Modern Classic

Louise Davies combined traditional and contemporary style when she built her practical and comfy home.

Louise and Neil Davies’ home in Hertfordshire is only three years old yet, with its traditional red bricks, bay windows and pitched slate roof, the house looks as though it has been sitting in its semi-rural spot for years and years. 

Inside, it’s the same. Subtle, period-style touches mingle with understated modern looks, and overall it’s light, bright and pretty, with a feeling of ease and comfort that can only be achieved when everything is in just the right place.

‘We tried to interpret the house as a Victorian/Edwardian classic – although with cleaner lines,’ says Louise. ‘It’s a simple, square house, but we planned everything incredibly carefully, from the built-in shoe cupboards in the hall to the period-style coving that finishes off all the rooms.’

Back in 2010 things were very different. Louise and Neil were living in a narrow Victorian terrace in Kent with their two children but, after their youngest, Maximus, was born, they simply didn’t have enough space. Then came a stroke of incredible good fortune.