CHARACTER PIECE
Tiggy and Johnnie Walker lovingly restored and enlarged their period farmhouse using an appealing mix of styles
A Georgian farmhouse in Dorset was extended and restored to its glorious period splendour
FAVOURITE ROOM ‘Our new Gothic-style office is a real gem. It’s where I write and Johnny records his weekly music programmes’
After 10 moves in 20 years, self-confessed move-a-holic Tiggy Walker knew she wanted to settle when she set eyes on a stunning Georgian property in a village near Shaftesbury. ‘The first time I drove past it, I nearly crashed the car,’ she says with a smile. ‘It was just so pretty.’
Looking at its charming façade, it is easy to see how the house won her heart. ‘It had perfect proportions, original shutters, doors and fireplaces and a beamed attic,’ says Tiggy. But on the downside, it had been neglected and was small. Only one-room deep, its outward appearance looked deceptively grand. ‘We called it our little grand house,’ she says. Any concerns about obtaining planning permission to extend did not deter the couple from buying the house. Johnnie says his wife’s bubbling optimism has always inspired him to take a risk.
First on board to help the Walkers double the size of the house was architect
Tim Reeve. ‘His plans gave us an extra first floor bedroom and bathroom and a new dining/living room and a muchdesired utility room,’ says Tiggy. ‘He had great artistic skills. I’ll never forget how he drew the Gothic-style garden office on the back of an envelope in seconds.’
Interior designer Mark Lewis was next to work on the project, followed by builder Cristi Nicorara, both experts at restoring period properties and making the new look old. ‘Mark has a company specialising in ironwork, so he could get anything we couldn’t find, like oldfashioned solid weathered bronze hooks, shelf brackets and door knobs,’ says Tiggy.
Mark says his job was to reinstate the house’s lost soul. He added reclaimed floorboards, old brick tiles sourced from Spain for the new dining room floor and clear wax to bring the staircase back to life. A lot of thought went into the choice of the sturdy dark grey range cooker and matt black wood-burning stoves. ‘I’m a big fan of mixing textures to create that traditional, well-worn look,’ says Mark.
The best design decision from Tiggy’s point of view was moving the old kitchen out of what is now the sitting room and reinstating it next to the walled garden. ‘We now feel part of the outside when we eat and cook in the kitchen,’ she says.
The trickiest decision was painting the sitting room walls dark blue. It is now affectionately known as the nightclub, a nod to Johnnie’s successful career in the music business. ‘This was not my first choice,’ Tiggy admits,’ but now I really appreciate what a great relaxing nighttime space this is, especially when the fire is blazing and candles are lit.’
She points out her ‘daytime place to sit’, a sofa at one end of the dining room where she snuggles down with a book and her spaniel Darcy at her feet. ‘In summer, this room feels a bit like an orangery and it is a great party space,’ says Tiggy. ‘We really love spending time here.’