An elegant Christmas

Laura and Patrick Butler-Madden's stylishly eclectic country home is the perfect setting to celebrate the season

- JANE BOWLES

This elegant Dorset dwelling wasn't always the epitome of country sophistication that it is today. Originally built as a coach house in the 1850s, the property was later converted into flats during the Seventies and hadn't been updated since. 'I was trawling a property website one day when I spotted this unique building,' says Laura Butler-Madden. 'It was rather in need of love, but we decided to take a look. She and her husband Patrick were living in London at the time but that wasn't a barrier - Laura grew up in Dorset and Patrick went to school there, so the couple had often talked about moving back there one day. Plus, if first impressions were true, they knew the building had lots of potential.

'We were both inspired by the huge central area that had once been the stables,' explains Laura. 'When we saw it, that was it. All of a sudden, we could see ourselves creating something exceptional here. Making a space open plan isn't as easy to accomplish in a country home as it is in a townhouse, but we knew that having this incredibly large room would make the process far simpler.