A Perfect Match

After falling for a rambling, boggy garden that was overgrown with brambles, the owners of this 1930s detached house were pleasantly surprised to discover that their new home was a great fit for their family.

The brambles are now long gone, replaced by a lawn with a magnolia tree and football goals for the children, a stream and pond, a greenhouse and a wide variety of fruit trees, scrubs and flowers.

The one major problem however, was that this glorious garden was locked away with no back door to provide easy access for the couple or their children.

In fact, being able to see the beautiful, old magnolia tree through the house became a central idea and interior designer Maria McVeigh encouraged radical ideas about reusing the space the house already enjoyed.

The main part of the extension involved replacing a section of the back wall with glass, taking out an internal supporting wall to join two rooms into one, and developing the small outbuildings around the yard.

The pretty cottage feel has been replaced with something a little more contemporary and cool, light and spacious, yet it works perfectly and looks as though it has been there forever.

While it hasn’t changed the way the family live – the children still don’t choose to listen to opera over watching iCarly – the new design is perfect for how they have always lived – with lots of gardening, mucky pastimes, cooking, children and friends.

Getting green fingers this spring? Find some food for thought on our Pinterest boards.

@image_interiors / Photography by Mark Scott