BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED BY ANNETTE AND DAVE, THIS PRETTY COTTAGE IN A TRANQUIL DEVONSHIRE VILLAGE IS THE PERFECT SEASIDE ESCAPE FOR THEIR WHOLE FAMILY
FEATURE ANNABELLE GRUNDY PLANS RICHARD HOOKWAY
Living room
‘We used shades of white to transform the interiors. I’d ordered the coffee table online but was disappointed with the finish, so Dave painted it, giving it this lovely aged effect.’
HOME NOTES
WHO LIVES HERE?
Annette and her husband Dave live here. They are both retired.
THE PROPERTY
A three-bedroom detached, extended cottage with parts dating from the early 1700s, in Lympstone, Devon
THE LAYOUT
On the ground floor, the dining area, boot room and living room flow through from one side of the original cottage to the other. The adjoining kitchen is housed in the new extension, with a cloakroom tucked into the middle of the layout. Upstairs, there is the main bedroom, two guest bedrooms and a bathroom.
Six years after downsizing from their family home to a two-bedroom cottage in a small Devon town, Annette and her husband Dave realised they were running short of space. As experienced renovators, they began to search for a larger property that had charm and the scope for improvement. When they spotted a picturesque thatched cottage in a coastal village nearby, they fell for the pretty garden and quiet location.
WHY DID YOU BUY THIS HOUSE?
‘We had three beautiful grandchildren by then. Family is really important to us, and we just didn’t have room inside or outside our current home for them to visit and stay with us comfortably. I loved the idea of a thatched property, as we’d never owned one before, and although the décor of this one was very busy and not to our taste when we first saw it, we knew we could change that. Dave felt sure we’d find some character and original features, too, once we started looking.’
HOW DID YOU TACKLE THE RENOVATION?
‘Dave took on most of the refurbishment of the cottage, with help from our son, Ryan, and his early intuition about the property soon proved correct. In the living room, they unearthed a rustic brick fireplace, which has now been beautifully restored. Another little fireplace was hiding behind dated built-in wardrobes in the main bedroom, and on the landing, black-painted panelling came away from the ceilings to reveal well-preserved structural timbers. They looked amazing, and finding them was such a lovely surprise. The landing area now feels so much better too; much l
