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Somerset Interiors: A Cosmopolitan CombinationHow one couple turned their ugly duckling of a house into an airy home with an individual blend of old and new. Words by Victoria Jenkins and photos by William Goddard. READ MORE »  OTHER ARTICLES
The Timber Tradesman of SomersetSarah Ford meets John Tucker, a Somerset carpenter who takes inspiration from the past to solve 21st-century space problems. READ MORE »
Beach-Inspired Somerset Home MakeoverAn uninviting home has been transformed into a beach-inspired retreat with local craftsmanship at its heart. Photos by Nicholas Yarsley READ MORE » 
Rural Retreat RestoredNordrach House has been a sanatorium, and housed evacuees and refugees. It is now a beautifully restored Somerset home, which has helped its owners fall in love with the country. Photos by Paul Coleshill, words by Victoria Jenkins. READ MORE » 
A Religious ConversionA disused chapel near Taunton has been transformed into a contemporary home with an eclectic array of furnishings from around the world. Ten years ago John Bendall found the disused chapel and managed to buy it for the grand total of £21,000 at auction. “It was a total wreck, having been empty for years,” he says, but John, who owns Village World, a business importing antiques and artefacts from all over the world, could see that the design of the building was quite elegant and simple. So, with enviable DIY skills, proceeded to convert the chapel into a stylish home. READ MORE » 
Homes with IncomeSpare room? Inviting tenants into your home can provide companionship – and tax breaks. Handled correctly, this can be an income-boosting way of providing a good home for your tenant and making the most of the space you have available. So advantageous are the tax breaks on the Rent a Room scheme that it is worth considering by anyone struggling with their mortgage repayments or the hike in the cost of living. After all, around £4,250 in annual tax-free income can go a long way towards those mortgage costs.
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| An Architectural Evolution This dilapidated farmhouse, which started life as a granary, has been transformed thanks to the special skills of its owner. Photos by Nicholas Yarsley READ MORE » 
A Level Best: Designing a Home with Disability in For this family, escaping from London has entailed renovating a cottage with the future needs of their young disabled son in mind, planting more than 100 trees and breeding alpacas. Words by Victoria Jenkins and photos by Nicholas Yarsley. READ MORE » 
Expand your HorizonsLove your home but need more space? Increasing numbers of homeowners are choosing to undertake home improvements rather than move house. With the stress and expense involved in moving, it’s certainly worth considering alternative ways to gain extra space. This November, ‘Somerset Life’ outlines the options for staying put and extending the walls around you.
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DIY MakeoverLin and George Watkins first spotted their 1830s four-bedroom home in the spring of 2004, and although it was in poor condition, they loved it straight away. “All the woodwork was stained a mahogany brown, which made it look very dark and gloomy,” says Lin. “There was a badly laid mahogany laminate floor throughout most of the downstairs, and in the kitchen some of the worktops were scorched where hot pans had been put down.” But with some DIY skills and artistic flair it’s possible to transform your home without spending the earth, as Lin explains in the August issue. READ MORE » 
Industrial SpaceConverting an old warehouse provided the opportunity to create a unique home for one Bristol interior designer. Helena Angelides bought a scrap-metal dealer’s old warehouse in Bristol in February 2006 then spent six months converting it into her home and studio. “It covers 1,200 sq ft, was just a shell with a sub-floor and is part of an old industrial site,” she says. “In fact, someone turned up here recently asking for the scrap-metal dealer himself.” Her story is told in the June issue of ‘Somerset Life’. READ MORE » 
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Somerset Walks
Whether you choose a woodland trail, a stroll through Lorna Doone country, a walk centred around impressive geological features or on spectacular viewpoints, our wonderful selection of Somerset walks, which feature monthly in the magazine, will bring you chance encounters with Exmoor ponies, feral goats, rabbits, kestrels, buzzards, red deer and butterflies.
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Garden Visits
Inspirational visits to gardens across the county feature in Somerset Life every month and here we give you a taste of just six of them, most of which are open to the public and guaranteed to enlighten and enthral.
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Celebrity Interviews
Characters from the county talk to us every month about their lives and loves, and this selection captures the flavour and variety of six of these celebrity interviews. You can catch up with the latest interview in the current issue of Somerset Life.
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10 good reasons to visit...
In this popular series which features every month in Somerset Life, we take a deeper look at what there is to see and do in villages and towns across the county.
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