let there be light
City style guru gives seaside holiday home a luminous look
Seaside holiday home with a luminous look.
IMAGE consultant Jo Allchurch knows all about style, and for her the adage “less is more” holds especially true.
London-based Jo allowed the simple tones of sea and sand to inform the interior décor choices she made for her family’s waterfront holiday home in the pretty coastal village of Elie near St Andrews.
Jo, who shares the characterful Victorian Terrace with her husband David and their daughters Izzy, 19, and Hannah, 18, grew up in Glasgow but had holidayed in the area as a child. She is also a former student of St Andrews University.
When her mother moved to Fife full-time it made sense for her to buy a second home there so that they could spend more time together. Jo tells iN10: “The area very much feels like home. We needed space, and then five years ago this house came on the market. It just felt right.”
The challenge was in managing the renovation of the property long-distance, so the couple decided to enlist architect Andrew Forgan to look after the process on their behalf.
“We completely gutted the place,” says Jo. “It took a year. Andrew was amazing.”
Originally, the staircase had been completely blocked off from the main living space and the hallway was too dark.
The solution was to create a glass “box” at the top of the stairs to allow light to filter into the space.
“The planners were not keen but we got there in the end and now the house is flooded with light,” says Jo.
The upstairs rooms, with spectacular sea views, are grander than their ground floor counterparts. The property also comes with its own patio garden.
Location dictated the home’s interior design. Jo says: “I wanted the house to have a ‘jeans and T-shirt’ style: completely relaxed, nothing fancy.
“We love the fresh air and the setting.
“It is our second home, so
we did not want to overstretch ourselves financially.
“This house is not about showing off, we just wanted somewhere the family could chill out together.
“We have gone for clean, simple solutions rather than splashing out on expensive designer items.
“The beach and the mesmerizing horizon were my main inspiration. The view is ever-changing: you never tire of it. Also, instilling the house with light was a priority; Victorian houses can be quite gloomy, but my instinct was to lift this property with pale colours and open spaces.
“The soft palette, prompted by sea and sand surrounding us, is soothing and calming.
“I scoured interior design show rooms for further inspiration – I am spoiled for choice living in London – and then I used the ideas I collected in our seaside bolthole. I like to layer tones and materials, for a quiet, subtle effect rather than a ‘shouty’ one.
“David then joins in at the last minute, choosing and buying artworks.
“We both feel that framed paintings and prints make great accents.
“And we love to support local artists and designers.”