Rural Retreat

A desire for familiar surroundings took floss lee and her family back to the area of her youth, a pretty village in the berkshire downs

- Ann Broad

Floss Lee’s yearning to move back to the countryside lured her, husband Andrew and their children Molly, 12, and Bertie, nine, to their charming home situated in the Berkshire Downs. ‘We’ve always enjoyed spending weekends in the area, so when we saw this house for sale in 2011, we jumped at the chance to buy,’ says Floss. With a 40minute commute to London by train for Andrew’s work, it seemed an ideal location for the family to achieve their dream of rural living.

‘We instantly fell in love with the property,’ continues Floss. ‘It’s so pretty from the outside and has a lovely homely feel inside, and even though it’s 200 years old, it can handle contemporary touches mixed with tradition.’

The house was originally three cottages and once had a working forge situated to the rear. In 2007, the previous owners knocked through the cottages to create a four-bedroom home. ‘When we viewed the property, it had old stone floors and lots of small rooms,’ says Floss. ‘It felt quaint but lacked flow. Luckily, we saw past this and visualised an open-plan look similar to our previous London home, ideal for our family’s lifestyle.’