DORSET COACH HOUSE
Laura and Patrick Butler-madden’s stylishly eclectic country home is the perfect setting to celebrate the season
This high-ceilinged, converted Victorian property is a glorious place to celebrate Christmas
This elegant Dorset dwelling wasn’t always the epitome of country sophistication that it is today. Originally built as a coach house in the 1850s, the property was later converted into flats during the Seventies and hadn’t been updated since. ‘I was trawling a property website one day when I spotted this unique building,’ says Laura Butler-madden. ‘It was rather in need of love, but we decided to take a look.’
She and her husband Patrick were living in London at the time but that wasn’t a barrier – Laura grew up in Dorset and Patrick went to school there, so the couple had often talked about moving back there one day. Plus, if first impressions were true, they knew the building had lots of potential.
‘We were both inspired by the huge central area that had once been the stables,’ says Laura. ‘When we saw it, that was it. All of a sudden, we could see ourselves creating something exceptional here. Making a space open plan isn’t as easy to accomplish in a country home as it is in a townhouse, but we knew that having this incredibly large room would make the process far simpler.’
Laura and Patrick had already renovated several properties together and decided to buy the coach house, although it would be by far the largest project they’d tackled. ‘This was the first big country house that I had >
❝MY STYLE IS A MIX OF SIXTIES PALM SPRINGS, SCANDINAVIAN AND CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY ❞
designed and it was an unusual building, so it was definitely challenging,’ says Laura. ‘The fact that it wasn’t a classic country home, however, gave us a greater degree of freedom to create the style we wanted.’
The proportions of the rooms were grand, square and symmetrical, so Laura’s main aim was to add character to the space. She and Patrick achieved this by opening up stud walls in some of the bedrooms to reveal the beautiful old beams, adding features and visual interest to the upstairs rooms. Laura was careful to avoid an overly utilitarian look in the kitchen and instead went for glamorous marble worktops, as well as retaining the high ceilings and original elaborate cornicing. The couple also wanted a pantry, but decided not to knock out any walls. ‘The kitchen was quite large enough already, so we created a pantry in the small back hall instead,’ she says.
A long list of building works ensued, as the house needed replumbing and rewiring throughout. The roof was also replaced and new windows and underfloor heating were installed. Laura then began designing the decor. ‘I was aiming to create a sense of elegance with the decoration,’ she says. ‘My style is a mix of Sixties Palm Springs, Scandinavian and contemporary country, with the occasional touch of Art Deco. I wanted a calming palette and mostly used gentle colours.’ Laura also worked in lots of natural materials and textures, such as wood and >