A New Start

A compact barn became a calm haven for Michelle Nugent when she moved back to Herefordshire

- Sara Bird

Decorating her petite barn in the Herefordshire countryside during the run-up to Christmas is a case of bringing the outside in for Michelle Nugent. ‘We have a communal orchard in the village so I tend to forage the overgrown hedgerows there,’ she says. ‘I love to fill the house with foliage.’

Michelle moved back to Herefordshire to be close to her family nine years ago and, after renting in Hereford for a while, decided to buy her own place. She spotted a cottage in a local newspaper and was drawn to its location in a nearby village, but the photos made it look so cramped, she nearly didn’t go to see it. Fortunately, the viewing won her over. ‘It turned out the current owner had downsized and filled the house with furniture that was way too big so, while it looked tiny in the estate agent’s photos, the house turned out to be a lot bigger. It had everything I needed and ended up being the first – and only – house I saw.’