about interiors
Nestled amongst the Suffolk countryside, within the glorious grounds of the Sotterley Estate and only fifteen minutes from the Heritage Coast, sits The Garden Coop, a delightful cottage that has been cleverly converted from a garage into a luxurious holiday let. The Garden Coop belongs to Nikki Horton, who lives in the farmhouse next door and originally built the double garage when they moved here from Somerset in 2007. “A few years back we decided it would be fun to create some extra accommodation and had the idea to convert the garage.” It was quite an ambitious project as the space was only fifty square metres, but by working together closely with Southwold-based architect Paul Bradley and local builders J.Briggs, Nikki has created a wonderful eco chalet-style cottage that can be used as an overflow when she has a houseful, such as at Christmas, and also rented out as a beautiful holiday home.
The design cleverly maximises the space available and by incorporating bi-folding doors from the sitting room out to a pretty covered veranda, the living space flows effortlessly from the inside out, making the whole room feel so much bigger. This feeling of space is reinforced by the addition two large windows that allow the natural light to flood the central area. “The veranda is integral to how people use this space. They love to eat out here in the summer or just to relax with the Sunday papers over a coffee, and in the winter it is still lovely as on a fresh crisp morning you can huddle with a blanket and enjoy the views out 19