Back to her roots

September 2018

Marie Lynham had always dreamt of returning to her childhood village in Somerset but never imagined she would end up on her parents' lawn.

Marie Lynham

Marie, who runs her own country style homeware business, Nest Homely Interiors together with husband Chris, a Software Developer and son Max, 3, longed to move back to her home village. When the opportunity arose to build their own home in the garden of her parents cottage, they seized it and made plans to start building their dream home. As a farmers daughter, brought up in the Somerset countryside, Marie dreamed that one day her home would reflect this. “ I wanted a Country Cottage in the village where I grew up, says Marie, ‘we could now be close to friends ,family and our children could even attend the same schooI that I went to.'

The couple had a clear vision of the design and enlisted a local architect and builder to help with the process. ‘ We applied for planning in September 2012 and once approved building started in January 2013.  ‘ The village was supportive of the idea and it was important the house blended in with the surrounding homes. Marie had the design of the house in her head for months. Choosing the position of this L shaped house was important, to create a spacious feel, ensure they weren’t overlooked and benefit from a south facing garden. “Everything you see in this house is a decision we have made together,” Marie explains. “as a family, open plan living is important to us. We can enjoy the space together and I can keep an eye on the children from the kitchen.” During the build the couple were often on site and worked as a team to make the best of the plot. They used local Blue Lias stone from the Polden Hills. The whole build took 8 months to complete, thankfully due to good the weather, expertise of the professionals and the couple having a clear vision of what they wanted. Decision making had to be quick and precise due to the nature of the build.  With this in mind they worked hard to ensure everything met with the practicalities of their everyday modern lifestyle.

This is a great space for entertaining, and on warmer days the doors are wide open and we flow into the garden,’ says Marie

Marie believes the kitchen is the heart of the home and a real sociable space. They had to compromise on the size of the downstairs utility to get the kitchen units and island fitted. ‘It’s not ideal, but we decided that getting the kitchen space right was more important at the time than the utility,’ says Marie. ‘ if we were to do a build project again I may rethink this!’  When the house was built they had a young son Max who was 3 at the time. They now have Amber who is 4.  Including an island in the kitchen area with the sink means Marie can prepare meals whilst watching the children play. Its also a great space to entertain family and friends. The bell fast sink with tap spray is one of her favourite features along with the built in pantry and fridge freezer. ‘I was told the kitchen has to function, with your fridge, cooker and sink as a triangle and for me this really works.’ says Marie.

The island work top is positioned in the centre of the kitchen for practical and social reasons.

Chichester style Kitchen in Old Chalk paint colour starting from approx £18000 from Neptune. Bar stools, £120 each, Homesense. Feature wall painted in Eaudenil, £60 per 5Litre, Laura Ashley. Glass Lantern, £15 each, Nest Homely Interiors. Motherhood Plaque, £11.50, Nest Homely Interiors

The living area is an elegant scheme, mix of classic and modern and character features. Fabrics and wallpaper blend together creating an informal stylish space. It evokes a sense of elegance, warmth and is stylish, yet comfortable and relaxing. We used a beam from the old cottage as part of our fireplace display and for me this is a lovely touch to the property,’ says Marie, ‘I based the living room colour around our large fireplace. I chose a neutral palette but wanted to draw in colour from feature walls. The soft, neutral colour scheme creates a clean, welcoming and fresh appearance, whilst brining in colour through textiles and wallpaper.

This is a great space for entertaining, and on warmer days the doors are wide open and we flow into the garden,’ says Marie

The Morland 4 seater with the formal back Sofas, £1300 DFS. The space behind the fireplace is painted in Grape Colour. Lewes Grape Rug £120 Laura Ashley. Stag and Pheasant scatter cushions, £32.95, Nest Homely Interiors. Grey Stool, £14.95 Aldi.Grey Table Lamp, £55 Biggie Best.

The bifold doors are a fabulous addition to the house and as they fold back completely and have internal blinds. This is a fabulous feature.  It keeps the walls free of excess curtain fabric and the area clean and fresh. Both doors open up and this really creates an outside inside space. ‘I was very adamant with small children to ensure the area flowed so I wanted the patio to be the same level, says Marie, ‘we chose to have the same tiles in the kitchen outside also. This again really does extend the living space and makes the whole space as one.’ Creating light and airy bedrooms was also important to the couple. They have built in wardrobes in two of the 3 bedrooms to maximise space and overcome storage solutions. They chose a full size shower with sunken tray and practical wall holes to hold beauty items. together with a freestanding bath and large sink with useful storage drawer.

This neutral design has a boutique hotel feel and a serene color scheme.

Bed is an Ebay bargain sanded and painted in Farrow and Ball in House White, £110 per 5litres Modern Egg ShellOttoman is reupholstered with a laura Ashely material. Table Lamp £35 Biggie Best

Using the same floor and wall tiles is elegant and creates a seamless style

Ravello £2404.17  Mayflower Bathrooms. Roman Blinds from £35 Laura Ashely. Travertine Tiles from £11.65 Travertine Store

‘I always remember thanking our builder for building us a beautiful home. His response was,  ‘I’ve built the house and now it’s over to you to make it your home’. Marie enjoys upcyling and repainting unwanted pieces of furniture like the shelf unit which hangs in the kitchen. Painting this the same colour as the feature wall gives the kitchen a fresh feel and also helps to zone this area. One of the most important ideas that Marie focused on throughout the design process is this feeling and creation of hygge. Most simply, this is the feeling of cosiness or togetherness. With the idea of “hygge” in mind (a Danish word, pronounced “hue-guh”), Nest Homely Interiors was born. The love and admiration of her house and the design process encouraged Marie to work hard and create her own company, so everyone else could share her love of country style interiors as well. 

An injection of contemporary simplicity enhances the natural beauty of this traditional style new build giving it a charming country cottage feel. It fulfils all the family needs, oozes elegant finishes and now provides a showcase for Marie’s fabulous country style homewares.

Stockists Details

Nest Homely Interiors 07792 068460 nesthomelyinteriors.co.uk

Farrow and Ball 01202 876141 farrow & Ball.com

DFS 0800 1105000  dfs.co.uk

Laura Ashley 03332 008009 lauraashley.com

Neptune 01793 427450 neptune.com

Biggie Best 0117 9872722 biggiebest.co.uk

Mayflower Bathrooms 01823 665663 mayflowerbathrooms.co.uk

Travertine Store 0844 343 2002 travertinetilesuk.co.uk

Homesense 01923 473561 homesense.com