REAL HOME
When Katherine Shah and her husband, Keval, first bought their Gloucestershire home it was in a sorry state. ‘It had been tenanted for decades and needed a huge amount of work,’ she recalls. ‘There were mismatched kitchen cabinets, the floors weren’t level and the walls were painted in garish shades of orange, purple and red.’ Despite the condition of the property there was intense competition, but after best and final offers the couple managed to seal the deal. ‘Although the house was barely habitable, I fell in love with its Cotswold stone charm and could see its potential as a wonderful family home,’ says Katherine. ‘Plus I liked its location in the heart of a pretty country village just a short hop from Cirencester.’