HAPPY holidays

Swathed in foliage and twinkling lights, the Victorian house Caria Isolano and her husband Ben call home comes to life at the most magical time of the year

- WORDS AND PRODUCTION MARISHA TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES FRENCH

When Carla Isolano and her husband Ben, a sales director, decided to leave the West Midlands in 2016 with their two children, Aria, now seven and Luca, now 11, Shropshire felt like the perfect place to start a new chapter. 'It's such a beautiful county, with rolling hills and historic towns,' says Carla. 'It meant Ben would be closer to work and the children would have the chance to grow up surrounded by nature. For us, it really did feel like the best of both worlds.'

They found their dream home almost straight away — a striking, red-bricked Victorian property — and knew it was special. 'It needed a lot of work, but the layout and proportions were brilliant and I loved that so many of the period details, like the Minton flooring, had survived — that’s what made me fall in love with it,' says Carla.