HOME + GARDEN
MAKING MAGNOLIA HOME
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: YVETTE CRAIG
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web designer by profession, but holding dear a true passion for interior design, Yvette Craig’ s interiors journey began at just 10 years old, choosing wallpaper and curtains from home furnishings shop, JW Treadwells. In 2014, alongside her husband James and their three dogs, Yvette took on the challenge of transforming a neglected 1950’ s bungalow in the heart of the Kentish countryside into their dream home. Living on-site throughout the nine-month project, even when 70 % of the original structure was demolished, the couple stood true to their vision and today are delighted to share the beautiful results of their stylish renovations with their loyal online following.
Tell us about how this beautiful Kentish restoration began? We lived in the USA and Canada for a while, and after returning to the UK, we always dreamed of building our own home. It wasn’ t until 14 years later when we decided to downsize that we found a tired and unloved 1950’ s bungalow. After our offer was accepted, we worked with a local architect to create our dream home- open-plan with a North American vibe and a large upstairs bedroom with an ensuite overlooking the garden. We chose to extend the bungalow rather than knock it down as we felt this approach would better achieve the look and feel we were after.
What drew you to an extensive renovation? Was a fixer-upper always the plan when searching for your dream home? After seeing friends build their own home in Canada and the incredible result they achieved, we knew it was the only way to truly create a home that felt made for us. We wanted to build a forever home; one you’ d never want to leave. We’ d actually been searching for land the entire time we’ d been living in Kent and we’ re still registered on land databases, but when this bungalow came up for sale- on the very day we were close to giving up hope of finding something we both loved- we knew it was meant to be.
What timeframe did you set to complete the project and did you achieve this? We wanted to build the house as quickly as possible, setting ourselves a target of six to 12 months, with no builders lingering long term. The goal was to have it finished so we could simply refine our vision over time and that’ s exactly what we did. We started work the day we moved in and by January- just eight months after getting the keys- the builders were out!
What was your vision for the final result; any style ideas that were non-negotiable? We made plenty of compromises, especially
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