Calm restored

This former police station is now a welcoming family home for Jo and Nigel Tutton, who have worked hard to preserve and restore its beautiful period features

Find out how Jo and Nigel Tutton transformed this old village police station into a welcoming and fascinating family home

Swirly carpets and woodchip wallpaper couldn’t dampen Jo and Nigel Tutton’s enthusiasm for the task that lay ahead of them when they moved into a rather sad-looking house in Monmouthshire that had once been the village police station.

‘The house was a 1970s monstrosity when we bought it in 1994. There were patterned carpets and lino on top of two inches of concrete on all the floors, and woodchip everywhere,’ Jo recalls. The bathroom suite was bright turquoise, the front door was a featureless rectangle with a glass panel and all the period details had been covered up. Yet Jo and Nigel fell in love with it as they walked up the drive.

Renovating the house was a challenge. They worked full time and had four young children, and Nigel would often spend whole weekends working on the project. ‘The house is near where we were both brought up, and both sets of parents are nearby and were a huge help,’ says Jo. They did a lot of the renovation themselves and Nigel did all the design work. ‘We’re both artistic and creative,’ says Jo, ‘so neither of us would want to buy a property that was already done; we both wanted to put our own stamp on our home.’

‘We stripped the house back to its bare bones, reinstating the fireplaces, exposing the chamfered stonework, ornate door frames and flagstone floors, and we even found a well underneath the kitchen,’ adds Jo. The roof was in relatively good condition, but Jo recalls finding dead crows and their nests when they opened up the chimneys before restoring the fireplaces.

Despite these occasional gruesome finds, Jo relished the whole renovation process. After immersing herself in this project, she decided to set up as an interior designer, working on properties all over the world. In 2002, just after they’d started on a two-storey extension to the house, Nigel was offered a job in the Gulf of Mexico. The whole family lived there for three years with Jo and Nigel returning whenever they could to check on the progress of the project.

‘It was good being away from the mess and the noise but tricky being so far away in terms of keeping an eye on things,’ says Jo. Nigel’s job in the Gulf of Mexico led to another in the States, then another in Scotland. ‘I ended up dividing my time between the US, where my husband worked, Edinburgh, where my children went to school, and here in Monmouthshire, where my parents live.’

Despite the distances involved, the extension and garden room were all completed successfully. A stonemason hand-dressed the stone for the extension, so that it is indistinguishable from the rest of the house. Nigel designed the stone mullion windows to match the originals, and a local joiner made the period-style oak doors.

The globetrotting couple have filled their home with furniture and artwork from all over the world, while still respecting the style of the house. Their décor choices were led by the history and architecture of the house and the period features they uncovered as they painstakingly restored the property. ‘I personally like light, airy spaces,’ Jo admits, ‘which is why transforming the garden room was so important to me. Dark, dramatic décor is not my first choice.’

Jo has used a subtle palette, as the house is quite dark inside with a lot of small rooms. She wanted to use pale colours, such as bone, cream and white to bring in light and has chosen natural fabrics and textures – linens and sisal – to bring the outside in. ‘Our lives are so hectic and busy, I want a soothing retreat when I come home, so clashing colours and jazzy patterns wouldn’t work here,’ she says.

The finished look strikes the perfect balance between comfortable family base and successful conservation project. ‘It is where the whole family, all grown up and spread across the globe now, consider home still,’ says Jo. Now that the house is complete she enjoys working on the garden. Mature trees envelop the house with a protective canopy, and it is so cosy and sheltered here even on the windiest days. Restored and cared for once again, this lovely home and garden give a real sense that you are shielded from the elements, whether you are inside or outside.

Jo and Nigel’s second living room, known as the snug, also doubles up as a study, with an antique desk from Soho Home Vintage. Jo reinstated a timber fire surround and painted it in Worsted by Farrow & Ball to match the walls. Above the fireplace hangs a painting by Carl Arroyo, bought at the Art Shop & Chapel in Abergavenny, while the wall lights are from Jeffreys Interiors in Edinburgh. The sisal rug is from Ikea, the blanket on the chair back and cushions on the window seat are from TK Maxx, and the amber pots on the desk and hearth are by Acanthus Interiors in Edinburgh

This image: Jo wasted no time in replacing the kitchen with bespoke painted wooden cabinetry by Classic Kitchens Direct. The worktop is Carrera marble by Mandarin Stone. The walls are painted a crisp Architect White by Zoffany. Jo bought the clock from Number Two in Hay-on-wye. The small pendant light is from The White Company Below, from left: Jo and Nigel loved the house as soon as they saw it; the garden room is Jo’s favourite; Advanced Joinery made a new oak double front door to fit the original arched stone door frame uncovered during the renovation; a sheltered seating area under the trees at the back of the house

Jo sourced the dining table from the village school, when they auctioned it off at a fundraiser, and painted the legs in Downpipe by Farrow & Ball. She found the Tolix-style reproduction stools online. The wood-burning stove is a Firebelly, and the painting opposite is by Annica Neumüller. The lanterns on the mantelpiece are from The White Company and the chandelier light fitting is from Ikea. For a similar mirror, try John Lewis & Partners

Jo bought everything in this room during her time in Mexico, drenched in sunlight all year round. Thanks to double glazing, the garden room is a warm reminder of her happy years in the sunshine. The Bluebell corner sofa from Sofa.com is very similar to this one, and for a similar coffee table, try the rattan butler’s tray table from Kalinko. Find Ikat-style rectangular cushions at Anthropologie, and sisal rugs at Alternative Flooring. The woodwork is painted in Warwick Grey by Leyland

Above: The brass bed in the master bedroom is from Feather & Black, topped with a bedspread from Soho Home; the cushions are from Acanthus. Jo bought the bedside tables from a junk shop in Edinburgh. The bedside light is from Biggie Best and the green vase is from Bryce Mckenzie Below: Believe it or not, the bathroom was once the police cell. Jo replaced a dated 1970s suite with a salvaged freestanding bath and taps from Gallops. She painted the bath with Rustoleum paint. The wooden milking stool, bath rack, natural sponge and handmade soaps are all from Baileys Homeware, in Ross-on-wye

The framed artwork above the mantelpiece in daughter Emily’s room is by local Abergavenny artist Daniel Williams. Jo bought the chair from Soho Home and had it re-covered in calico by The Chairwoman in Edinburgh. The bedspread is from The White Company, and the cushions are all from Amber Interiors in LA. The sisal in all the upstairs rooms is from the Alternative Flooring Company and the walls here are painted in Peignoir by Farrow & Ball