Issue 147 web

6
THROUGH THE KEYHOLE
With their knowledge of interior design trends, experience
of renovation projects and knack for upcycling, Caroline
and David Hawes have transformed their traditional country
cottage into a stunning, bespoke contemporary home with
a quirky Airbnb.
Nestled into the hillside at the end of a no-through road in
Whitebrook, Folly Cottage enjoys a peaceful location and a
captivating outlook. “We were drawn to it by the wonderful
views from the front of the house, the privacy and the
feeling of open space and nature,” says Caroline.
Masterminding a visionary refurbishment, the couple have
turned the cottage into a one-off, four-bedroom home,
using one of the bedrooms as an out-of-the ordinary
holiday let. “We used to have an interiors shop in Sussex,
so we picked up inspiration from that,” says Caroline, who
formerly worked for Laura Ashley. “We are both very strong
on ideas, and we tend to come up with them over a glass
of wine,” adds David. “Caroline is more focussed on the
finishing touches whilst I am the heavy labourer!”
Remarkable reclamation
Sharon Chilcott discovers how an
inventive husband-and-wife team have
reimagined their Wye Valley cottage.
The restyled cottage now combines rural charm,
contemporary chic, modern-day practicality and high-end
luxuries. Reclaimed and repurposed materials enhance
its rustic appeal. So too, does the creative use of textures
and paint effects. The couple have also introduced a
trendy, vintage industrial-style twist. Yet, their approach has
remained complementary to the original features of the
property, which dates back, in parts, to the 1800s, possibly
earlier. “We have sought to use different materials, soft and
hard textures. We just wanted something unique but we
wanted to remain sympathetic to the cottage.”
The couple have reconfigured the cottage’s layout, to
achieve better use of the space and make it more suitable
for open plan living. They have decorated and furnished it
with individualistic flair, drawing on their range of skills and
influences and upcycling and recycling with gusto.
David has been respectful to the property’s heritage in his
choice of exterior paint, a deep terracotta red. “It is the same
colour as Kennixton Farmhouse, which I saw at St Fagans
National Museum of History. It marries really well with the
surrounding greenery and it is a traditional Welsh colour. It
is supposed to ward off evil spirits and witches. We have had
no witches since we painted the cottage!”
To one side of the cottage, an open-fronted stone building
has been enclosed to create a welcoming entrance hall,
where outdoor shoes and boots are stored in a run of wire
cages and on an industrial-style boot rack. An adjoining
shed has been turned into a utility room and the couple
have created a long hallway, which features original
exposed wall timbers and rustic textured plasterwork, an
example of David’s handiwork.
The former dining hall, in the oldest part of the cottage,
is now a characterful sitting room, which benefits from a
wealth of lovely, original ceiling beams and a traditional
stone-built fireplace, with a stone hearth and an oak beam
over. The fireplace features a bread oven and houses a
Morsø woodburning stove. To complement the room’s
historic charm, David chose engineered oak flooring, a
contrast to the Cotswold Stone tiles used throughout the
rest of the ground floor. To one side of the fireplace, he has
uncovered the old stone steps which lead up to the first
floor principal bedroom. “They were a nice little discovery –
having previously been hidden by a false cupboard.”
The couple have worked their magic on a single storey
1970s extension to turn it into a magnificent, contemporary,
open plan kitchen/diner. The kitchen in no way
compromises on practicality and modern-day appliances,
but what makes it stand out is the way the units have been
created from an assortment of salvage-yard finds. Caroline
has given the various pieces a cohesive look by painting
them in Farrow and Ball Old White, pairing them with quartz
work surfaces. David is proud of the central island, which
he made from an industrial item he bought in Coventry.
It incorporates a drawer unit and houses a hob, oven and
dishwasher. Above the hob there is a modern cylindrical
cooker hood.