IT’S ALL ABOUT texture & colour

LEE THORNLEY CHOSE BEAUTIFUL ELEMENTS TO TURN ORDINARY INTO EXTRAORDINARY, SHOWING WHAT’S ACHIEVABLE WHEN USING SIMPLE MATERIALS WELL

- RUTH CORBETT

HOME NOTES

WHO LIVES HERE?

Lee Thornley, creative director and founder of Bert & May, and his partner Phil, who owns a pottery business, live here with Lee’s daughters, Lyla, 12, and Iris, nine, and their two dogs, Poppy the Labrador and Molly the dachshund.

THE PROPERTY

An extended three-bedroom house in Poppleton, Yorkshire.

1 “Wood-clad walls create a dramatic effect”

‘The ground-floor open-plan kitchen/dining/living space faces the garden, so is incredibly bright, with plenty of natural light that bounces off the white-painted ceiling. This space also features sleek Fifties-style cocktail chairs and wood detailing on the walls, which adds warmth, depth and texture. A woodburner brings this area together and makes it feel intimate and inviting.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Stovax Studio Air 2 freestanding woodburner, £2,500, flames.co.uk. Grid Line tiles, £167.40sq m, Bert & May. Loha rug, from £315, Floor Story

2 “Skylights add invaluable daylight”

‘A shabby lean-to at the back of the house was demolished to make way for a double-storey extension, which incorporates the open-plan kitchen/ dining/living area. Again, with the focus on allowing as much natural light into the space as we could, we opted for sleek skylights that sit neatly in the kitchen side return, allowing the sun to stream in gently and brighten the space.’