• DEVON BARN
Emily Hutchings and Raymond Seager have created a home away from home with their stunning eco-friendly holiday barn
This ecofriendly holiday let was a long time coming for this ex–london family
Escaping the rat race and running their own holiday accommodation business was a long-held dream for Emily Hutchings and her husband Raymond Seager. ‘We had a 10-year plan to move from London to Devon,’ says Emily. ‘I grew up in the countryside and my parents have a holiday home in Devon, so the pull to the area was very strong. I’d spent every family holiday there since I was four!’
Frequent visits to Devon spurred the couple on, with Emily planning for a new career even before the move. ‘In London,
I had a career in publishing, which wasn’t compatible with living in the middle of nowhere, so I retrained as a reflexologist and acupuncturist. Raymond too was keen to leave his job in the City. We just felt much happier here,’ Emily says. ‘Once we had our children, we wanted to give them a more outdoor way of life.’
The search for a suitable house with an outbuilding that could be converted into a holiday let began, with weekends spent travelling from London to Devon with their two small children. ‘It was an intensive search because we were so clear about what we wanted to achieve,’ remembers Emily. ‘We wanted to create accommodation that was stylish and family friendly; somewhere that felt special.’
Everything fell into place when a three-bedroom farmhouse with a separate barn close to Totnes came on the market. ‘It was over budget but when we went to view it, I turned to Raymond and said, “This is the house”. We’d seen at least 22 properties and just knew we could create something amazing with this one,’ says Emily.
Once the couple had moved into the farmhouse opposite the barn, Raymond began project-managing and was on site every day. For Emily and Raymond, it was incredibly important that the barn was eco-friendly, so not only is it well insulated, but ground source heating and solar panels ensure it is powered by renewable energy.
Emily and Raymond wanted the renovation, which took two-anda-half years, to be as sympathetic as possible to the age of the building. ‘The plan was to restore the original features, so we kept the trusses in the top room exposed and cleaned all the beams,’ says Emily. To make the most of the first-floor space, the floor was strengthened and a staircase installed. Walls were moved and added to create five bedrooms and three bathrooms on the ground floor. Work was done to the grounds, too, with the addition of a hot tub and renovation of an indoor swimming pool.
Emily enlisted the help of local interior designer Siobhan Hayles to create a modern country look with a luxurious and stylish edge. ‘Siobhan was fantastic and understood what we wanted, challenging us to take bold decisions. We wanted every room to feel special and different, so the colours vary in each room. Upstairs is autumnal and rich and incorporates sumptuous fabrics such as velvets. Most of the bedrooms are themed around nature, with wallpaper evoking the outdoors for a relaxing feel.’
All the hard work has definitely paid off. ‘We’re really proud of what we’ve created,’ says Emily. And rightly so; this renovation proves that sometimes dreams really do come true.
To stay at Willows Rest, visit willowsrest.co.uk
❝ WE WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT WAS STYLISH AND FAMILY FRIENDLY – SOMEWHERE THAT FELT SPECIAL ❞
❝ WE WANTED EVERY ROOM TO FEEL DIFFERENT, AND FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE A REACTION TO EACH SPACE, SO THE COLOURS VARY IN EACH ROOM ❞