LIVING THE DREAM

A love of the countryside persuaded Alexandra and Simon Young to renovate a charming Georgian farmhouse, opening up a new rural chapter for all the family

One family embarked on a new rural life when they took on a farmhouse restoration in Hampshire

Myoung, oving to the country was a carefully researched adventure for Alexandra

determined to find a rural haven for her family.

With her then just one-year-old baby Isla in the back of the car, she spent a year exploring and eventually tracked down a Grade 11-listed Georgian farmhouse with two acres of well-stocked garden on the edge of an idyllic village near Winchester. ‘I googled the local train timetable and that settled it as it was an easy commute for my husband Simon,’ says Alexandra. ‘Our children, Isla, now 12, Poppy, 10, and Digby, seven, were delighted with the prospect of keeping pets and riding their own pony.’

The charming Georgian facade of this one-time hunting lodge instantly appealed to Alex, who is an experienced interior designer (alexandrayoungdesign.co.uk). The previous owner was a doctor who ran his surgery from the house, and before that, it had been a working farm. It seemed that design decisions had been taken for purely pragmatic reasons, but Alex was determined to restore all the house’s original graceful features, especially the fireplaces, panelling, old doors and coving.

For the first three years the family camped in the house with partial heating and rising damp. ‘This was actually useful to be able to register the seasonal changes,’ says Alex, ‘especially with choosing the right colours for each room.’

As the property was listed, it took time to get planning permission and even

SITTING ROOM The pretty pastels are grounded by the addition of rich wood pieces. Fireplace, £4,600, Marble Hill Fireplaces. Walls in Joa’s White estate emulsion, £49.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Curtains in Brocatello, £114m, Zoffany

DINING ROOM The wallpaper and panelling combination is the perfect balance of whimsical and subdued. Eleonora wallpaper, £83 a roll, Zoffany. The dining chairs came from Hong Kong. Barock chairs, £297 each, Scumble Goosie, are similar ORANGERY It’s hard to believe this space is a new addition. It’s based on an 18th-century design. Chandelier, £1,400, Vicky Davar at Battersea Antiques Fair. Leksand dining chairs, from £137 each; Oval Pearl table, from £695, all Scumble Goosie

KITCHEN A lamp on the worktop immediately softens the entire scheme. Kitchen designed and supplied by Plain English; painted in Rita Says, £74 for 2.5ltr, Paint and Paper Library. Belgium Blue Limestone worktops, price on request, The Marble Group