FAIRYTALE ENDING
Philippa and Rupert Abrahams obtained a plot of land to build their forever house, but then had to wait seven long years to move in
Once upon a time, two would-be self-builders dreamed of a rustic, romantic retreat in an enchanted area of Yorkshire
When Rupert Abrahams’ parents offered him a piece of land, he and his wife, Philippa, knew it was an opportunity to create the home of their dreams. And even better, expert help was at hand. ‘My sister, Tor Vivian, is an interior designer,’ says Philippa. ‘She knew our style, and understood what our family needed.’
Since the plot was located amid 150 acres of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Philippa and Rupert knew obtaining planning permission might present a challenge. They decided to knock down an existing one-storey structure, and commissioned Hugh Petter of Adam Architecture to design a modern version of the cottage orné – a Romantic-era rustic retreat.
The AONB status meant it took four years for planning permission to be granted, while Hugh dealt with a series of queries and delays. Once permission had been obtained, the build itself took a further three years. Tor and her team were involved from the start of the project, and helped Philippa and Rupert fine tune the layout to suit the family’s lifestyle. This meant building an open-plan kitchen-diner/ living area. Tor also commissioned a fitted kitchen with handleless cabinets, suited to the needs of a busy family.
Next, Tor designed a large reception hall that doubles as a library for the couple, a side entrance with a boot room, and a separate playroom for Philippa and Rupert’s children, Alexander, now 16, Rosalie, 15, Francesca, 13, and Lily, 10. ‘As Rupert and I knew this was our family home, Tor
INSPIRATION ‘I love to mix and match colour and pattern – especially green, pink and blue’
advised us to think about what we’d need in 10 years’ time, not just over the next couple of years,’ says Philippa.
As the planning and building stages took seven years to complete, Philippa and Tor had plenty of time to envision and design the decor. ‘It was quite organic,’ says Philippa. ‘I love colour, and I didn’t want to have everything matching, so the same chairs tend to be covered in different materials. I also made mood boards featuring my favourite shades of green, blue and pink, and these are used throughout. I covered many of the chairs myself using colourful offcuts of material, as I much prefer hunting out something for free rather than spending money on something expensive.’ Existing pieces collected over the years, including family heirlooms and those picked up at auctions and junk shops, were recovered in a decorative mix of pattern and colour.
Now that the project is finished, Philippa and Rupert are delighted with the result. ‘We absolutely love it,’ says Philippa. ‘It works so well as a space for us as a family, every room flows into the next, and it’s filled with light from the many windows. The location is amazing – we’re surrounded by woodland, so it feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s exceeded all our expectations.’