This determined Emma and husband Sean to bring as much life and light back into this untouched property as possible. Starting with the bedrooms and finishing with the kitchen and bathrooms - as they’d take the most work - the Cockshotts’ collective hard work alongside a team of tradespeople completely transformed this house.

Early design decisions

Emma explains, “I decided quite early on that I wanted to inject a lot of colour into the house and as much light as possible.”

“When I first started designing, I’d take into account the light and how that makes you feel, I would then go online and look for ideas on colours and send off for samples.”

A decision for daylight transformed the space

Finding their sense of nature indoors was important to the family, and the positioning of the roof window has offered great views and a healthy experience. From two low-light bathrooms to one that’s open and naturally lit, their choice helped them to fulfil their desires.

“When we renovated the bathroom, we decided to knock through into what was a toilet. We blocked up a window in there, so it was quite dark in here. We did consider putting a window in the back wall but decided to go with the VELUX, just because of the top light. As soon as we put it in, we realised it was the right decision because the light just streams in and just makes all the difference in here.”

“That movement of the light throughout the day, it just really transforms the space.”

“You always feel like you’re sort of almost outside and when the skies are blue and the sun is shining, and the light is streaming in, it just really gives you a lift on a morning.”

A finish fit for the environment

With the whole family using this one bathroom, limiting condensation from the hustle and bustle of the day, and having surplus space for a tranquil moment was a must.

“When all the family uses the bathroom, it can be so busy and get quite humid in here. We decided to go for the PU finish which is really easy to wipe down.”

Smart homes, full control

“We also, have an app, which makes it really easy to control from a mobile phone.”

“When choosing VELUX, we decided to add a rain sensor which gives us peace of mind, that if it starts to rain and the window’s open, it just closes itself.”

A window to all seasons

“I feel like we’ve really achieved what we set out to do – it’s such a lovely space, in summer, spring, autumn, winter - you just get a different vibe.”

“If it’s snowed and there’s snow on there, you just feel so cosy in here. When it’s raining, you can just look up and, again, you just feel like you’ve got a big hug.”