When Joli Wright and her husband Alex were planning to move back to the UK, they began their property search in the countryside. ‘I grew up on a farm in the Swiss mountains, just like Heidi,’ says Joli. ‘In the winter, we went to school by ski or sledge, and in summer we swam in the lakes. It was so idyllic, and Alex and I wanted a rural upbringing for our children, Oliver, Louis and Ophelia.’
Their house-hunting was focused near Cambridge, as Alex was taking over the family business in the city. ‘I looked online and spotted a potential home almost immediately,’ says Joli. ‘It was a manor house, right in the centre of a village. When I found the house, it smiled at me.’
On viewing the property, the couple’s first impressions were equally favourable. ‘It was beautiful and spacious, and the location was lovely, so it ticked all the boxes,’ says Joli. ‘It felt warm and welcoming, although the interior was rather dated. But because we were running a property and interiors company at the time, we had our own builders, so I was confident I could turn it into our dream home.’
This story is from the May 2020 edition of 25 Beautiful Homes.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2020 edition of 25 Beautiful Homes.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Labour of Love
Morgan Scott-Murch and her husband Jon worked hard to turn bedsits into a beautiful home
LIGHT relief
Leila and Ali Mestiri called in the experts to modernise their dated period property and make it bright and beautiful
Grand ambition
Making changes to a listed historic house comes with many challenges, but that didn't stop Penny and Richard Ballard achieving their dreams
COUNTRY calling
Anita and Tom Storrar have cleverly enhanced their pretty stone cottage in the North York Moors National Park, which is the focal point of their idyllic family life
CUSTOM FIT
A contemporary Huf Haus proved to be the ideal home for David and Greta Iredale to showcase their love of mid-century design
Urban OASIS
Interior designer Ruchi A. Mohan was well placed to turn a dated and compact New York City apartment into a calm, cool and collected abode
Best laid plans
A renovation and significant extension have future-proofed Rossella and Tim van der Weyden's Victorian terrace for years to come
AT ONE with nature
The couple who built this home on the outskirts of Antwerp were influenced by their experience of living in Japan, so the inside is as peaceful as the outside
Dream come true
Moving from a semi to a detached period house in need of some care was a happy adventure for Am and Aman Hayer
CLEAR VISION
Katie and Andrew Probert couldn't resist the chance to buy a Victorian doer-upper on a street they'd always wanted to live on