REWRITE history

Turning a centuries-old house into the perfect home meant striking a balance between nostalgia and practical living for Izzy and Will Dennis

- SARA EMSLIE

When Izzy and Will moved into their new home, there were an unexpected number of fixtures left by the previous owners. Antique furniture filled the grand entrance hall and decades-old Colefax and Fowler wallpapers adorned the walls of bedrooms. Too beautiful to be torn down and worthy of being labelled archival or vintage at the very least, Izzy decided the paper should stay, as should the antiques, some of which had graced the panelled hallway since the 1970s. Will's affinity to these in particular was strong, not surprisingly, as the house was in fact his former childhood home. 'Will's parents moved here in 1979, and he and his three older sisters grew up in the house,' says Izzy. When his parents retired to the Isle of Wight, the newly married Will and Izzy took responsibility for the adjoining farm and moved into the house.