A new leaf

Dani Sandels embraced her passion for botanics and natural textures in the renovation of her family home, resulting in a space that delights the eye at every turn

-  EMMA J PAGE

A beguiling blend of trailing house plants, tactile ceramics, colourful glassware and natural woven elements, the Surrey home of Dani and her husband, Tom, feels simultaneously energising and relaxing. Its welcoming feeling is not new, however. Part of a converted school complex, this home was, in fact, once occupied and deeply cherished by Dani’s grandparents, both of whom treasured the building’s communal gardens. The house was eventually sold, but a quirk of fate brought it back into the family. ‘We had no intention of buying it, but when I fell pregnant with our first child, Cooper, we decided to look for somewhere a little larger,’ recalls Dani. ‘As soon as I saw it again, it felt right – we were both excited by the prospect of renewing it.’

Elements such as original parquet flooring in the kitchen and hallway triggered nostalgic memories for Dani, but there was much to be done to make this home suitable for a growing family. ‘It has a relatively intuitive layout, but it needed opening up somewhat,’ she says. ‘I don’t remember the dining room being used when I was little, so we knew we wanted to knock it through to make a larger, multifunctional space.’ The couple also updated the property’s two bathrooms and laid new finger parquet flooring where the original could not be restored.