COUNTRY calling

Anita and Tom Storrar have cleverly enhanced their pretty stone cottage in the North York Moors National Park, which is the focal point of their idyllic family life

Life could not be more idyllic for the Storrar family, who wake up every morning to the rolling hills and beautiful wildlife of the North Yorkshire countryside.

The rural estate setting is amazing, and it was what convinced us to move here,' says Anita Storrar. 'We were living in a village 10 miles away when Tom was offered the estate manager's job here, which included the cottage to rent. We came to see it with our children, George, now II, Annabelle, nine, and Henry, eight, and instantly fell in love."

The long stone estate cottage had been well loved by the previous tenants but the Storrars took a long term view and asked the landlord if they could emphasise some of the original features and make various cosmetic changes to create the style they wanted.

They were given the go-ahead to install new kitchen units and bathroom fittings, which would be more in keeping with the age of the property. The couple added a new freestanding roll-top bath and replaced white marble tiles with timber panelling to create a warmer period feel.