Surrey Homes | SH58 | August 2019 | Restoration & New Build supplement inside

Top: One of Karen’s many animal paintings hangs above the hall table. The
lamps are from OKA and the stag candelabra from one of her favourite shops,
Flowerhouse and Home Above: The old kitchen and dining rooms were combined
to make one large room. Karen and Rafe made a feature of the panelling here on
the ceilings as well as the walls
clock concealed within an interior wall, or
with an inscribed brick in the front wall.
The houses on this acre plot were unique,
each with interesting architectural details,
including eyebrow windows, thatched
roofs and even medieval-style turrets.
These substantially built and comfortable
homes have stood the test of time, been
loved and re-loved by families through the
years, and still proudly bear the hallmarks
of their original designs. And so it is with
this Lions Green house. Look carefully and
you can see the words ‘Built by the Lions
Green Company 1936’ baked into one of
the bricks, somewhere near the front door.
Stepping into the light, airy and
generously proportioned hall, it’s difficult
to imagine that this period house could be
anything other than the stylish and relaxed
home that invites you in. So, it’s interesting
chatting to Karen and Rafe about what
initially led them to this property and
what changes they have made since 2010.
“We’d been living in a grotty bungalow
which we’d wanted to totally redevelop,”
explains Karen. “It was so damp, there
was black mould growing up the walls
and an army of slugs invaded the kitchen
every night. We survived this for two
75 surrey-homes.co.uk