IDEAS HOME
BY SKILFULLY MODERNISING A 17TH-CENTURY MILL HOUSE AND BARN, LAURA AND MARK STUBBS HAVE ACHIEVED THEIR DREAM HOME
Living room
‘I introduced different textures to create a room with personality and warmth that wouldn’t detract from the beautiful exposed stone walls. We’ve also ordered a log burner – I can’t wait to sit in front of a roaring fire.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Try Starla pendant light, £129.99, lights.co.uk. French style reclaimed coffee table, £609, Nicky Cornell, is similar
SHAPELY ARCH
Revealing bare stone walls here and there adds a rustic touch
THE LAYOUT
Originally the front door opened into the living room; to create a separate front hallway the kitchen (plus a dining area) was moved to the front of the house. A new larger living room leads into a playroom, office and garage. Original single storey outbuildings were underpinned and a first floor was added, giving access to the roof space of the end barn which became the master suite. A further four bedrooms, study and two bathrooms complete the rest of the house.
Unafraid of taking on an extensive renovation project, Laura and her builder husband Mark fell in love with a dilapidated 17th-century mill house and barn, situated on the outskirts of a Yorkshire village. While respecting the age and history of the property, they incorporated three outbuildings into the layout to create rooms that now flow effortlessly into one another and bring this property firmly into the 21st century.
WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR THE HOUSE?
‘Mark and I had just finished developing a 1930s house when we saw this property. It had been on the market for six years and we were up for the challenge of taking it on – however, it was very run down, and the one-acre garden was so overgrown we couldn’t even get at it. We knew we could transform it into something really special and as Mark is in the trade, we knew the work wouldn’t cost us as much. Our previous home was a big renovation so we knew what we were letting ourselves in for. We really thought about the long narrow layout to make it flow better for family life and we also wanted to make sure that each room would have as much light flooding through as possible. Once we did the maths, we realised that we would need to save up so we decided on a phased approach to the works. We did have plans drawn up for a radical open-plan re
