‘Third time lucky’ is how Kelly Impett and Duncan Hair describe their house in Claygate, Surrey. Looking to move to gain more space, the couple first saw a house a few streets away from where they were living, but it came on to the market and sold before they had time to act upon it. They put an offer in on a second house a few doors down from it, but they were gazumped. So when a third house in the street came up for sale they didn’t hesitate and thankfully it all went through without a hitch. ‘This one was cheaper but not in such good condition,’ explains Kelly. ‘But we had seen what could be achieved in the other two properties. It was structurally sound but just in poor decorative order.’
Kelly and Duncan’s wish list for the house included an open fire in the living room – the one here was very small so they decided to invest in a log-burner instead. They opened up the fireplace and decorated it themselves before it was installed and asked a carpenter friend to build them the log store, shelving and mantle. ‘i worked a few seasons as a chalet maid when i was younger and into snowboarding. i love the atmosphere a log-burner creates, it is so warm and cosy in here on a winter’s day.’ The sofas and chair are from camerich. Duncan has had the leather armchair for years; the cats have scratched it which has given it a distressed, vintage feel