A blast of Scandi cool
Stunning home with the open, light look that’s bang on trend
EVERYTHING Scandinavian seems on trend these days: whether it’s the countries’ crime fiction, their TV and fil m dramas or t he cosy concept of ‘hygge’.
So it’s no surprise that Scandi cool has also made its mark in the world of property design.
Around Britain, new homes are being built in the light, airy Scandi mould, and older ones converted to capture the vibe. One home for sale that has nailed the look is Colmers View, near Bridport in Dorset – but, remarkably, owner Ruth Collier achieved it accidentally.
When the garden designer moved in 14 years ago, she was installing herself in what had been a chaletstyle bungalow built in 1958. She extended the property and now it has huge south-facing windows and plenty of wood on display.
‘ I wouldn’t have thought of it myself but people think this is a Scandinavian look because of the amount of wood there is,’ she says. ‘The oak is just a lovely material to build with, and it lasts for ever.’
The extension, which was added in 2007 and has a mezzanine level and woodburner, blurs the boundaries between the house and the garden meadow outside. It also traps the sun’s warmth.
The property is currently split i nto a main house and a selfcontained annex, which is used as a holiday let. But the set-up could easily be converted back into one main dwelling. And while it has three bedrooms, the space could be rearranged to create a fourth.
Original features from the 1950s bungalow Colmers View once was include oak parquet flooring, an original 1958 Aga and Belfast sinks. Modern t ouches i nclude solar panels on the roof.
As is appropriate for a home with a Scandinavian feel, the outdoors is almost as important as the indoors. Either side of the property leads to a south-facing, secluded wildflower meadow garden, which Ruth created. There are also several fruit trees and a small vegetable garden. A decked walkway surrounds the south and west sides of the house, above which there are two covered verandas.
There is a gravel driveway and parking for eight cars, as well as a brick-built wood shed.
There is also a shipping container and a retro- style caravan. ‘ The shipping container is used as storage, and has been from the beginning,’ says Ruth. ‘The caravan is sometimes used by children who are booked in the holiday let annex.’
These are available under separate negotiation.
Colmers View is so called because it has views to Colmer’s Hill, a distinctive near-conical sandstone hill topped by pine trees.
It is also in Marshwood Vale, in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
‘It’s all about its location,’ says Ruth. ‘ It’s in the most beautiful unspoiled region, close to the sea. I looked for a long time for a beautiful place to live, and I looked all over the country and ended up here.’
Ruth is selling for a change in lifestyle. She will live in a small house i n Bridport and t ravel throughout the year.
I looked everywhere for a beautiful home – and ended up here