RUSTIC CHARM

Rhodri Owen and Richard Price s period home is a picture - perfect vision of country living.
Buying a derelict Welsh cottage, untouched since the 1940s, was a step into the unknown for Rhodri Owen and Richard Price. The place looked a real mess when we first saw it, Rhodri admits. The couple went ahead with the purchase before they sold their flat, meaning they could enjoy home comforts while the work was being carried out. Weathcrproofing the cottage was the priority, so a master thatcher travelled up from Devon to fix the roof. It was fascinating to see the building being rethatched from scratch, Richard recalls. The two chimneys also had to be rebuilt, and the exterior re - rendered in lime mortar. We did our homework, and took inspiration from visits to the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans, near Cardiff, which documents several renovated historic properties, says Rhodri. Inside, there was no bathroom, central heating or hot water, and a tiny kitchen, comprising a Belfast sink, a tap and a Baby - Belling cooker. The pair replaced the tired format with buttermilk - painted. Shaker - style cabinetry, built by a local carpenter and angled slightly to give the illusion of greater space. Rhodri and Richard then updated the decor in the living areas, teaming traditional and vintage furnishings with antiques and pieces of Welsh art. We were keen to give the schemes a fresh look while respecting the houses character, says Rhodri. The sitting room, endowed with an impressive inglenook, had been treated to various colour palettes over the years, including fuchsia pink, when the walls matched the roses in the garden. But theres only so much of that you can take, says Rhodri, so now the walls are a chalky green.

I n the dining room, where a deeper green provides the backdrop for furniture bought from a local store, the decor is designed to blend with the exterior.4 We applied for listed planning consent to take out the dining room glazing and replace it with French windows, says Rhodri. We were lucky that there was some evidence of a pre - existing door, or a long window, so the planners allowed the alteration, and the room now feels much lighter.
Upstairs, the pair removed two partition walls and reconfigured the layout to allow for three bedrooms and a spacious bathroom.