Open house

Annicka Locket has lavished love and care on her country home to make it a sociable space for family and friends alike

- DOMINIC BRADBURY AND SEAN O'CONNELL

When looking for a new home, the last thing Annicka Locket wanted for her family was a place that felt prim and precious, so she was naturally delighted to discover a homely Suffolk farmhouse. With three children, Eben, 15, Otto, 12, and Arlo, seven, Annicka and her husband James were confident they had found a warm and welcoming rural abode, not just for themselves but for visiting friends and relatives.

As much as they loved the house, however, they knew the building was in desperate need of updating and renovation. ‘We wanted to make sure that whatever we did would be sympathetic to the age of the house,’ says Annicka. ‘Unfortunately, there were elements that had gone missing over the years, while the house was being extended again and again, including some of the original floors.