Sea CHANGE

Having discovered this unique period home which had fallen into disrepair, Bryony Richardson returned it to its former glory inspired by the colours of the nearby coastline

- RACHEL CHRISTIE

Leaving Brixton and upping sticks to Jersey wasn’t something interior designer Bryony Richardson and her husband Laurence had always planned, but after having their first baby, they sought a more rural life. ‘Jersey is a bit like living in an Enid Blyton novel,’ says Bryony. ‘It’s a really magical place to bring up children.’

After months of house hunting, they came across a granite 1840s townhouse, replete with its original mottled glass windows, surrounded by cedar trees and coastal views. ‘As we headed down the sweeping hill, we got more and more excited,’ Bryony recalls. Although impressive, the house – Le Rocher – suffered from neglect after being rented out for nearly 40 years and it had been on the market a while. ‘No one wanted it,’ she says, but as soon as they walked in, the Georgian proportions and potential of the space captivated Bryony, who took on the mammoth project and set about rekindling it into a rich and cocooning home.