HAMPSHIRE COUNTRY HOUSE
Two featureless Fifties semis have been combined into a characterful cottage with panoramic rural views
It ’s hard to believe that this wonderfully characterful cottage was once two unremarkable Fifties semi-detached houses – complete with upvc windows and a flat, nondescript frontage. But what they lacked in charm, they made up for in location. the now-combined properties sit on the south Downs Way in Hampshire, with panoramic views of the countryside.
‘the houses were built for workers on my parents’ farm and had been rented out before we bought them from mum and dad,’ explains alison pike. ‘our nearest neighbour is my sister, so it’s very special. Living here is an absolute dream come true for us.’
Following the purchase of the houses from her parents, alison and her husband Will applied for planning permission – their aim was to combine the two into a single family home they could make their own.
they also wanted to make improvements by adding areas of interest to the bland building – both inside and out. ‘this was more difficult than we expected as we are located in an area of outstanding natural Beauty and on the south Downs Way, which limited what we could change,’ says alison. ‘But we were pleased with what we were allowed to do.’ initially they were permitted to build a single-storey front porch and two small
extensions to the rear of the house to increase the size of the main bedroom and living room.
‘it was so exciting knocking down the connecting walls,’ says alison. ‘after that it was a case of taking out both staircases and repositioning just one, centrally in the hall; linking up the plumbing and electrics, and removing one of the chimneys. We also removed all the upvc windows and replaced them with wooden casements, and added a floor-to-ceiling window in the main bedroom to maximise the view from the bed.’
then, in 2016, the couple obtained permission to extend the kitchen. ‘Working closely with architect tom Freeborough, who was great at creating a layout to suit our quite specific requirements, we created a larger dining and seating area. this has totally changed the feel of the house for the better,’ says alison. a utility room and a study were also created off the kitchen.
Finally came the task of adding interest by using wallpaper, boarding and cladding. ‘Being a Fifties house, there are some paint colours and fabrics that simply don’t go – they just look too traditional for the age of the property,’ explains alison. ‘also, as we’re in the country on a working farm with kids and pets, i didn’t want the
house to be too modern, white and minimal. as a family we are collectors, so the challenge was to create a feel that was fairly contemporary with a vintage eclectic twist.’
as a result, alison went for a fairly strong colour palette. ‘the house can take dark shades, which in itself become a feature. in fact, every wall, whether it’s blue, grey or green, is dark. then i added flashes of red, yellow and pink to lift the look – bold colours make me happy.’
mixed into the colour schemes are natural materials – wood, metal, glass and brick. ‘our builders, Venn and son, are local brothers who were a joy to work with,’ says alison. ‘martin is a bricklayer so he loved making the brickwork a feature of the new kitchen, while his elder brother Garry is a carpenter and totally embraced the idea of using reclaimed scaffolding boards. our house is a very good example of what you can do with a relatively unattractive featureless property. By painting the exterior to cover the Fifties London brick, re-tiling the roof and replacing the windows we instantly transformed the overall look of the house. and inside, it's amazing what you can achieve with the right colours and materials.’
‘i love walking back to the house at dusk when the lights are on – it looks so inviting and cosy, i can’t wait to get inside,’ alison says. ‘it’s definitely our forever home.’