Pauline Matthews followed her dream and moved to the countryside where a cottage, ripe for renovation, awaited her signature French style to bring it back to life
THE STORY
OWNERS Pauline Matthews, the owner of the French-inspired interiors company Hugs & Hearts (hugsandhearts.co.uk), and husband Tim, a technical advisor. They have two grown-up sons, Tom and Cobey PROPERTY Built as a pair of cottages over 350 years ago, the house in North Wales was converted into one property in the 1970s. It has three bedrooms, one of which is used as a home office
WHAT THEY DID The couple extended the kitchen and added French doors to make the most of the magnificent views; they also created a laundry and toilet in the old kitchen. Parquet floors were restored and new stoves were installed downstairs; while upstairs, panelling and bathroom fixtures were fitted. The cottage was redecorated throughout
Six years ago, with their two sons grown and settled in their own homes, Pauline Matthews and her husband, Tim, decided it was time to downsize and make the move to somewhere more rural within their beautiful area of North Wales. ‘We had enjoyed raising our boys near Hawarden, which has good schools and transport links,’ explains Pauline, ‘but we craved the peace of the countryside. I was hankering after verdant views and country walks on my doorstep, and I was desperate to renovate an old stone cottage.’
After seven unsuccessful viewings, Pauline and Tim finally found the perfect place; so perfect that they put in an asking price offer within an hour of seeing it. While the cottage was structurally sound, the décor was a little dated, so it presented them with the ideal project. Pauline envisaged bringing a light touch to the dark interiors.
The Matthews wasted no time replacing the outdated kitchen and redecorating the entire house. ‘We worked through the cottage, one room at a time,’ explains Pauline, ‘painting throughout in Loft White by Little Greene. The paint is simple to touch up and is almost pure white but not quite so glaring. This means it’s easy on the eye and made the cottage much lighter. It’s important for me to live in a bright but calm and relaxing space.’
With their blank canvas created, the pair could then begin to think more long-term. ‘The kitchen was cosy,’ Pauline recalls, ‘but we barely had a view of the back garden, let alone the mountains, hills and fields beyond. We decided to build an open-plan kitchen extension with custom-made French doors, as we wanted the space to fit a huge dining table that we could gather around with family and friends, and from where we could enjoy the wonderful views.’
