Better Homes And Gardens Star Realty

N ot many people buy a kitchen before they've found the house to put it in, but no one who knows designer Mairead Turner and her restaurateur husband Robin Hodgson is surprised to hear this is what they did. When they fall in love with a beautiful pre-loved bargain they snap it up and work out where it's going to go later.

"I spotted these kitchen units years ago, while on one of my regular eBay browsing binges," says Mairead. "It was boxes of pieces from a massive free-standing solid oak Habitat kitchen. I saw it and had to own it. I had it in storage until we finally found a home for it here. We literally arrived with everything apart from the kitchen sink – it didn't come with the sink!"

When the couple landed on the Isle of Anglesey eight years ago, Mairead was on maternity leave from her role as a producer of contemporary dance and Robin was in the process of selling the LS6 Clock Café and the adjoining vintage clothes shop Sugar Shack, two style landmarks in Leeds, where the pair honed their vintage buying skills. They made the move to fulfil Robin's dream of opening and running a chain of restaurants on the Welsh coast, with his business partner.

The extended dining room with two tables, colourful walls and views towards the coast. — 'I knew it was the house for us': the extended dining room with two tables, colourful walls and views towards the coast. Photograph: Rachael Smith/The Observer

So, while Robin was off venue-hunting, Mairead went searching for a home. And she found the house in much the same way as she chances upon all of her favourite things. "We rented while we worked out where we were going to settle. And, as I was on maternity leave, I'd go on long walks along the coast with the baby. It was on one of my walks that I saw this Victorian house up for sale. It's not the prettiest of buildings, but it has the most incredible views. I knew it was the place for us. To wake up and look out over the deer park and the sea beyond every day was like a dream come true."

As soon as they moved in, the couple began working on making the inside of the house as beautiful as its surroundings. "It was very old-fashioned," explains Mairead. "It hadn't been touched since the 1970s, when it was extended. The first thing we did was knock down walls in the extension to create one big living space and a final resting place for our eBay kitchen."

Some of the kitchen units were left free-standing and some were adapted by a local builder to create more of a fitted look with a breakfast bar. "We're a very sociable family and, I think because Robin runs restaurants, we also recognise how nice it is to have lots of places to sit, eat and hang out," says Mairead.

Blue patterned wallpaper and mustard yellow in the hallway — 'I start with an amazing wallpaper and work everything else around that': colours in the hallway. Photograph: Rachael Smith/The Observer

"We have a kooky, practical 1950s Formica table on one side of the kitchen for the kids' messy play and then a more formal dining table on the other side."

Seating that the couple have picked up on their travels is dotted all over the house. "Most of our furniture and accessories, and even the lighting, is picked up from antique markets, eBay, junk shops, charity shops or car-boot sales. Robin tends to come home with large, retro industrial pieces and I unearth the smaller details," says Mairead.

Fortunately, the couple are dab hands at restoring and painting furniture and accessories. And Mairead is very experimental when it comes to the structure of the home, too, with walls, doors and window frames often being redressed in colourful new hues.

Flower stencils in the bedroom. — 'Every space is joyous, but also restful': flower stencils in the bedroom. Photograph: Rachael Smith/The Observer

"It's obvious to anyone who steps in here that I love bold pattern, texture and colour," says Mairead. "I spend a lot of time working out how to balance different colours and patterns, so that every space is joyous, but also restful. I tend to start with an amazing patterned wallpaper that goes well with the proportions of a room and work everything else around that."

Mairead's striking designs quickly won praise from visitors to her home and soon people were asking her to help them with their own schemes.

"I've never had any formal design training," she admits "but I soon realised that I couldn't continue with my job as a dance producer while living out here and being a mum. I've always loved renovating houses and when friends started asking me to help with their projects, I jumped at it and became an interior designer by default."

Rear view of Mairead sitting on the balcony with a coffee and the view ahead of her — 'To look out over the deer park and the sea beyond was a dream come true': Mairead on the balcony. Photograph: Rachael Smith/The Observer

Mairead and Co Interiors is now thriving. Mairead's unique mix of pattern and colour can be seen in hotels, holiday cottages and homes across Wales and beyond, as well as Robin's now well-established chain of restaurants, Dylan's. No scheme, however, is quite as daring as her own home.

"This house is like a playground for me. It's where I take risks and experiment with colour and pattern in ways that I never would with clients' properties. I've tried out colour-blocking with the deep plum wall and cabinet in my office, for example, and I've based a scheme around a curtain fabric in our bedroom. Lockdown also gave me time to rethink things. I redid the hallway and as it's a place that we pass through, rather than spend time and relax in, I made it really fun."

Mairead and Robin and their daughters, Marnie, now nine, and Orla, six, love their home, and with so many new ideas to try out and eyes that unearth treasures at every turn, there is always going to be something different for visitors to spot.

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