French Grey

Lifestyle After being given land as a wedding present,Judy and Simon set about creating a calm havenin their countryside new-build in Ballymena.

The build started in 2013, when Judy and Simon had been given land as a wedding present from Judy’s parents, right next to the family home. They had a fair idea of what they wanted from the offset, with plans in place and Judy’s father project managing, things moved pretty quickly. ‘We wanted to keep the house sympathetic to the countryside surroundings, so we opted for a story and a half house with a cottage style exterior,’ says Judy.

‘The site itself had its fair share of challenges, it needed excavated to make the ground level and a retaining wall was built at the back, which was quite a big expense and wasn’t in our original budget, but it didn’t delay the build and it was ready within a year.’

That particular year was a huge one for Simon and Judy, as not only were they building a home, but they were also about to get married and Judy was almost ready to graduate! ‘It was a crazy time with so many things going on, and everything seemed to come together at the same time so once we were moved in, married and I had graduated we didn’t really know ourselves!’ laughs Judy.

The large, opening hallway as you enter the home really sets the tone for the rest of the house, with floods of natural light and a calming, neutral colourway. Judy spied a kitchen in a magazine that she loved, and so she set about finding a local designer that could create the look on their budget. The kitchen is traditionally styled with light, cream cabinetry and marble effect worktops.