BRIGHT & BREEZY Clever design skills allowed an interior designer to make the most of a 1960s bungalow
When an interior designer decided to renovate a dated 1960s bungalow, he knew exactly the look he wanted, inside and out
it’s said that every cloud has a silver lining and this was certainly the case for Jack Canning in 2014, when his plans to buy a house went awry. ‘I was renting a small studio flat in Lymington at the time and wanted to stay in the area, but definitely needed more space,’ says Jack. ‘I’d made an offer on a semi-detached house but it had fallen through.’ Jack kept a keen eye out for new properties and it wasn’t long before his present home caught his eye. ‘When this 1960s bungalow popped up, I pounced on it straight away,’ he says. ‘I saw so much potential as it had a great location and a larger plot than the house that had fallen through.’ Having sealed the deal, Jack – who’s an interior designer – set about planning the renovation. ‘The house was essentially liveable, but had been built quite poorly and suffered from damp in the winter,’ he says. Seeing what needed to be done, Jack’s vision for the property involved radically reconfiguring the layout. ‘I asked a few architects to come up with a design, but when none of them could manage to get four double bedrooms on the first floor, which was what I wanted, I decided to tackle the job myself,’ he says.
Having worked out a set of CAD drawings, Jack then commissioned a structural engineer to produce drawings to comply with Building Regulations. ‘The final design was then modified by repositioning the main bathroom on the other side of the house, to allow space for a larger ensuite bathroom,’ he says. ‘Only one wall remained almost untouched. We did add insulation to this wall, however, so it was effectively a total rebuild.’
Creating the design was not the only challenge Jack faced with the project. ‘The planners are strict in the New Forest, so I was very restricted as to what I was able to do to the front of the house,’ he
says. Despite working full time, Jack decided to manage the project himself. ‘I was on site in the morning and evening every day.’ He engaged a local firm, Quay Point Construction, to undertake the building work. ‘It’s a very high-spec house created on a very tight budget and once the building firm understood my expectations, the project ran smoothly to the end. They did a great job.’
With the structural works in hand, Jack turned his creative eye to designing the new interior. ‘I spend my working life designing luxury yachts and I was inspired by some of the work our firm had carried out,’ he says. ‘I wanted to have the feel of fresh and honest barefoot beach living with a luxury feel.’
The classic Shaker-style kitchen was given a contemporary edge by adding a dark blue painted island and a pop of colour with yellow Eames dining chairs. With furniture, Jack opted for an eclectic mix of upcycled family heirlooms and custom-designed pieces, all offset with punchy dark blue accents. He also chose natural wooden flooring throughout the ground floor. ‘It has a warmth underfoot, is completely natural and flows seamlessly into the decking outside,’ he says. The large garden was also a key feature of the renovation, as Jack wanted an ‘indooroutdoor’ feel. ‘Luckily, my parents were both extremely talented landscape architects before they retired,’ he says. ‘We worked together to ensure that the garden feels like an extension of the interior.’
With the project complete, Jack is able to enjoy the results of his hard work. ‘I love the satisfaction of coming home to a house that works exactly as intended, that fills me with joy each time I arrive here,’ he says. ‘It feels spacious yet also offers intimate corners. It’s great for entertaining as well as cosy nights in by the fire. Every day, it’s an absolute pleasure to live here!’
‘The SENSE OF SPACE produced by the NATURAL LIGHT that pours into the rooms from DIFFERENT ANGLES is amazing’