Brenda Dowding and her partner David Williamson moved from Heads Nook to their latest property in Faugh two years ago.

Brenda, who runs interiors and weddings businesses Gardenalia and Garden Cottage, describes her new home as a warm and comforting embrace.

“Coming into a home, it’s got to hug you,” she says. “You’ve got to feel cosy and warm. That’s what I want to create.”

The property is surrounded by fields and has eight acres of land with the potential to build outbuildings to house Brenda’s wedding prop hire business and interiors stock, plus a shed for Dave, a mechanical engineer.

“We walked in the door and within 10 seconds we knew it was for us. You just get a feeling – it was warm and welcoming.”

The couple have replaced terraces and conifers at the front of the property with a veranda, wooden decking, outdoor seating areas and metal sculptures. They also added wooden balconies to the upstairs bedrooms, updating the exterior with timber beams and making the most of the setting, with its views of Cumrew Pike and Blencathra.

What was a roomy garage has become Brenda’s sanctuary, a cosy, light-filled garden room with wood-burning stove and blue-green colour scheme.

On completing the room, Brenda discovered it perfectly complimented her collection of Portmeirion pottery, which previously had been hidden away in cupboards. She uses the space as a demonstration room for her cooking courses and for discussions with brides about which accessories and floral arrangements are required.

In the main house, accessories and cosy touches abound. “Sometimes less is more, but not in this house it ain’t,” says Brenda. Then again, who can have too many hugs?

* The full version of this article appeared in Carlisle Living