Blaze of COLOUR

Nadine Judd, owner of home decor shop Punica, restored a period cottage in a kaleidoscopic palette for her husband Gordon and their family of four

- MAGGIE COLVIN

During her years as an army wife, Nadine Judd could hardly wait to be living in a place her family could call their own. Searching in the West Country, where she was born and bred, Nadine declared that ‘finding this cottage in Dorset was like coming home’.

On first sight, Nadine was blown away by the cottage nestled in idyllic unspoilt countryside. ‘I remember breathing a joyful sigh of nostalgic relief,’ she says. ‘It had a pretty facade surrounded by an acre of well-established garden.’

However, inside was a different story. ‘An open-tread 1970s staircase, fake beams, concrete floor and mint colour schemes throughout just didn’t work at all.’ The large hallway made poor use of the space, the tiny kitchen was dark and cramped and the sitting room in the original part of the house was equally gloomy. Upstairs was a jumble of small rooms with only one bathroom.