A Little Piece Of History

Kay and Paul Cullen renovated a small Victorian village chapel, blending modern design with characterful vintage pieces

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Living room

‘I like to paint old furniture with chalk-finish paints and mix in a few modern pieces to bring in a contemporary twist. A bit of old mixed with a bit of new is usually a great philosophy to follow,’ says Kay.

Kay and Paul Cullen discovered their Welsh stone and red-brick chapel online three years ago. ‘It was a very sad-looking building, but full of promise, and we wanted to put back the character that had been lost during its conversion,’ says Kay. The chapel had served the local community until 2001. ‘Some people in the village were married here and our plumber even remembers going to Sunday school here. We like to think it was waiting for us to find it and fall in love with it.’ Which the couple did in a heartbeat, despite some initial problems. ‘On moving day, we had to check into a hotel, because the chapel was infested with spiders and mice. We spent a week cleaning!’