SECOND TIME AROUND
When fate intervened, Nichola Trayler seized the chance to turn a barn into a striking home
Having first rejected a 18th-century Hertfordshire barn, this owner leapt at the chance to buy it when it came up for sale again and transform it into a stunning home
‘The rose gold fixtures and fittings – finding them in this favourite item finish was definitely one of the biggest challenges, but I love them’
Nichola Trayler finds it hard to believe that she once turned her back on, what has become, the home she adores. ‘When I first viewed this barn conversion, I dismissed it as being far too small and lacking in potential,’ says Nichola. ‘It was a decision I’d live to regret.’
In 2013, Nichola was keen to move to a house with a better layout and set her heart on a barn conversion. ‘Sadly, I lost my father several years ago, and was determined to live closer to my mother,’ says Nichola. Having trawled the internet, Nichola discovered this quaint-looking barn off the beaten track. Although the rural setting was idyllic, the fact that the barn was in a conservation area was also off-putting as any kind of an extension could be problematic. To Nichola’s surprise, that very night the barn sold to other buyers. During the next three months, she painstakingly continued searching for a suitable home.
‘As time wore on, nothing better materialised, she says. ‘I realised that rejecting the barn had been a mistake.’ Thankfully, all was not lost since, luckily, the property came back on the market. ‘I instantly set up another viewing,’ says Nichola. ‘This time I visited when it was dusk. The owners had turned on the lamps and lit candles, and the barn looked charming.
‘I discovered that there was scope to extend, at least to the permitted development limit, so there was the possibility of creating the walk-in larder and utility room I wanted.’ Nichola snapped up the property and moved in that December.
Several months later, friend and builder, Dan Rowley, called to do some work and planted a seed about how the layout could be rejigged. ‘The suggestion of putting the boiler into the roof was a Eureka moment,’ says Nichola. ‘The idea prompted me to ring architect Craig Humber of Croe Architects and we began discussing ambitious plans to extend at the rear.’
With planning permission passed, work began to create not only the sought-after larder and utility room, but also a vaulted oak-framed dining room, stunning main bedroom with an en suite, a small terrace linking the new spaces seamlessly together and a compact loft bedroom.
After the work finished, Nichola considered schemes for every room, choosing chalky grey paint as the backdrop. ‘The aim was to strike a balance between being sympathetic to the property and injecting contemporary touches,’ she says. ‘I teamed furniture from my old house with rustic pieces and went to great lengths to achieve the look I was after.’
Nichola has never looked back since buying the barn. ‘From the outside, you’d never guess what lies behind the door, and people often comment that it’s a bit of a Tardis,’ she says. ‘I’m so glad that fate intervened. Given a second chance, I snapped up the property that’s become a very special home.’