OLD SCHOOL

Rustic country charm meets industrial style in a former schoolhouse where Daisy Hill has made a light and airy loft-style home for herself and her two sons

- MAGGIE COLVIN

Never one to settle for mediocre, estate agent Daisy Hill was determined to find a property with the wow factor. She says she’s always longed to live in a New York loft apartment with big windows and lots of light. Trawling the internet and almost at the point of giving up, she had a eureka moment when details of a large, double-height flat in a converted schoolhouse popped up on the screen. ‘The link was sent to me by my parents, who were always very property aware.’ Full of expectation, she clicked on photos of the apartment located on the second floor, which was being sold with access to communal gardens, parking and a bike store.

With loft-like proportions and dazzling light, it had a mezzanine bedroom and bathroom level facing a single wall of tall windows, which Daisy says looked like an artist’s studio. Neatly tucked below this floor was a kitchen-dining area and laundry space.

On her first visit Daisy says she was sure, with just a few cosmetic changes, she could ‘happily live here with my two sons, Seb, then 16, and Ben, three. Of course, I was so wrong. I totally underestimated the work required to adapt the property to our lifestyle.’