A Festive Welcome

A fairytale porch crafted in oak is just one way Sally and Gav Hurman have added character to their 1950s home

- Naomi Jones

Taking in the tongue-and-groove panelling laden with Christmas decorations, the solid limestone flooring beneath the festively dressed dining table, and, in each of the two living rooms, exposed brickwork festooned with wintry foliage, this Surrey home could be mistaken for a beautifully restored farmhouse. Add an oak porch wrapped in lights and a pink front door adorned with a wreath, and the bucolic scene is complete. Yet this house has a secret – it was not built in the 18th or even the 19th century, but in the 1950s.

‘Our first house as newlyweds was an older worker’s cottage nearby,’ say Sally Hurman, who bought this property with her husband, Gav, 13 years ago. ‘We loved our home, but, with the arrival of our three boys, we needed more space. This house and its 2.5-acre plot offered the country lifestyle we wanted, minus a frightening price tag. While renovating and extending the property, we tried to recreate the character of an old house, using reclaimed and natural materials.’