Our garden was worth the move

Our garden was worth the move. After years of renting, and without owning one piece of furniture between them, Hayley McQueen and Kirk Newmann swapped city life for a tiny hamlet in rural Buckinghamshire. Feature NATALIE OSBORN Photographer DAVID GILES

Meet the owners Hayley McQueen, a Sky Sports broadcaster and event host, and her fiancé Kirk Newmann, director of production company Visual Prestige. The couple’s home is a threebedroom Victorian cottage in a Buckinghamshire hamlet.

Sometimes in house-hunting you can just get lucky. An unexplored town could be the perfect place to set down roots; an unfamiliar street could be filled with lifelong friends, and all it takes is a leap of faith – or, in Hayley McQueen and Kirk Newmann’s case, a leap out of London. ‘We found our house without knowing anything at all about the area,’ Hayley admits. The couple had been renting separately in London for a long time, but were reluctant to look elsewhere until they realised that a spacious garden – a virtual impossibility in the city – was the most important thing to them. ‘So, we decided to take the plunge and break free of the M25, cast our net wide and, amazingly, struck gold in Buckinghamshire.’

Their new home, a three-bed Victorian cottage, is set in a pretty hamlet, surrounded by historic villages and National Trust parkland. The house itself had been renovated from top to bottom by its previous owners, which was just as well, as the couple had a big task on their hands. ‘Kirk and I owned no furniture whatsoever,' Hayley explains. ‘We had to start completely from scratch and buy a lot, even before we moved in, as otherwise we would have had nothing to sit or sleep on!’ Thankfully, the couple discovered one store in particular that met their requirements perfectly: ‘I absolutely love Barker and Stonehouse,’ says Hayley. ‘We were both so relieved when we found it. Our beautiful bed, Harris tweed sofas and dining table and chairs are all from there. We also did a lot of shopping at the Old Cinema, near where I used to live in Chiswick, which is where I found our pendant lights. They make a huge difference to the rooms and act like an extra piece of furniture.’

Describing their style as ‘a little eclectic without being too eccentric’, the interior schemes are inspired by Hayley’s childhood in Scotland and Yorkshire, and the couple’s travels around the world, as well as Kirk’s German and Turkish heritage. Nothing matches, but that’s exactly the point – this is a relaxed, ever-evolving home. The couple weren’t afraid to go bespoke either, particularly when it saved money: ‘We saw a wooden table with hairpin legs that was just far too expensive, so we had a carpenter make one for a third of the price,’ says Hayley. ‘We picked the legs, got the wood, and it really was as easy as that.’

However, Hayley admits to spending too much time trying to find ‘a look’ in the beginning. ‘Now I’ve learned not to copy other people’s style, I go for what I like and enjoy being brave – especially when it comes to colour.’ From the pitch-black conservatory walls to the deep blue of the living room, the couple have discovered how to use light to their advantage. ‘We actually chose blue for the whole hallway, but it was like a bat cave when you entered the house, so we repainted one wall white,’ Hayley adds. ‘that was actually a big lesson for me, as I tend to overthink things, unlike Kirk. I could spend hours with tester pots and he’d just look at one colour and buy it. We’ve struck a good balance between us – and I’m now safe in the knowledge that I can always just paint over any disasters and it’s no big deal.’

Armed with her new colour confidence, Hayley has also embraced the wonders of chalk paint: ‘It’s amazing what you can do with an old piece of pine furniture,’ she says. ‘I’ve even transformed new pieces too, including a inexpensive wooden sideboard in the kitchen, which I painted grey and stained the top and handles. My only problem was getting ies stuck to it as it dried outside!’ the garden has been the couple’s latest project. ‘It’s such an important part of our home – it was the main reason we moved here, after all,’ Hayley says. ‘Kirk led the whole design as, being Turkish, he loves relaxing outdoors – and it’s changed how I live, too. First thing in the morning I ing open the conservatory doors and let the light stream through.’ Originally a contemporary design with very little winter interest, the garden is now zoned into three sections – a decked lounge, grass and two big vegetable patches – and is an extension of the cottage’s informal style. ‘As a lot of our interiors are quite dark, looking out onto a colourful garden creates a lovely contrast, especially the green of the grass – which is actually artificial, though you’d never guess,’ Hayley says.

Besides the couple’s new garden, another (and altogether unexpected) bonus to their move has been the friendly neighbours, who even threw a party for Hayley and Kirk when they got engaged. ‘Marie and Bill have lived on the street for over 30 years, and have really looked after us. It’s strange to think in London that’s such an alien concept – you don’t even know the names of the people next door, let alone have them over for coffee,’ Hayley reflects. ‘We might have left London for a garden, but we never imagined how much the move would change our lives for the better. Marie and Bill will have to put up with us for quite a while yet.’

Sources: GoodHomes UK, September 2018

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: