Welcome to my home
Holly Pennington, a primary school teacher, lives here with her husband Matt, an assistant headteacher, and their two children, Ted, four, and Rose, two
THE PROPERTY
A four-bedroom detached self-build in North Devon, completed in 2019
THE VALUE
The build cost was approx £405,000. Value is currently £750,000
With Matt’s family having owned this piece of land in north Devon since 1937, we had long toyed with the idea of building our forever home on it,’ says Holly. The casual talk became more serious about five years ago, when the couple decided to take the plunge.
They were advised they were unlikely to get planning permission, as the site is on the edge of green belt land. ‘But the architect put forward a strong case and we were granted permission just before our son Ted was born in July 2016.’
‘We were building two homes on the plot – one for us, and one for Matt’s sister and family,’ says Holly. ‘To make sure that both houses were equal in terms of views and boundaries, we didn’t decide who was getting which house until the day we got planning permission, when we flipped a coin!’ A local family-run building company, TDR Summers, was chosen and the first step was having the foundations dug and laid. ‘We’d sold our previous home, so we had to move around a lot between a holiday cottage and my parents’ house.’
Once the foundations were laid and the steels were in, the couple felt they were finally seeing a house emerge. The walls were built up to roof height, which took until Christmas 2018. ‘We had a rough idea of the cost at design stage, but this increased dramatically as a result of Brexit. We had to amend the design in several ways, like reducing some of the glazing, to get back on budget.’
The roof and glazing were next. ‘This was key to our design, as we wanted to enjoy the beautiful views from every room,’ says Holly. With the bones of the house complete, attention turned to internal finishes. ‘I found inspiration from Grand Designs, as well as on Instagram where I have documented the build, @theplyhouse. It was a hectic few months getting the house to a liveable state, but we finally moved in mid-september… alongside the painters who still had a few days’ work to go!’
“A highlight was seeing the hall’s plywood wall and staircase fitted”
Hallway
‘The triple-height entrance hall is filled with daylight, but I was worried the white walls would feel stark. Choosing plywood cladding for the staircase and feature wall gave this space its character.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES
Elian medium printed jute rug, £89; for a similar plant stand, try the Noor high square plant stand, £45, both Made.com
“I love the minimalist mix of wood and monochrome pieces”
Living area
‘The central log burner is the focal point of the open-plan living space and we raised it off the floor to create a continuous feature with the window seat. The log stores beneath bring a cosy feel to the room and I’ve used pastel accents to add extra warmth.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES Fireline Woodtec 5XW stove, £1,029, The Woodburner Showroom. For a similar coffee table, try the hairpin leg coffee table, £247, Smithers of Stamford
Kitchen
‘Connecting the inside with the outdoors was a priority for us. We use the outdoor kitchen – built from concrete slabs on rendered pillars – all the time during the warmer months – it’s a natural extension of our entertaining space.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES
White gloss handleless kitchen, Vanstone Kitchens. The large bar stool in Black, £16, Homebase, is a good match for this one
Main en suite
‘Large format wall tiles help the bathroom feel spacious. I chose matt black fixtures and fittings for the bathroom to give a modern, clean finish and to tie in with the black aluminium window frames.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES For a similar bath, try the Aquariss Yang luxury freestanding bath, £399.97, Bathroom Takeaway. White polished porcelain wall tiles, £27.94sq m, Tiles Direct. Tarkett Rhinofloor super deluxe charm vinyl in Oak Grege, from £25.55 for 2x0.5m, Floor Supplies. Mode Spencer round wall-mounted Black bath mixer tap, £149, Victoria Plum
Landing office
‘We used Ikea Kungsbacka kitchen units to build the office nook on the upstairs landing, with a black kitchen worktop as the desk. It makes good use of this otherwise wasted hallway space, and the additional storage means we can tidy away any desk clutter when it’s not being used.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES Kungsbacka door in Anthracite, £36, Ikea. Viki metal and oak wood chair, £89.25, Sklum. Stendig calendar 2021, £59.95, Stendig
“Seeing the progress of the build was an exciting part of the process”
Main bedroom
‘Building a half-height wall, which doubles up as a headboard, meant we were able to position the bed towards the view, while creating a dressing area that feels separate to our sleeping space. Our builders added plywood fronts and sides to standard Ikea Malm drawer units to customise them.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES Malm chest of three drawers, £60, Ikea. For similar bedside tables, try the floating bedside table, £115, Urbansize
Main bedroom
‘The sliding door to the en suite creates a seamless link between the two rooms and I’ve continued the monochrome look for a cohesive feel. I’ve kept the styling pared back with muted colours to keep the area calm and uncluttered.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES For a similar armchair, try the Mentosa armchair in grey, £294.99, My Furniture. Fine Little Day Bored print, from £35, Alice In Scandiland. Ragkorn plant pot, £19, Ikea
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
“We struggled to find plywood furniture to buy that we liked, so commissioned our builders to make bespoke pieces, like our dining table and coffee table. It worked out to be an affordable option and means we now have continuity with the style of each item”
Ted’s bedroom
‘The bespoke wardrobes provide great storage and hide away a little study area, as well as a doorway to the en-suite bathroom. I decorated his room with a two-tone green wall, his favourite colour, and simple plywood furniture. The design is easy to update as he grows.
BUY THE KEY PIECES Smart bar stool, £12, Homebase. Touchpoint slim D-bar cabinet handles, £3.84 each, Ironmongery Direct. Agreeable Green emulsion paint V500, £24 for 2.5ltr, Valspar at B&Q. Dreaming of Space poster, £12.95, Desenio. Print-motif cotton rug, £19.99, H&M Home. The So Sprogs children’s chair, £38.02, Amazon, is similar