When interior designer Alex Coomer and her husband, Steve, bought their Victorian town house in west London three years ago they wanted to modernise it straight away. 'It was dark, dreary and dated when we moved in,' says Alex. Their previous home had been decorated quite traditionally so Alex was keen to do something different. 'I wanted to create a contemporary family home but still be sensitive to the house’s period features.'
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
May 4th, 2012

When it comes to inspirational architectural design, James Munro from
Granit is the man. He recently undertook a project to extend and remodel the kitchen and dining room in this large detached Victorian house in South East London, which leads out onto a Kiwi inspired garden formed of raised decking and wild grasses. The results have us pining for the same treatment on our homes. Here he chats through this project with ACHICA Living…
What look and feel...
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
April 19th, 2012
Step inside this stunning four-bedroom Berkshire home, built in 1923 and kitted out in a relaxed vintage style. It’s home to Beth and Geoff Francis, their three children and three golden retrievers. Take the tour now….
Beth loves new challenges, especially when it comes to decorating new homes and she definitely found one when she moved into a former headmaster’s home in Berkshire with her husband Geoff and three children. ‘I enjoy creative jobs and find them therapeutic and rewarding,’ says...
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
March 2nd, 2012
Step inside this stunner of a Victorian brick-and-flint cottage in Kent. It’s home to David and American-born Nancy Sharpe, their children and Labradoodle Monty, and is kitted out in dreamy New England décor…
Swapping a modern east-coast home in America to move across the pond to be closer to David’s family was an exciting move for Nancy and David Sharpe. ‘Some people might have found it quite a wrench to make such a major move, but I relished the prospect,’ remembers Nancy, who ...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
February 17th, 2012
Step inside this stunning Victorian home in west London, which has been lovingly restored by interior designer Dean Keyworth and Gavin Hilton. Take the tour now...
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
January 18th, 2012
Step inside this Cambridgeshire new build owned by Anne Bannell and husband Steve, which they share with their two children. It was the allure of more space that first attracted Anne and Steve to sell their treasured family home and relocate. When they came across a 1960s bungalow to buy, it seemed like a good option as it's surrounded by historic countryside, and also just a 20-minute drive from Cambridge, where the couple both work. ‘The position of the bungalow counted for far more than its size or condit...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
January 6th, 2012
Step inside this beautiful South-West London home owned by ACHICA members Ros and Andrew. The couple live here with their four children, Nina, Billy, Ellen, Kit and Jimmy the Springer Spaniel...
Before moving to their London townhouse in 2008, the family had been living in Wiltshire, in a spacious detached country house. ‘We decided to move to the big smoke as the children were getting older and we’d all had enough of living in a small village,’ explains Ros. ‘We had lived in London prior to moving to Wiltshire and we wanted t...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
December 23rd, 2011
Step inside this modernist new-build in a traditional Suffolk market town, owned by Jane and David Webb. The state-of-the-art home stands between a row of period properties and makes a stunning impression. 'Our previous home was furnished in a classic way, but we had very modern plans for this place,' says Jane, a former dress shop owner, who started the new build with her husband David in 2008, with a modular timber-framed home by Baufritz and he...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
December 8th, 2011
Step inside this fresh and colourful Victorian cottage, with brick and flint exterior, owned by Jackie and Mike Ramseyer…Meet Jackie Ramseyer, who owns a boutique specialising in costume jewellery, and lives in this vibrantly decorated Victorian cottage with her husband Mike. Their Sussex Downs home has been lovingly redecorated and the inside space reconfigured – bight colour and artworks give the interior a bright, modern look. ‘When we moved i...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
December 2nd, 2011
Step inside this Parisian-style 19th-century terraced house in Brighton, owned by graphic designer Patti Hopkins and her architect husband Rob...The couple had spent two years looking for a house when fate intervened and prompted a rethink of their plans. ‘We had found a property in London that we wanted,’ recalls Patti, ‘but six days before we were due to exchange contracts, the deal fell through.’
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
November 18th, 2011