* THE ART OF LIVING/PRECIOUS STONE *

Exquisitely finished and with a modern, light-filled interior, the impressive townhouse at Stoney Fields offers style and space from its exceptionally convenient location

Heading out from their Watton-at-Stone home on a sunny day, the current owners of the property can walk for miles. “This is such a beautiful place to live,” they admit. “We can be in open countryside in about two minutes and there are so many wonderful walks to enjoy – out across the fields to country pubs. This is a proper English village, with a village green, cricket club, two pubs, a post office, bakery, cafe and a good shop – there is even a railway station. It is the perfect place to live for the convenience of being within easy reach of the A1(M), Stevenage, Hertford and Welwyn Garden City, and travelling into London and Cambridge is easy and quick. Yet it also offers access to picturesque countryside and the house itself has wonderful views, out across the fields, as far as the horizon.”

BRIGHT INTERIOR

Bought off-plan nine years ago, the four-bedroom property was also appealing for its excellent proportions and bright interior. “The rooms are all a good size – they are also all dual aspect, which means there is plenty of sunshine,” they explain. “In fact, with windows on three sides, the whole house is flooded with light.” Since moving in, the owners have remodelled the ground floor to create free-flowing open-plan living. They have also redecorated from a palette of subtle blue and off-white shades and fitted plantation shutters throughout. Today the house has a stylish, elegant interior, which marries elements of the traditional and contemporary with ease and complements the carefully chosen pieces of art that adorn the walls. “We also added a large built-in cupboard downstairs, which provides excellent storage,” they add.

STREAMING SUNLIGHT

Entered via a porch and central front door, the house at Stoney Fields has a central reception hall, with access to a ground-floor cloakroom. The hall now flows seamlessly into the open-plan sitting and dining room, which features a beautiful wooden floor and French windows and skylights that bring the sunlight streaming in. “As soon as you enter the house, you now look right down the length of this room and out into the garden,” they say. “It is lovely to sit on the sofas after work, with the glass doors open or closed depending on the weather.” There is also ample space in here for the large dining table and chairs, making it superb for entertaining. “When you enter this room you realise what a ‘tardis’ this house is – there is far more space than you would expect from the outside.”

COMFORTABLE LIVING

The new kitchen is also at ground-floor level. Contemporary in style, this features dark units, stainless steel fittings, light granite surfaces and new appliances. “We do a lot of cooking and this is a very practical room that works well for anyone who enjoys spending time in the kitchen.” The current owners have created additional living space on the first floor of the house. “Because we didn’t need all the bedrooms, we decided to make one into a snug, where it is nice to sit and read or watch television. The other bedroom, which has an en-suite shower room, is currently our study, but would make a super master or guest bedroom.”

CALM AMBIENCE

The top floor of the house features two more double bedrooms and a family bathroom. “We love it up here so this is where we have our master bedroom and guest bedroom,” they explain. “It is so wonderfully light up here – and there is a real air of tranquillity. It is the perfect place to sit and relax.” The layout of the house could suit new owners with younger or older children. “It is extremely flexible, with a layout and rooms that can be arranged to suit the requirements of whoever moves in next,” they add.

SUMMER DAYS

The garden, which is something of a blank canvas, is a real sun trap. “It is nice to sit out here with a bottle of wine at the end of the day during the summer,” they say. “It is very peaceful here – with often the only sound being the birdsong.” They add: “We are lucky because we have a sense of being in the countryside and yet also have everything the village offers and towns close by. This has been a superb place to live and we will miss it greatly when we leave.”

SETTING THE SCENE

The house opens on to an enclosed garden with a lawn and terrace, which enjoys good sunshine. There is scope here for new owners to put their own stamp on the outside space. The property comes with a garage and private driveway parking.

“This is such a beautiful place to live.”

“We can be in the open countryside in about two minutes and there are so many wonderful walks to enjoy – out across the fields to country pubs.”

“This is a proper English village, with a village green, cricket club, two pubs, a post office, bakery, cafe and a good shop – there is even a railway station.”

“It offers access to picturesque countryside and the house itself has wonderful views, out across the fields, as far as the horizon.”

“The rooms are all a good size – they are also all dual aspect, which means there is plenty of sunshine.”

“With windows on three sides, the whole house is flooded with light.”

“The property has been redecorated from a palette of subtle blue and off-white shades and fitted plantation shutters throughout.”

“The house has a stylish, elegant interior, which marries elements of the traditional and contemporary with ease.”

“The hall now flows seamlessly into the open-plan sitting and dining room, which features French windows and skylights that bring the sunlight streaming in.”

“As soon as you enter the house, you now look right down the length of this room and out into the garden.”

“It is lovely to sit on the sofas after work, with the glass doors open or closed depending on the weather.”

“We do a lot of cooking and the kitchen is a very practical room that works well.”

“It is so wonderfully light up on the top floor – and there is a real air of tranquillity. It is the perfect place to sit and read a book.”

“This house is extremely flexible, with a layout and rooms that can be arranged to suit the requirements of whoever moves in next.”

“It is very peaceful here – with often the only sound being the birdsong.”