Rural renewal

When they bought a 1980s house, Eilidh and Rob called in the experts to turn it into an eco-friendly family home

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Happy though they were in their previous home, Eilidh and Rob discovered that with a growing son and daughter, more space was needed and the detached property they found in the same Nottinghamshire village suited their needs better. 'We loved the plot and the feel of the house inside,' says Eilidh. 'It felt warm and inviting and gave us the space we were looking for, but it was clear that some reconfiguration would improve the flow.'

The scope of the proposed renovation meant one of the couple's first tasks was to enlist Jackson-Crane Architecture. 'The owners approached us with a clear ambition - to transform a modest, extended house into a modern, sustainable family home,' says architect David Jackson-Crane. 'They wanted to rationalise the layout, create a better connection between the living spaces and the garden, and introduce more light throughout.'

INTERIORS ADVICE

From the start, Eilidh had firm views on how the interior should be approached. 'We chose David because he had a similar design aesthetic - we were on the same page regarding how we were going to use the interior space, including storage and the basic furniture layout,' she says. 'Luckily Jackson-Crane also had their own interiors specialist, Amandine Viant, who advised on the space and flow aspects and she proved equally invaluable during the process.'