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Aug-Sep15
HOME&PROPERTY
How have you changed the house?
One of the biggest things I did was design a new outside space,
which has evolved in stages. The garden was originally one long
slope, so we excavated part of it to put in the decking, and built
perimeter walls. We created planters to surround the house, and
we used a mixture of classic box hedge and tropical plants to
green-screen our perimeter.
The swimming pool started off as a concrete platform for the
trampoline – very rough and ready. I wanted a Balinese feel, with
that lovely mineral-green look to the water, but I also didn’t want
to spend a fortune. So it’s basically a concrete box, which has
been finished with black slate-look tiles, and the landscaping
is such that we can look out and enjoy those amazing views
from the pool. It’s a little oasis.
I also opened up the entire children’s floor to optimise the
space and create a flexible living and sleeping area. It can
be opened or closed as required, using custom-made sliding
walls and doors. It was originally one large bedroom with two
cupboards, so I relocated one to the living area, created a walk-
in wardrobe for my daughter, and put in sliding walls between
the two sleeping areas. Now the area is very open, but the