LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE

Taking their time and mining the past have allowed Elle Kemp and Martin Gane to create a relaxed home in a former piggery

- SARA BIRD

​Building a home from scratch has always been a shared dream,’ says interior designer Elle Kemp. ‘In fact, my husband Martin and I hatched a plan on our first date.’ Their desire to design a fresh-from-the-ground-up home evolved into a mission to renovate a former piggery, once part of a neighbouring farm. ‘The barn next door had already been converted and the piggery had been given a new roof and footings,’ explains Elle. Yet seeing the completed barn was a cautionary tale. ‘The mid- 1800s buildings are Grade II curtilage listed, which means it is the farmhouse that has the listed status but that extends to the outbuildings,’ she continues. ‘From the outside, you could see the barn development ticked all the boxes for listed consent but, inside, there was nothing left – it was just a standard modern home.’