IT'S COLD outside

DANIELLE TOLSON HAS CREATED A MODERN LIVING SPACE THAT'S FULL OF TRADITIONAL TOUCHES FIT FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

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Dining room

'The table came with us from our previous home. Mixed with the modern chairs, I like the look, so it's stayed!'

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Chairs, John Lewis & Partners; for similar try Arley chairs, £229.99 for two, Daals, and Classic Café chair, from £159 each, West Elm

Danielle Tolson wanted a barn-style home that would work for her growing family, so a 1950s bungalow wasn't necessarily what she had in mind, but after a viewing she had the vision to create her dream home.

WHY DID YOU BUY THIS PROPERTY?

Although we loved our previous home, a stone cottage, it was becoming too small for our family's needs, despite a series of extensions and refurbs.

'When my husband Bobby and I first drove past the original 1950s bungalow, I described it as "fairly ugly" but on the upside it was on a good plot. So we booked a viewing and as soon as I walked around it, my initial observation faded. I felt comfortable there and immediately started sketching plans to create an upstairs."

WHAT WAS YOUR VISION?

"I stuck to the original footprint of the bungalow, which meant costs like moving drains and digging foundations were kept to a minimum. I knew I wanted to turn it into a barn style home, but I don't think I realised at that stage what a massive project it was going to be. The roof had to come off, the plumbing and electrics were stripped out and at one point there were just four walls standing! Naively, I thought we could still live downstairs while an upstairs was built above us, but in the end we moved in with my mum for seven months. I planned for four large bedrooms and an open galleried landing upstairs and was never tempted to compromise on this by trying to squeeze in a fifth bedroom. We all ended up with our own space and I now have an office with plenty of storage to run my business, Tolly McRae, from."