Scandi Style Is Just So Clean And Simple

Rhiannon and Joel Payne radically remodelled this Fifties bungalow, transforming the exterior with larch cladding to give it a Scandi feel that they followed through on the inside

Paint it all white

‘It’s the perfect complement to Scandi design: no frills; no fuss; no flounces,’ says Rhiannon. ‘It lets me add character with artwork, accessories and furniture, like the huge glazed dresser in the kitchen – we lost a window to have wall space for it, but it stops the room looking too functional.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES

For a similar dresser, try the Cream Fayence 5ft dresser, £1,166, La Maison Chic. For a similar dining table, try the Formica laminate-topped table, from £780, Matt Antrobus. Corazana yellow triangle throw, £24, B&Q 

Welcome to my home

Rhiannon and Joel Payne weren’t expecting to build a house. Their initial idea was to renovate and sell, hopefully making a small profit. ‘I’d just inherited a bit of money and a small property-development project seemed like a good idea,’ says Rhiannon. With a total spend of £200,000, the couple won a bid for a Fifties bungalow. ‘I was a bit blinkered by the ugliness of the house itself, but Joel saw the lovely views and the big oak tree in the back garden and we started to imagine a very different house.’

The couple came up with a plan to strip the property back to just three original walls, and reroof to allow for rooms upstairs in the eaves. They also wanted to add light to the dingy interior, so they moved the front entrance to the side to create a more sensible layout, with rooms flowing off a central, double-height hallway. ‘Also on my wish list was a beautiful open-plan kitchen, living and dining space,’ says Rhiannon, who runs design consultancy, mydesignerfriend.co.uk. ‘I wanted a light-filled space that would make the most of the views across open fields and where we could spend the majority of our time when we’re home.’