FAMILY HOME
SOPHIE AND SIMON GOULD HAVE BUILT A WELCOMING COTTAGE WITH A RELAXED MODERN COUNTRY FEEL THROUGHOUT
FEATURE MARISHA TAYLOR PLANS RICHARD HOOKWAY
Kitchen-diner
‘This is where we spend most of our time as a family as the space is so versatile. It is divided into kitchen, dining and seating zones so we can all be here at the same time, doing different things, and still feel connected.’
CREATE ZONES
In open-plan spaces, use furniture, lighting, flooring and rugs to define the key areas
HOME NOTES
WHO LIVES HERE?
Sophie Gould, an interior designer at Bramley & Bear, her husband Simon, a construction project manager, and their children, Archie, nine, and Flora, seven months.
THE PROPERTY
A three-bedroom detached cottage in Harpley, Norfolk, built by the couple in 2019.
THE LAYOUT
The cottage is entered through a central porch with a long hallway leading straight ahead to the open-plan kitchendiner, utility room and garden. Along the hallway, doors lead to the living room and the downstairs cloakroom on the right side and the playroom on the left. Upstairs around a large central landing and office area are the family’s three bedrooms, one with an en suite, and the bathroom.
With lots of renovation experience and having recently put their stamp on a new-build house, Sophie and Simon were ready for a bigger project, but hadn’t quite planned on building a home from the ground up.
WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS LOCATION?
‘Simon and I both grew up in rural Norfolk and love the slow pace of life, the sense of community and being close to nature – and we wanted our children to have the same upbringing. We’d been looking for a detached property that needed renovating and eventually spotted a plot of land for sale in a village with beautiful views across the countryside. It came with outline planning permission to build a three/four bedroom cottage with enough land for a large garden. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.’
HOW DID YOU TACKLE THE BUILD?
‘The cottage had to be constructed within the approved footprint, with a red brick and flint exterior. The plans were well thought out, contractors I’d worked with before were already on board, and with no long wait times for planning approval we could hit the ground running.’
WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE?
‘It was stressful having to make so many decisions at the same time. Managing our budget, meeting deadlines and coordinating all the tr
