Carefully crafted

Onitha and Dan Jarrold’s modern barn conversion manages to respect its origins while also incorporating eco-conscious elements into the heart of its design

- CIARA ELLIOTT

Trying to honour the heritage of an old building while giving it a new lease of life always presents a challenge to a renovator. But this Suffolk barn conversion has achieved a pleasing balance between the before and after. ‘Before we started the build, I used to mentally walk through the house every night as I was falling asleep, trying to envisage how the layout would work,’ says Onitha Jarrold, who with husband Dan bought the site and outbuildings on the grounds beside her old family house. Together they have created a modern home for themselves and sons Noah, now 14, and twins Isaac and Finn, 11, plus Sunny the Cockapoo.

‘I spent a lot of time making mood boards and doing sketches,’ says Onitha, who runs a furniture refurbishment business called Rekindled. Sustainability and beautiful interiors are very close to her heart. ‘I set out with the aim of creating a personalised interior for us, but as we have quite an eclectic mix of items I took my time to plan how it would all fit into the space.’