Meet the winners of our 2022 HOME & GARDEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS
After a whistle-stop tour of the beautiful homes and gardens shortlisted for our awards, we’re delighted to announce this year’s winners
Back in May, when we invited readers to enter the annual Period Living Home & Garden of the Year Awards, we never imagined just how many wonderful entries we’d receive. We deliberated long and hard over photograph after photograph of amazing renovations, stunning interiors, and gorgeous gardens. We admired and marvelled at the hard work that had gone into making those homes and gardens look as good as they do. We will be featuring the projects in full in future issues of PL, but for now, here is a sneak preview of our 2022 winners...
HOME OF THE YEAR
Our Home of the Year 2022 is a Grade Ii-listed former mill house and has a remarkable story to tell. The overall winner of this year’s awards was once part of a Hertfordshire farm.
Although there is thought to have been a dwelling on the site since the 14th century, the present house dates back to the early 17th century, when it comprised just a couple of rooms before being altered and extended in Georgian and Victorian times.
Jacqueline Jennings and her husband Lloyd moved in three years ago. ‘We were keen to really enhance and celebrate the historical period features, which were in need of some attention, as well as incorporating our own style in the decor,’ says Jacqueline. The 17th century bread oven was a feature we wanted to highlight by removing the plaster and render to reveal the original brickwork. The kitchen’s timber beams were also treated and painted to showcase the patina and original carpenter marks.’
Homes editor Karen Darlow says: ‘Jacqueline and Lloyd’s home is a very worthy winner of our Home of the Year Awards. The couple have succeeded in renovating the property with an appreciation of its history, while also allowing a more modern personality to shine through.
The results are inspiring.’
Sponsored by Wrought Iron &
Brass Bed Co The family-owned business and Period Living collaborators flying the flag for quality, Britishmade metal beds. (wroughtironand brassbed.co.uk)
GARDEN OF THE YEAR
When Romy and Tom Holmes moved to Bowmere Cottage in Cheshire 42 years ago, the garden was wild and neglected, with weeds taking over, roses struggling in hard compacted clay soil, and courtyards left bare and untouched.
Now herbaceous borders spill over with a profusion of colour; trees, including malus, prunus and silver birch planted as saplings, have matured to offer privacy and seclusion; while pergolas covering gravel pathways are spectacular smothered in roses, honeysuckle and fragrant jasmine.
The courtyard gardens are filled with pots of seasonal and fragrant blooms, including nicotiana, petunias, helichrysum, hydrangeas and roses, with jasmine and clematis clambering over the walls.
‘I think my favourite part of the garden is the roses in the tall trees and over the pergolas in the spring, and also the long walk of different hydrangeas, including limelight, lacecap and aspera hydrangeas in the summer,’ explains Romy.
Acting editor Rachel Crow says: ‘We loved the sheer profusion of colour and interest – no corner of the garden has been left untouched, and the years of care and attention that have gone into its creation are evident for all to see.’
Sponsored by Bridgman
Working with award-winning designers and skilled craftspeople, Brigdman creates beautiful collections of luxury furniture for home and garden with the emphasis on reliable comfort. (bridgman. co.uk)
BEST VINTAGE STYLE
For Cherry Mcaree and her husband, Ben, the renovation of their three-bedroom family home in Worcester has been a gradual process. ‘Our home is a Victorian end of terrace, and we’ve worked our way through it, updating it on a budget,’ says Cherry. ‘We have exposed floorboards, enhanced fireplaces, installed a wood burner, changed tiles, restored windows and original Victorian features along the way.’
The most recent change outside was reinstating the small front garden’s cast-iron railings to match an old photo Cherry discovered when she was researching her home’s history. She’s always on the lookout for vintage and antique furniture and has found places for several treasured family pieces here.
Acting editor Rachel Crow says: ‘We loved the way Cherry has created a sense of flow through her pretty family house, using a toning palette of blues, pinks and off-whites from room to room. She has given old furniture new life with stencils and paint effects for a shabby chic look that enhances the Victorian home’s vintage look.’
Sponsored by The Rug Seller
Supplier of rugs, runners, cushions, bedding and curtains by leading designers, including Ted Baker and Calvin Klein. Lowest prices guaranteed, free UK delivery and no-quibble returns. (therugseller.co.uk).
BEST PROJECT
The winner of this year’s Best Project category is a Dorset cottage owned by Olivia and Tom David, who oversaw its full scale renovation. This took two years and involved a kitchen extension, new bathroom, boot room and cloakroom.
Before any of the fine details could be attended to, however, the run-down cottage had to be stripped right back and its leaky roof replaced. The floors were also damp and the quarry tiles had to be lifted in order to insulate the floors.
Olivia was delighted to discover some original period features during the renovations. ‘Hidden behind a 1950s tiled fireplace was the original inglenook that had been bricked over with multiple fireplaces from generations past,’ she says. ‘We restored and revived the fireplace to make it the focal point of the living room.’
She also found fragments of original wallpaper, which she has preserved in frames as a nod to the home’s heritage.
Content editor Holly Reaney says: ‘Olivia and Tom have worked hard to create a beautiful cottage that blends past and present. The kitchen extension brings the cottage right up to date, while original features, such as the inglenook fireplace in the living room serve as a cosy reminder of the home’s history.’
Sponsored by BC Designs
Priding itself on quality, innovation and originality, the company is a wellrespected bathroom design house that offers beautifully crafted products to all areas of the bathroom market. (bcdesigns. co.uk)
BEST LISTED HOME
Caroline Turner’s love affair with her Elizabethan farmhouse started when she and her husband Geoff began renting the Grade Ii-listed property more than seven years ago. A year into the tenancy they persuaded the owners, whose family had owned the house for more than 200 years, to sell it to them.
‘We knew it was falling down but we didn’t even have a survey carried out; we just wanted this place so much,’ says Caroline.
The house dates back to 1563 and has always been rented, and although it had fallen into disrepair it has not suffered the insensitive updates of the 60s and 70s. As the couple removed woodchip wallpaper, they discovered the home’s original 500-year-old panels were largely intact. They also uncovered and reinstated four windows, believed to have been blocked up since the window tax had been introduced.
‘The house was originally an open hall house and there are remnants of soot in the loft from where a fire would have been had in the main room downstairs,’ says Caroline.
‘We have worked to preserve the house and modernise sympathetically, as we feel enormously privileged to live here and share in its history.’
Homes editor Karen Darlow says: ‘Caroline and Geoff took on this historic listed property, knowing there were many huge challenges ahead of them in restoring it. Their careful and sensitive approach has preserved this fascinating beauty for future generations to enjoy.’
Sponsored by The Sash Window Workshop,
specialists in manufacturing and installing high-quality, traditional timber windows and doors, designed to improve energy and preserve the character of your period home. (sashwindow.com)