie, and miniature dachshund, Dudley.
A Grade II-listed threebedroom cottage in Kent.
THE LAYOUT
A fterspending a year searching for the perfect home full of character, seasoned renovators Marie and Simon fell for a three-storey Grade II-listed cottage in the neighbouring village to where Marie grew up in Kent.
‘Restoring the property’s original character was key, while updating it for modern family living. It had been renovated in the 1960s, so we removed the polystyrene ceiling tiles and ugly gas fires. Next, we exposed the beautiful vaulted ceilings, timber beams and inglenook fireplaces, and bought the original floorboards back to life. The ground floor layout has been completely changed, with the three rooms at the back transformed into an open-plan kitchen-diner with new French doors leading to the garden, while the bathroom was moved upstairs into wasted attic space over the kitchen.’
‘After waiting for our plans to be approved, we lived in a building site for well over a year. At times it felt like we’d bitten off more than we could chew. We were expecting our first child and there was no central heating or hot water which meant boiling the kettle just to wash up. Despite hoping to have the ground floor completed in six months, the renovations actually took over two years.’
On the ground floor there’s an open-plan kitchen and dining room with French doors, while the living room and a playroom are at the front. The main bedroom is on the first floor, with a door leading to the en suite, plus Freddie’s bedroom. Albie’s bedroom and the family bathroom are on the top floor.
Although I often use punchy colours in my work as a stylist (marienichols.co.uk), here the majority of walls and ceilings are painted off-white. To contrast, dark rich greys and blacks add a bit of drama. The neutral base makes all the rooms feel seamless, which in turn makes the spaces appear large
