FRESH start
Tina and Jason Triplitt I updated their English home in Scandinavian style, using a clean white palette.
Returning to the U К after a stint in the bustling city of Singapore, Tina and Jason Triplitt decided to raise their three little girls in a quiet and secluded spot well away from a city. So the couple concentrated their search on a leafy part of Surrey, renting a house while they familiarised themselves with the area.
Eventually, we found a very pretty 1930s property on a lovely gated estate, where plenty of young families lived, says Danish - born Tina. But with only three bedrooms, it was too small to really suit our needs. The Triplitts, however, were undeterred, and after making a successful offer for the house, the family stayed on in rented accommodation while waiting for planning permission to reconfigure their new home.
Our proposal was to add a further two floors to an existing single - storey extension at the side of the house/ says Tina. The roof would then be enlarged to cover the new wing, before the entire loft was converted. Finally, we wanted to demolish some of the walls downstairs in order to create an open - plan living zone.
Once this ambitious plan was approved, the build went ahead, resulting in a spacious six - bedroom house with an additional three bathrooms, a far larger kitchen - diner and a games room in the loft.
With the structural work complete, Tina turned her attention to the decor, favouring a Scandinavian scheme. As well as the floorboards - When I told the builders I wanted our new timber to be painted white, they couldnt believe it; laughs Tina - the walls, ceilings and much of the furniture is finished in the same pristine fashion.
Her kitchen is a particular favourite, and shows Tina "y to spot a bargain, as well as her eye for stylish design. The couple original!) had their hearts set on some state - of - the - art cabinetry, but they soon realised it was beyond their budget. We didnt let that put us off. though, Tina explains. 1 nstead, we discovered that a local showroom could supply us with something very similar ata fraction of the price. That certainly taught us the importance of shopping around.
Having installed the kitchen, Tinas next step was to ensure the living space at the back of the property flowed seamlessly out to the garden. My family used to have a summerhouse back in Denmark with decking outside, and we wanted to replicate that here. she says. So we installed three sets of floor - to - ceiling glass double doors, which lead straight out to the decked area. The garden now feels like an extra room, and when the doors are thrown open, it creates a lovely feeling of space.
Even though Tina and Jason have travelled widely, gathering many items from around the globe, including animal - skin rugs from Africa.
I always try to avoid clutter, Tina explains. "Not only is the house easier to maintain, but the decor looks much brighter if there arent too many pieces of furniture or ornaments to focus on.
Although renovating the property was undoubtably a strain on the pursestrings. Tina is more than delighted with what she and Jason have achieved. Its true that you need to virtually double your budget when planning such improvements, she says. But we love our home because it exactly reflects the sort of people we are.
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Landscape Design