WOODLAND GEM
With gorgeous gardens and its own bluebell wood, Yvonne and Peter Henness’ cottage is an idyllic rural retreat
Yvonne and Peter Henness were living near the New Forest when they both began hankering for a more rural lifestyle. ‘ We owned a large detached property in Ringwood, and decided we’d like to find a house in a secluded, peaceful setting – our dream country home, in other words,’ says Yvonne. The couple had differing views as to the kind of property they wanted. ‘ We visited the estate agent and just couldn’t seem to agree. Peter wanted something with a long drive and I wanted a thatched cottage. Someone in the office overheard us and said, “What about the house in the woods?”’
The pair fell in love with the beautiful setting, although their initial impressions were somewhat underwhelming. ‘The cottage was like something out of Little Red Riding Hood, tucked away in the forest,’ says Yvonne. ‘But the first thing we saw was an ugly corrugated iron and concrete piggery, and our hearts just sank. Then we turned the corner and this quaint house came into view. We first saw it in May when the bluebells were in bloom, and the owner suggested we roam the grounds on our own.’ Yvonne and Peter decided on the spot that this was the house for them. Despite the fact that it needed considerable work, the couple decided to take on the challenge. ‘I’d recently sold a business, so the time was right for us to take on a major project,’ Yvonne explains.
They began by clearing the grounds. ‘Everything was so overgrown, we didn’t even know we had a pond,’ says Yvonne. ‘The landscapers were here for three solid months, just tidying up and creating a drive and turning
FAVOURITE ROOM ‘I love our garden room, which has windows on three sides. We’re surrounded by trees, woodland and fields, and it’s a lovely place to sit and watch the wildlife’
circle at the front, as well as clearing the walled garden and creating a proper boundary. It was all rather difficult as so many of the trees had preservation orders,’ she adds.
Redeveloping the cottage was not without its challenges. ‘ We had to wait almost two years to get planning permission to demolish the piggery and build a barn to house the business I was running at the time,’ says Yvonne. ‘We also wanted to build an oak-framed garden room, which was to be our main living area, with glass on three sides to make the most of the views,’ she continues. ‘We had the windows replaced during one of the worst winters on record. It took me a whole week to get the house feeling warm again!’ A new kitchen, new bathrooms and a downstairs cloakroom were installed while the garden room was under construction.
With the structural works complete, Yvonne began reworking the decor. ‘The parquet flooring and our mahogany furniture made the interior quite gloomy,’ she says. ‘So my priority was to lighten it. We delayed moving in until the walls had been painted off-white, and cream carpets had been laid. Everything looked brighter, and it gave me a blank canvas to work with, choosing a modern country look with vintage-style accessories.’ Yvonne and Peter have reached the point where they can sit back and enjoy the cottage. ‘It is an ongoing project – there’s always a fence to repair or a tree that’s come down,’ she says. ‘But we love the wildlife – the badgers and deer give us hours of delight. Sitting in the garden room, enjoying the views of the woodlands and fields is simply bliss.’
DECORATING TIP ‘To keep your interiors as adaptable as possible, avoid patterned walls and use furniture and accessories to add detail, texture and colour’