HAMPSHIRE COTTAGE
Sarah Freethy and Phil nockles have transformed two ancient thatched cottages into one large house that celebrates its Past, while Providing a Practical, yet beautiful, home For the Family
By joining two thatched cottages together, this family have created their dream country home
Deep,
comforting colours and the warmth of aged wood create a timeless feel in this old thatched cottage, which comes into its own during winter, when it’s adorned in an abundance of freshly cut foliage for the festive period. ‘i enjoy all the seasons, as they sweep in and out of our lives,’ says sarah Freethy. ‘But these shorter days make me really appreciate just how cosy this house is. i love to sit in the kitchen and watch the weather rolling down the valley towards me, yet still feel perfectly safe and warm. it’s an incredibly inspiring house, too – one that constantly encourages me to drink in its beauty, and that of the surrounding countryside.’
although sarah and her partner, phil Nockles, feel very much at home here now, they had to travel a fair distance to arrive at this quiet, special place. ‘around 10 years ago, phil and i needed to find a location that would work for both of us,’ says sarah. ‘he was living in southampton at the time and i was in Devon, so a house in hampshire with easy access to London for my work seemed ideal. and as phil travels all over the world for his job, we figured being close to the major airports would help make his commute as easy as possible, too.’
the home the couple now share with their seven-yearold daughter, esme, and lively lurcher, martha, is not quite the home they bought all those years ago, as
sarah explains. ‘it was built around 500 years ago as one cottage that was later extended and turned into two separate dwellings,’ she says. ‘We bought one of them initially, but dreamt that one day the other would come up for sale so we could turn it back into a spacious family home. so we were thrilled when, shortly after esme arrived, that opportunity arose.’
Unfortunately, having become a pair of listed properties, the merger was not that straightforward. ‘We had to go through a very long planning process,’ says sarah. ‘We brought in architect David gregory to guide us through all the paperwork and help us redesign the internal layout, so that it would feel like one cohesive family home. David also designed an amazing oak-framed extension at the end of the house to replace a horrid sixties one with tiny windows that had been there previously. David also introduced us to a brilliant building team at iw payne & co who specialise in extending period houses in this way. it’s only a few feet bigger than the original footprint of the building, but it has bathed the kitchen in light and given us that incredible valley view.’
With all that structural work to contend with, plus a new kitchen, utility room and two bathrooms to fit, sarah and phil were pleased that the other rooms didn’t
need anything more than a little redecorating. ‘Esme’s room was lime green and pink when we moved in,’ says Sarah. ‘Needless to say, we soon painted over all that in a shade of white. We wanted to continue this neutral, simple scheme throughout the rest of the house, too, and introduce lots of natural materials. I felt each of the rooms could have their own accent colours and character, but equally they had to work alongside one another to create a nice flow, so all the adjoining rooms now have colour palettes that harmonise well.’
The decor is a blending of Phil’s mid-century furniture and music posters, with Sarah’s collection of artworks and vintage finds. Rather than jarring, the quirky mix of belongings only adds to the character of the house. ‘That combination has enhanced the organic feeling we were after to celebrate the history of the building, while reflecting all of our passions, too,’ says Sarah.
‘We love this house more than we thought possible,’ she says. ‘It’s such a fantastically calm place to be.
And I love taking photos of all the different corners of it as the sun moves round the space. Winter’s light is particularly magical; it definitely adds another beautiful element to our wonderful old home.’ ☎ FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DAVID GREGORY ARCHITECTS, CALL 01747 870854, OR VISIT DAVIDGREGORYARCHITECTS.CO.UK.