close

The Househunter Room by Room

If this is truly our moment of summer then let’s head out of the cities and make a run for the countryside. This five bedroom house overlooking Totnes, in Devon, seems like a good place to start. It’s on the market with The Modern House for £849,000 and while it backs onto open countryside it is, apparently, walking distance from the town centre.

g-1-1-950x634

It was designed in 1984 and has been remodelled by the current owner, who is also an architect. The key feature is the glass-roofed entrance hall which fills the house with light. As is becoming increasingly common in modern, rural houses, the living space is on the first floor to take advantage of the amazing views.

li-950x634

I’m keen on the use of coral pink for the walls and picked up in that sofa in the image above. Yes it’s fully reminiscent of this year’s hottest colour combination pink and green, but I’m sure that had nothing to do with it. However, it makes a great change to such an unusual colour used in a modern house when they so often stick to monochrome colours.

3_li-1-950x634

Not only is putting pink on the walls rather than buying a pink sofa or cushion a great way to bring in some colour but I bet it makes all the different to a miserable January afternoon which is the time I always worry that living in a glass house might be depressing. Not with this on your walls it wouldn’t.

2_h-950x634

Finally, how’s this for a bathroom. What a view. And yes I have checked the floor plan – it’s on the first floor so you won’t get the postman wandering by and wondering if you can take next door’s parcel in for them. Not least because there is no next door but you get the point.

t-2-1-950x634

Sticking with rooms – nay houses – with views let’s away to Scotland now to see this amazing property which is on the market with Knight Frank  for offers over £1,850,00. It’s in the Trossachs and has eight bedrooms, you know, just in case you were interested in making an offer.

img_4_3_hd

A rare case of two outside shots for this one as one shows the incredible view of the lake – sorry loch – and one shows you the house itself.

img_22_1_hd

As you can see it has all be remodelled and updated so all the boring money has been spent. It would be up to you if you wanted to change the decor but it’s a cosmetic update only. I might want to warm up this floor a little as I have written before about how much I dislike grey floor tiles but it’s a tweak. Imagine having a kitchen with all that space and all that view.

img_6_3_hd

And then you could come and sit here with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and just stare at mountain. I bet it changes all time with the light and the clouds. I adore weather watching. I could happily do it all day.

img_10_2_hd

But it’s the bedrooms I love in this house. Several of them have windows on two sides to take advantage of those views. I may never get out of bed. Well, perhaps I would stagger downstairs to those leather chairs eventually.

img_14_1_hd

And finally, that bathroom. I mean…. It’s like a picture hanging on the wall isn’t it. So which takes your fancy this week? I think Scotland edges it for me although I have always been partial to a dose of Devon.

img_13_1_hd

 

 

 

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

10 Comments

  1. Scotland for sure. Those views are a picture in every room. But love the grey on the skirting and windows in the bedrooms. Beautiful.

  2. I LOVE the Scottish house, those views… However, sadly it is £1.95m and that extra £100k is just too much 🙂 and secondly it is in midgey country…

  3. Uh oh, just getting ready to do those gray concrete floors in my master and two guest baths. Why do you hate gray floors? Did I miss that one.

  4. Both are gorgeous. Maybe the first one as it’s in Devon and possibly warmer? But it’s a tough choice. Thanks as always for posting, brightens up my day!

  5. I can never thank you enough for brightening my day with your amazing finds and your lovely humor1

  6. Oh my word – the Scotish one is amazing. I would have that, and I wouldn’t need to change a thing about it, which is lucky as I would be penniless!

Comments are closed.