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 Allison Lindeman and her husband Oeyvind were determined to bring their cosy, minimalist take on Nordic design to their renovation plans.  Incorporating Scandinavian design into their Victorian semi in southwest London was a priority for American interior designer Allison Lindeman of Saltbox Interiors and her Norwegian husband Oeyvind. They wanted to create a huge, open-plan family living area that still felt ‘hyggelig’ – cosy and welcoming. ‘When we looked at houses, we struggled to find one that fitted the open-plan concept, as properties within our budget tended to have lots of rooms – a front room, dining room and separate kitchen. So we decided to go for a cheaper house that we could change to suit our lifestyle,’ says Allison. To build their dream living space, the couple knocked four rooms – the dining room, breakfast room, kitchen and conservatory – into one, and created a main living space with different zones. ‘There’s a TV and play area, a sitting area with a fireplace, a dining area and a kitchen,’ says Allison. The result is a light, minimalist and relaxed family space where children Piper, eight, Finn, six, and Kaia, four, can eat and play and where everyone gathers to spend time together. Allison’s love of Scandinavian design is evident throughout the house. Downstairs, walls are white, and there are plenty of industrial touches in keeping with the Scandi design aesthetic – metal stools, brick tiling, raw wood shelving and a handleless kitchen. Even the floor tiles in the downstairs hallway and bathroom have an industrial edge. ‘They’re ceramic, but meant to look like cement,’ says Allison. The clean lines of the living space are softened by cushions and rugs. ‘The risk with this type of design is that it can come across as cold if not done properly,’ says Allison. ‘But good Scandinavian design is layered and varied, using texture and materials to create depth and interest.’ Throughout the house, the couple’s much-loved art collection provides splashes of colour against the monochrome backdrop. Yellow rugs, cushions, throws and chairs throughout the house pull the design scheme together. Upstairs, Allison painted her en-suite bathroom a stunning, deep blue. ‘I am particularly proud of the en suite,’ she says. ‘We converted a bedroom to a bathroom when we redid the house and the room was so large that I experimented more with colour and played off the blue in our bedroom.’ Keeping the interior design practical was a major priority for Allison. ‘A house with small children needs to work for everyone without any stress that things will get ruined,’ she says. ‘Our Ikea dining table also serves as a craft area, painting workshop and glitter palace. The kids can make a mess and draw on the table without worry as it usually wipes clean, but if it doesn’t, I don’t stress. We used wipeable paint throughout the house and had lots of storage built in so we can tidy away all the toys and easily create a grown-up space for relaxing and entertaining in the evening. It’s the perfect family home.’ 

A 400-year-old mill house has been given a new lease of life, while retaining all of the charm that has made it a favourite family escape for two decades. A mill house tucked away in a rural valley just three miles west of Dartmouth and a quick walk to the picturesque beach of Blackpool Sands became a bolthole escape from London life for Tanya Bird. It proved to be an idyllic spot for her and her three sons to enjoy holidays away from the city, with all the freedom afforded by the country-meets-seaside location. ‘It was a magical place for the boys to grow up,’ she says ‘Surrounded by the sea, they would spend hours swimming, sailing and making camps. All their childhood summers were enjoyed here, as well as Christmas and Easter breaks. It has always been very much a home from home for us.’ Fast forward 17 years and the boys, now young adults, are at different stages in life and family trips to the mill are saved for a few precious weeks each year. ‘The time felt right to renovate the mill and to rent it out as a holiday let between our visits,’ says Tanya. 'I approached Unique Home Stays and they suggested a couple of designers to help me manage the process.’ After initial meetings, Tanya commissioned Siobhan Hayles and worked closely with her on all elements of the transformation. ‘Siobhan has an incredible eye, both creatively and practically, and really helped to realise my vision. I had strong initial thoughts about what I wanted, but she took my ideas to a level that I would never have achieved on my own,’ says Tanya. With Siobhan’s trusted trades team on board, building work commenced in the spring of 2017 and by the start of August that year, Tanya had her first bookings. Originally a working mill on the River Em, Ellesmera is one of four mills positioned along the stream and consists of two structures, linked together by a vaulted kitchen space at the rear. Initial work on the house involved damp proofing the property and digging new channels around the exterior to improve drainage, while pipework was updated for the water supply. On the ground floor, a former boat and wood store has been converted into an open outdoor/indoor snug that has transformed the house. The space features a woodburner, comfy sofas covered in throws, timeworn kilim cushions and old garden paraphernalia displayed eclectically on the original stone walls. ‘Whatever the weather, you can cosy up and feel close to nature,’ says Tanya. A decked platform replaces a former sloping lawn, while French doors from the adjacent dining room open onto original mill stones that have been inlaid into the deck as a nod to the property’s history. The boys’ former bunkroom has been updated with a stylish monochrome bedroom scheme; and the bathroom has been refreshed with a freestanding bath, rain shower, Tadelakt walls and patterned tiles. Throughout, rustic-finish rooms have been redecorated in shades of off-white, stone and soft mole, while pops of ochre, turquoise, warm reds, earthy oranges, dark blues and black punctuate soft furnishings, rugs, fabrics, and headboards. Original French herbarium specimens and fossils reference Tanya’s academic background in natural sciences and her passion for plants. Much of the conceptual work was completed remotely, followed by visits with Siobhan to Chelsea Harbour and Ardingly Antiques Fair to source fabrics and one-off finds. ‘I originally fell in love with the mill for its sense of calm and relaxed Provençal feel,’ says Tanya. ‘After 15 years of family life, it desperately needed renovating, but I didn’t want to spoil its inherent charm.’ A beam in the living room still bears a Latin imprint, painted by the previous owner: This corner of the earth smiles for me more than any other. ‘These markings are all part of the history of the mill and I wanted to treasure them. Siobhan understood my need to preserve the essence of the space. I wanted our home to feel comfortable and to have a sense of place and authenticity. When I walk through the door now, those sensory benchmarks are as strong as ever – I couldn’t be more delighted.

Janet and Paul Gleeson have filled their south Dorset village house with an eclectic assortment of antiques, modern art and trophies from their travels. The first thing I remember about the house was walking into the drawing room and thinking, “This is fabulous”,’ says Janet Gleeson of the moment she and husband Paul first viewed the house that would become their family’s Dorset home. ‘It was a big step because we had always lived in London. We hardly knew anyone in Dorset and until then we’d worried we were doing the wrong thing. But the children had left home and we wanted a complete change and at that moment the realisation that this was the house was instantaneous – like falling in love.’ The three-storeyed red brick house hides behind a high wall in the centre of a picturesque Dorset village, not far from the coast. It was built c1760, to a conventionally symmetrical Georgian plan. A c