Contemplating city vs country life is something creative director Kenny and florist Joan Holmes are well placed to do. Having moved from Muswell Hill in north London to Bedfordshire in order to be closer to their sons’ school, they’ve spent the last six years enjoying the pleasures of country living – long dog walks, a more balanced work and home life and a greater connection to nature.

Now, ahead of their move to Montreal, for which they will be trading their large multi-use home for a city-centre apartment, we catch up with them about the joys they’ve found from living at Wisteria House, currently for sale.

Kenny: “Our last home was a typical Edwardian semi in north London and we had done everything we could to maximise the potential within that space. At that point our two boys were both going to school in Letchworth, and I was running my own design business from a back bedroom, so we decided to look for somewhere outside London to be nearer the boys’ school and would be a ‘project’ that could provide an opportunity to create a more contemporary home with the ability to incorporate a more suitable working studio space.

“We found this, which was more of a collection of buildings then, including an unloved yet serviceable five-bedroom Georgian family house attached to a range of underutilised, semi-derelict outbuildings all sitting within an amazing walled garden and featuring a spectacular, ancient wisteria that gives the house its name.”

Joan: “Obviously coming out of an established community in London to a new village was a change in pace but it’s a relatively lively village with quite a few things going on. But, for us, living here has all been about the connection to the countryside. The fact that we can just step outside with our dog and within minutes be walking along the river or wandering through fields is so freeing and lovely.”

Kenny: “And, because when we finished the studio the journey to my desk only took 30 seconds, my day was freed up and I could work more flexibly. I was able to do a couple of hours work then felt comfortable heading off for a gentle dog walk or a more energetic cycle, before picking up work again later. It’s just nice to have a bit more freedom in the day, without a rigid routine. Running and cycling and all that stuff is way more pleasant out here because it’s so much less stressful and hectic. I’ve found that so refreshing.

“Over and above the connection to nature, what we’ve come to love about the house is the relationship between the domestic and studio spaces. The working space is there, but it’s not in your face, which is often an issue in more conventional houses, where there can be an uneasy juxtaposition between work and home life.

“Here, we can step away from our work, close a door and not have to see it or think about it while we are in the more domestic part of the house. That’s been a lovely thing, to have the physical and psychological space between home and work life. And, you don’t need to worry about how you leave it because you won’t see it!”

Joan: “Yes, sometimes my work can be very messy, and it’s nice to not inflict that on the rest of the house. Like Kenny, I was originally a designer and worked for big agencies in London but since we came out here I retrained to be a florist, which has been great.

“I now work mainly freelance, on weddings mostly, but I do some of my own projects including recently undertaking all the styling for a floristry book – the publisher then chose Wisteria House as the venue for the photoshoot.

“I have also run occasional floristry workshops from the studio space which, with its double-height volume and direct connection to the garden, provides a truly inspiring place to work. In the summer, we open up all the doors and there’s a great flow between the inside and outside. And whilst the garden isn’t massive, due to it being walled it splits into a series of distinct zones that feel private and secluded.

“I think I’m going to miss that connection between the house and the garden.”

Kenny: “There’s a great connection to the outside. But I think the key to this house is its flexibility. The way the volumes all feel quite different means you can choose to be in a domestic, intimate-feeling space or a contemporary, open, light-filled space depending on where the light is or what the weather is doing.

“The studio is also a great multi-use space. That is where our boys mostly gravitated towards with their friends for sleepovers or to just hang out. In that respect, the house works really well as it can take a lot of people really comfortably – making it the party destination for both of our sons and all their friends.

“The generosity and flexibility of space are definitely going to be things we’ll miss in a three-bedroom apartment in the centre of Montreal – especially when it’s snowing outside!”

Joan: “And the available space means that Wisteria House could be even more multi-use than it is now: there’s the other barn which we haven’t touched yet and we have planning permission to turn the buildings into two separate dwellings, so the scope of the house is quite broad: you could run a business from here, bring up a family or do a multi-generational living thing (there’s a discreet entrance to the studio).

“But things have moved on for us. Both our boys have gone off to university now so it’s just the two of us and the dog rattling around. That’s why we have taken the role in Canada, where we’ll be moving to in the new year. We are aware that the house really comes into its own when it’s full of people. We’ve had great family things, lots of people staying and big Christmases, which have all been fantastic.

“Now we will have one last big family Christmas here as the final hurrah, which will be a fitting end for our time in Wisteria House – then it will be nice to think of another family making it home and enjoying the space as much as we did”