SURF'S up

This playfully stylish holiday home by the beach has been created with Graham's eye for detail and hard graft, as well as Jen's unwavering support

- JO PETERS

Furniture maker and surfer F Graham always dreamed of having a holiday home in the Witterings after spending his childhood summers at his grandparents' house there. While living along the coast in Hove, he and his wife Jen spent years looking for the right property to renovate - somewhere they could holiday in with their increasingly active young boys.

So when a small, neglected bungalow came onto the market, a pebble's throw from the beach, Graham didn't waste any time. He worked closely with the architect and builder, both local surfers, bringing his ideas to the project with a meticulous eye for detail. Graham made all the fitted furniture himself as well as laying the wood flooring. Jen happily shares her husband's choices in almost everything, and the whole family love their stunning beach house with its minimalist design and pops of bright colours.

JEN SAYS...

'This house was Graham's baby - I was the cheerleader. We've been together for 20 years so I trust him completely. When he saw the property, he put in an offer before I even saw it. I remember walking through the house the next day thinking, "this is just awful". But we kept going for day trips when the work started and it was great seeing the house come together. I did feel a bit husbandless at times - he was going over there a lot for a while. He's a perfectionist when it comes to his work, so he was constantly on his phone, researching and ordering things. Graham would give me his top three and I'd tell him which one I liked... and then he'd still go and buy the one that he thought best!