ORIGINAL CHARACTER

Alison and Tom Anderson relished the chance to reveal the true beauty of this period property and added a sympathetic extension to make it ideal for modern life

The renovation and extension of this Arts and Crafts house in Hertfordshire has resulted in a true masterpiece

Trapped in an Eighties time warp’ is how Alison Anderson describes the listed Arts and Crafts house in Hertfordshire that she bought with her husband, Tom, 10 years ago. ‘We’d just renovated a house nearby and weren’t planning on moving, but I’d become slightly obsessed with looking at the property pages in the local paper,’ says Alison. ‘My mother was staying and when I showed her this interesting-looking house, she suggested that we go to have a look at it, just for fun.’

The house, built in 1908, was set back from the road and concealed by an overgrown garden, dense laurel bushes and a tall conifer tree. ‘But as we drew closer to the front door, I noticed the beautiful Butterfly plan and original features,’ says Alison. Butterfly suntrap architecture, where the wings of the house are constructed at an angle to the core, is characteristic of the Arts and Crafts period. ‘The design means that the rooms are filled with sunlight.’

Alison, who had been working in interiors PR, and Tom, a regulatory consultant, have two daughters, Evie, now 14, and Libby, 12, plus two Burmese cats, Belle and Bosco. ‘We could see the potential of the property as a family home and the fact it needed lots of work didn’t put us

design tip ‘Think carefully about lighting – use dimmer switches and mix table lamps, wall lights and ceiling pendants to create layers of illumination’

off – quite the opposite, in fact,’ she says. ‘We like the opportunity to put our own stamp on a place, rather than pay for someone else’s ideas.’ Inspired, the couple decided to buy the house.

With their busy family life and careers, the couple chose to renovate the property in stages, tackling the bramble-filled garden before moving on to restoring the original leaded windows, whiterendered gables and terracotta floor tiles, as well as rewiring and replumbing. Next came new bathrooms and a redecoration of the bedrooms while they saved up enough to approach the final stage – renovating the reception rooms on the ground floor and building an extension to house a new kitchen, which was completed last year.

‘The old kitchen was small and dark, with no direct access to the garden,’ says Alison. The new extension to the rear of the property has oak French doors opening onto the patio and lawn and is filled with natural light, thanks to the full-height windows and skylights. It also connects to a dining area in the original part of the house, previously used as a study, while the old kitchen was converted into a snug. ‘This layout, with its easy sense of flow between rooms, is much better suited to our family life,’ says Alison. ‘There’s no more carrying food all the

way through the house to have lunch in the garden, and then traipsing all the way back because I’ve forgotten the salt and pepper.’

Alison’s aim was to create an inviting home with a classic feel, sympathetic to the age of the house, and to include colour and vintage finds to add interest and relaxed character. ‘I’m not into perfection,’ says Alison. ‘Homes should reflect the personalities of the people who live in them, so why not surround yourself with the pictures, books and things you love? Being surrounded by beautiful pieces is always good, although not so much that you feel overwhelmed.’ She favours a mix of old and new, and enjoys spending time hunting around vintage stores and antiques markets, then editing her finds to create a balanced and mellow look that suits her style.

Once the house renovation was complete, it prompted Alison to rethink her career. ‘We have no plans to move again, which made me realise how much I would miss working on a project,’ she says. When friends started asking her to redesign their homes, Alison decided to retrain, and she opened her own interior design business last year. ‘It was “now or never”,’ she says. ‘And I’m so glad that I chose “now”.’

LAST WORD ‘Have beautiful things to look at, but take care to curate the look’

KITCHEN-DINER Dark blue Shaker-style cabinetry and industriallook pendants give this room a modern edge. Real Shaker cabinetry painted in Pantry Blue, from £12,000, DEVOL. Heavy Metal pendant lights, from £145 each, Buster + Punch. Urban Quartz Noble Carrara quartz worksurfaces, price on request, Marble & Granite Worktops

DINING AREA The height of the pendant lights can be easily adjusted, thanks to ceiling hooks. ‘I like versatile design,’ says Alison. ‘It’s easy to move the lights and the table out of the way if we have a party.’ Try Boho tasselled macramé shades, £159 each, The Knotted Touch. Hooks, £17 each, Buster + Punch. Dulwich dining table, from £1,780, is similar; DSR chairs, £255 each, both The Conran Shop. Blinds in Palmeral fabric, £95m, House of Hackney KITCHEN-DINER Alison repurposed a former window into a spice cupboard once the new extension was built. ‘It’s a lovely feature and I didn’t want to lose it,’ she says. Similar plate rack, £225, Susie Watson Designs. Form bar stools, £230 each, Normann Copenhagen

SITTING ROOM ‘I chose a soft grey palette and added colour with accessories that I can change,’ says Alison. Walls in Cornforth White modern emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Similar lamp, price on request, Pooky Lighting

STUDY The bespoke cupboards were made to store Alison’s files, and the original floor was sanded and brushed with white oil. Cupboards painted in Worsted modern eggshell, £69 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Hooked wall light, £260, Buster + Punch. Try the white raffia basket, £75, Design Vintage

UTILITY ROOM The cabinetry matches the kitchen for a sense of cohesion. Bespoke units; Villeroy & Boch butler sink, £360; aged brass Mayan pillar taps, £310, all DEVOL. Sheila Maid airer, £63, Willow & Stone

MASTER BEDROOM By removing a false ceiling, Alison and Tom revealed the soaring height of this room, boosting its sense of space. Woodland Ferns curtain fabric, £63m, Sanderson. Hollywood mirror, £555, Abigail Ahern. For a similar chest of drawers, try the Blythe, £759, Heal’s

BATHROOM ‘The blue tiles add a splash of colour and the brassware is a nod towards vintage style,’ says Alison. ‘I like the way the metal develops a beautiful patina over time.’ Light Blue Smoke 1017 Zellige tiles, from £117.60sq m, Mosaic del Sur. Shower curtain, £78, Anthropologie. Brassware, from £499.20 for a wall-mounted tub spout, Waterworks