Dream Discovery

Stephanie and Chris Kelly built their beautiful home on an idyllic site overlooking the sea

- Maggie Colvin

Memories of growing up in a special place often bring a person back to the same spot later in life. For Stephanie Kelly, the draw of a Cornish beach that she used to visit with her parents prompted her to return. ‘My husband Chris and I saw a bungalow for sale online,’ she says. ‘It had the best view of a favourite beach I knew as a child. Despite being pregnant with our second son, Luke, now 11, we drove from Guildford to Cornwall with our eldest son, Nathaniel, now 14.’ On the way, the agent rang to say the house had been sold, but Stephanie refused to take no for an answer. They drove on and met the owner, who agreed to let them buy it.