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The couple were also given some large portraits, bought from Irish country house sales in the 1950s, as well as Worcester porcelain from Melanie\u2019s grandfather, and lots of classic books. \u2018There\u2019s something quite lovely about picking up a jug or a book and thinking one of our relatives once handled and used this piece, just like I do,\u2019 says Melanie. \u2018I love having things around us that I know have been loved, and really cared for and enjoyed by generations before.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Modernising an Edwardian Country Home<\/h3>\n
Melanie and Charles moved to their substantial Edwardian country home in 2012. Built for a retired naval officer in 1905, the house had been untouched for years and the couple fell in love with all the original features. <\/span><\/p>\n
\u2018It was as though the house had been asleep and was waiting to be brought back to life,\u2019 recalls Melanie. \u2018The fireplaces were tiled in gorgeous jewelled colours, and the stone and wood floors had a worn, lived-in feel. The joinery and detailing isn\u2019t as fussy as the Victorian era and is closer in style to classic Georgian design, but without the price tag.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n
Large rooms with high ceilings and plenty of light appealed to Melanie and Charles but with few changes since the 1940s some careful mondernisation was required. After opening up the kitchen and putting French doors across the back, the couple reworked the former maids\u2019 rooms on the top floor into a bedroom, den and a bathroom for their children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n