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6 days ago | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
Finding their perfect new home just across the road from their old house, in an area they loved, was more luck than Lola and Mike had dared dream of. The couple had just had their third child and their 1930s semi was feeling snug. So they plucked up the courage to ask their neighbours if they would consider selling privately. ‘To our delight, they said yes and we moved in at the end of 2010,’ says Lola.
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Jan 25, 2025 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
Sometimes, it pays to take time renovating or decorating a property, rather than rushing in. Living in a home for a while allows you to experience spaces through the seasons, getting a better feel for what will work. This was the case for the gradual transformation of this home. Having already tackled an extensive renovation of their previous home, the homeowners were looking for somewhere that needed less work. This three-storey Victorian property was the perfect move.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
The owner of this picture-postcard thatched cottage knew that she wanted to live in the pretty Northamptonshire village when she came across it while out for a run. However, it was several years before a property in the well-established community came on the market. Her son spotted the cottage for sale and she immediately arranged a viewing.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
reclaimmagazine.uk | Alice Roberton
A riot of floral nostalgia, painted wood and original recycling, Maude Smith’s home takes cues from the Bloomsbury artistsArtist Maude Smith’s Victorian terraced home is a far cry from the modernity of its surroundings in Stockwell, southeast London. More reminiscent of an established country pile, it is brimming with nature’s influence, timeworn furniture, chintz, curious collections and a naïve creativity that places it more accurately in a fairy tale than a sprawling city.
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Aug 12, 2024 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
Pretty as it is, this historic thatched cottage in a Cambridgeshire village needed a top-to-bottom renovation when its owners Jim and Jenny Bailey took it on in 2010. It had taken the couple an extensive search to find their ideal home, but once over the threshold, they were in love. After a third viewing, they sat in the back garden and negotiated a price with the owners. ‘We walked away pinching ourselves that it would soon be ours,’ recalls Jenny.
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Jun 10, 2024 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
This house in a Norfolk market town might not have earned a second glance 25 years ago unless you were feeling hungry. However, the former fish and chip shop with accommodation above and a yard to the side caught Sam Coster’s eye as he searched the local paper for a place to launch his architectural salvage business.
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May 5, 2024 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
This four-storey mid-terrace in Brighton, nestled on a street of period houses painted in a rainbow of seaside colours, was crying out for a renovation and had potential for extension. It was the perfect project for Suzi Jench, who runs the online vintage-selling business Carma Home, and her partner, Lewis – experienced renovators who had already transformed two London flats and a Sussex farmhouse.
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Apr 27, 2024 | 
idealhome.co.uk | Alice Roberton |Rachel Crow
Determined to find the ideal home with just the right amount of space and potential for improvements, Libs Lewis viewed over 40 properties. That might sound daunting to many, but Libs found it rewarding – especially when her search led her to this unique gem. The house was built as a Co-op bakery in 1901, with a separate building used as an overflow classroom, a cookhouse and a dinner hall for the village school.
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Oct 28, 2023 | 
telegraph.co.uk | Anna White |Jessica Doyle |Anna Tyzack |Alice Roberton
Designers and home stagers share advice on showing your house in its best possible light in this muted market - without a costly renovationThe UK housing market has swung firmly in the buyer's favour. During the pandemic and in the aftermath, sealed bids and offers above asking price were commonplace in what was very much a seller's game. Fifteen consecutive base-rate hikes later and even the most motivated buyer has become painstakingly cautious.
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Oct 27, 2023 | 
telegraph.co.uk | Jessica Doyle |Anna Tyzack |Alice Roberton |Jessica Salter
As new-season collections hit the shelves, it's the best time of year to invest in a new accessory or piece of furniture for the homeAutumn marks the time of year when we look for ways to make our homes more decorative and inviting, in preparation for the hibernation season ahead. It's also traditionally the time when the most exciting new homeware collections are launched. The question is, where can you find something original and unique that you won't see everywhere else?
