BEFORE & AFTER HOME
SUSANNE AND JEREMY HEWSON HAVE TRANSFORMED A CONFUSED MID-CENTURY BUNGALOW INTO AN AMBITIOUS, KIWI-STYLE CONTEMPORARY HOME
FEATURE RUTH CORBETT STYLING SARA BIRD, BOTH THE CONTENTED NEST PLAN RICHARD HOOKWAY
BEST HOME 2022
Deck outside garden room
‘Jeremy built the deck using Millboard composite decking, a brand which is 100% wood-free, so it doesn’t need a capping shell to protect it. It's sustainable, you never have to clean it, plus it looks just like real oak.’
After15 years in their Brixton terrace, Susanne and Jeremy Hewson decided to move to a house that offered more space, and scope to take on a remodelling project. ‘That, and the fact that our lovely neighbours had announced they were moving away gave us the impetus to look for something new,’ says Susanne. ‘Jeremy began searching online and discovered this interesting detached property. The pictures were unintelligible, and the house looked very weird, but we were intrigued.’ The couple fell for the place immediately. They knew they could make the property fabulous eventually, but it was the spectacular garden that nailed the deal.
ASSESSING THE LAYOUT
‘The house was a mishmash of styles, but essentially it was a 1970s chalet-style bungalow surrounded by a huge exotic garden,’ says Susanne. ‘There was no obvious front door and strangely, no doors which opened onto the main garden. The kitchen and living area were separate rooms, which didn’t work for us, as we love entertaining. Upstairs the rooms were built into low-ceilinged eaves, making them dark and poky, and the en-suite bathrooms were decorated in garish, 1970s pink and green.’
GARDEN CHALLENGE
‘Despite the potential the house offered, it was the garden that really blew us away. It was so unusual,’ says Susanne. ‘The previous owner was from Jamaica, and he had planted it with palm trees, to remind him of home. Initially he had accepted an offer from a developer who was going to demolish it and build six three-storey townhouses on the plot. The neighbours were up in arms. They stopped it from happening, which meant that we got to buy it.’
FAMILY PLANNING
