Real Estate Industry News

This chic newly renovated Welsh home takes its style cues from New England and Scandinavia.

The 7,000-square-foot stone house, which is on sale for $1.2 million and lies on the south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales, U.K., offers a pared-down version of coastal style.

Built in the 18th century, and formed of a farmhouse and an adjoining cottage, the 6-bedroom stone home is characterized by bright and airy rooms, natural materials and a pale color palette—a look that its owner describes as Scandinavia meets New England.

Its interior has been created by interior stylist and events planner Elle Winsor-Grime, who owns the property. Winsor-Grime, who serially renovates properties to either rent out or to sell on, bought it as a holiday let in 2018 for $969,000. 

The house blends the minimalist look of Scandi style, the bright and breezy aesthetic of New England, and the rustic, rural feel of a Welsh farmhouse, according to its sales photos. “It’s a modern take on everything that encompasses coastal style without being twee,” Winsor-Grime said. “The property has a rural and coastal setting, and it is light and airy so it lends itself to the style.”

Set at the end of a 0.6-mile drive in Rhydyclafdy, it has a secluded, rural setting while only being 3 miles from the coast at Pwllheli, the main town on the Llŷn Peninsula. It is 5 miles from Abersoch, a fashionable seaside resort known for its high property prices, and 90 miles from Liverpool.

 Tyddyn Llwydyn, as it is known, had been recently restored by its previous owners who had bought it as a wreck. It retains its Welsh farmhouse period features while offering light-filled rooms thanks to its high ceilings, period windows, roof lights, and 10 exterior doors opening onto its gardens, according to Winsor-Grime.

 Winsor-Grime finished its interior using almost exclusively Welsh and U.K.-sourced materials and fittings and the work was undertaken by Llŷn artisans and craftsmen, according to the property’s sales details. 

In the main house, the open-plan kitchen/dining room has the wow factor, Winsor-Grime said. Featuring a kitchen island, Neff appliances, and an Aga range cooker, it is a light-filled space with a vaulted ceiling, exposed oak beams, whitewashed stone walls, and French doors. 

The adjoining garden room meanwhile has a half-pitched roof with flat windows and a woodburning stove while the drawing room features a Victorian fireplace, a stone bay window, and limed oak herringbone flooring. Above it lies the master bedroom that has a balcony above the bay window.

“It’s perfect for self-isolation with its lovely, quiet rural setting,” said selling agent Mark Haddon, of Savills, the agency handling the sale. “It is sheltered from the wind and has surprisingly large rooms for a Welsh farmhouse.”

The property, whose name roughly translates as ‘Grey House’ in English according to Winsor-Grime, comes with 15 acres of land. Its grounds have views of the Snowdonia mountain range and feature neat and wild lawns, a pond, and areas of woodland. On the grounds, there is a part-converted, 860-square-foot barn and unconverted 2649-square-foot steel barn, both of which could be turned into further accommodation, subject to planning consents.

The home –which is available to rent via Airbnb and Quality Cottages –features a farmhouse with three bedrooms and a double bedroom annex and an adjoining cottage with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, according to the property’s sales details. The two properties form a single dwelling and access between the houses is via the utility room, but it could easily be made into two separate dwellings, Holden said.

The Llŷn Peninsula in northwest Wales has the Irish Sea one side and Cardigan Bay on the other and is known for its seaside villages, beaches, cliffs, rolling countryside, and mild climate warmed by the Gulf Stream.