• DEVON COTTAGE

Set within an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to the beach, this white brick house is the perfect weekend bolthole

❝ We Only viewed THE Property Once SO I HAD TO DRAW up A floor PLAN TO make Sure All THE furniture AND ARTWORK WOULD FIT ❞

Interior designer Georgina Pugh’s project to do up a holiday home in Devon for herself and her husband, James, might have seemed like a busman’s holiday – but that wasn’t the case. ‘I loved every minute of it,’ says Georgina. ‘I wanted to create a real home from home for us.’ The couple’s decision to buy a holiday home came after they had looked for a bigger house where they live in Hampshire, but couldn’t find anything suitable on the market. ‘So we chose to buy a holiday home instead and visit as many weekends as possible,’ says Georgina. ‘James had always gone to Devon for family holidays, so we took a trip to the area three years ago and I fell in love with it, too.’ Georgina and James discovered the former coastguard’s cottage, nestled in a hamlet just outside Salcombe, online. The setting couldn’t be more idyllic – the property sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is just a five-minute stroll from a sandy beach. There’s an enclosed courtyard garden at the front and a south-facing garden with views over farmland at the rear. ‘The day we went to view it turned out to be the hottest day of the year! We loved it at first sight and put in an offer that afternoon,’ says Georgina. ‘We loved the original features – there was an Aga and

we’d both grown up with one, so it seemed like fate, and we liked the wooden floorboards and the fact it was such a light home. Because it was a coastguard’s cottage it had so much history behind it. Plus, it was such a short walk from the beach, too.’ The house didn’t require any structural work, so Georgina and James only needed to make cosmetic changes. ‘We had decorators in for a couple of weeks and an electrician to replace sockets, switches and light fittings. We painted the kitchen cabinets and replaced the handles to update it and painted or varnished all of the floorboards. We also chose new curtains and light fittings and a mix of new, upcycled and antique furniture,’ says Georgina. The house was done up in record time – the purchase completed in September and the house was finished by November. A pale, neutral palette was chosen for the entire property. ‘We wanted it to feel like our holiday home, but were mindful that we planned to rent it out, too,’ says Georgina. ‘As we would be having guests here, we invested in high-quality curtains, bedlinen, towels and comfy beds, which are so important in making it feel like a home from home. We did it on a budget so we picked up relatively inexpensive pieces and

❝ WE INVESTED In HIGHQUALITY BEDLINEN AND Comfy BEDS As WE knew WE Would BE HERE❞ HAVING Guests

managed to save money by upcycling some second-hand items. For instance, the dining table and chairs came from my old family home and we just repainted them. A lot of the furniture and accessories came from trade suppliers such as Coach House, through my previous job as an interior designer at Alexander James Interior Design.’ The couple went for a coastal theme to emphasise the location, but with an element of style to set it apart. ‘We wanted it to have a sense of the seaside and for it to be cosy and homely, but with an eclectic twist,’ says Georgina. The house has proved the perfect meeting place for family gatherings. ‘Just a month after the refurbishment was completed, we were able to spend Christmas here. We had both of our families round and it was extra special because it was the first Christmas we’d hosted.’ But the house works well at any time. ‘It’s an all-year house – summer is great because of the beaches but it’s lovely in winter, with a log fire and the Aga. We make sure we come every month so that we can enjoy all the seasons. ‘Buying this holiday home is the best decision we’ve ever made. Even if we come for only 24 hours, we feel like we’ve had a holiday. We have fresh sea air and the coast, but also countryside to walk in. It’s the perfect escape.’ To rent the cottage, visit soarmillcove.com