Improved exterior

Aholiday home in Italy sounds like a dream, but for Kul and Eddie Clifford, selling their continental property, where they enjoyed many happy holidays with their children, was a way of financing a much-needed renovation of their 1960s home. For Kul, the project was her second foray into the world of design, having renovated her own small property shortly after she met Eddie in the late 1990s.

After the sale went through, the pair started making plans to extend their house, situated in a Cheshire village. ‘Interiors aren’t Eddie’s thing so he was happy to let me take the reins on this,’ says Kul, who has her own interior design business, Kul Cuthbert Interiors. She admits she’s more au fait with floor joists than fluffy cushions. ‘I wasn’t trained as a designer but I feel I do have the vision and perspective that’s needed when it comes to reconfiguring houses,’ she says. ‘Between us, we have nine children and 16 grandchildren and they do seem to gravitate to our house, so the idea was to maximise the space we have here.’ ➤ Below Before the house appeared very much of its era. Now clean lines and understated rendering give it a more modern look. Solid-oak doors and panelling, P&L Joinery. Rendering, K rend