BY OPTING FOR A SUBTLE PALETTE, JADE JORDAN-JAMES AND HER HUSBAND ROB HAVE CREATED THE PERFECT BACKDROP TO BLEND OLD AND NEW
FEATURE KAREN WILSON PLANS RICHARD HOOKWAY
Living room
‘I love the juxtaposition of different textures. For instance the marble table offsets the softness of the sofa and rug.’
CUSHION CUE
Layer up neutral tones with one striped design for a failsafe mix
THE LAYOUT
An evening snug and a daytime living room flank the central hallway. At the rear of the house is a bay windowed kitchen, which will eventually be relocated into the dining room in the middle. Stairs lead to a half-landing with a bathroom off it, then up to five first-floor bedrooms, a studio with balcony, a bathroom and a separate WC.
Jade and Rob have often scrolled through property websites in search of the perfect home, even when they had no intention of upping sticks. But this time it led to a move 367 kilometres north and a new lifestyle.
WHY DID YOU BUY THIS HOUSE?
‘We were renovating our Victorian terrace in Worthing when Rob showed me a house online. I’d never heard of the location, Louth in Lincolnshire, but it had everything on our wishlist; it was Georgian, double-fronted, with high ceilings, a balcony and lots of character. We couldn’t view it due to lockdown, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it and asked my boss if home working would be possible. A few months later, we viewed it – and we loved it. Our offer was accepted and Rob started looking for a new job.’
WHAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE?
‘When we got the keys in autumn 2021, it was overwhelming to see the scale of work that was needed. After fitting a new central heating system we started a big plastering job, which included reinstating cornicing and ceiling roses in some rooms. As we needed time to think about the kitchen, we gave it a temporary makeover. We revamped the main bathroom and created a linen room off it. We also had to replace the roofs above the two bay windows.’
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE INTERIOR STYLE?
‘My style is mixing vintage and modern. I like a more restrained, uncluttered look and Rob didn’
