With a love of converted buildings and period-style rooms and an eye for all things salvaged and antique, Libs Lewis has taken her Cotswolds home from soulless to soulful
THE STORY
OWNERS Libs Lewis, antiques dealer and founder of Domestic Science home stores (domesticsciencehome.co.uk) lives here with her husband David Nicholls, their son Alfie, 17, and family dogs Bear and Bunty
PROPERTY A detached, five-bedroom home in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. It is a former bakery, built in 1901 with later additions
WHAT THEY DID Converted about a decade before Libs and David purchased it in 2002, the house lacked character and warmth. Now fitted with salvaged kitchen and bathroom fittings plus vintage and antique treasures, it is a welcoming and cosy family home
Determined to find the perfect home with just the right amount of space and potential for improvements, Libs Lewis viewed over 40 properties. That might sound daunting to many, but Libs found it rewarding as, finally, her search led her to this unique gem. The house was built as a Co-op bakery in 1901, with a separate building used as overflow classrooms, a cookhouse and dinner hall for the village school.
Libs and her family became the converted bakery’s second owners, following its initial transformation to a home in the early 1990s. ‘What really spoke to me was the space, the light, and its potential,’ says Libs. Yet, despite the space and light, she found the house somewhat soulless and lacking character. Determined to enhance its charm without making structural changes, she started to add period-style features.
Tongue-and-groove panelling was fitted in the bedrooms and kitchen, with fielded panelling, bookcases and matching window pelmets crafted for the lofty living room. By moving the staircase a foot to the left and creating a smaller half landing, they added a flo
