Formerly a public house, this five-bedroom house in Farnham, Surrey has been cleverly transformed into a family home of over 4,200 sq ft. The current owners worked with architect Kate Stoddart to renovate the building, with a sensitive colour and tactile material palette employed throughout. As well as its impressive interiors, which encompass a gym, sauna and cinema room, there is an additional two-storey annexe and off-street parking for three cars. Located close to Farnham’s pretty centre and its delightful high street, the house is a 20-minute walk from Farnham Station, which runs direct services to London Waterloo in under an hour.

The Tour

The house’s handsome façade has been painted a chalky sage green. A concealed parking area with space for two cars leads to a black wrought iron gate, leading, in turn, to the house’s muted grey front door. Entry is to a wide lobby laid with large Wessex smoke porcelain tiles. A bank of deep stores fronted by shaker-style doors flows along one wall, with brass pull handles here and throughout by Corston. Black-framed French doors open out to the rear courtyard garden, while an elegant internal window of fluted glass peers through to, and borrows light from, the living spaces beyond.

From here is the open-plan kitchen and dining space, a wonderfully impressive room designed with conviviality in mind. The kitchen, set towards the rear of the plan, is by The Shaker Workshop; deep red cabinetry is configured in a U-shape around a central island topped with Calacatta Venatino quartz. Delicate pendant lights from Pooky illuminate from above, and a Bertazzoni range is positioned beneath two wide windows framing views of the courtyard garden. These windows, along with three Velux skylights and two wide bay sash windows opposite, ensure that natural light abounds.

A set of soft pink double pocket doors open into a generous yet cosy snug. The first section of the room is warmed by a wood burner atop a smooth granite hearth; the second section, delineated by its slightly raised level, has an open fire with wood stores and bespoke cabinetry at either side of the chimney breast. Walls, woodwork and ceilings across the two sections are painted with ‘Adulting’, a refined dark teal, and ‘The Drink’, a deep marine blue, both from COAT.

The lower-ground floor can be accessed via stairs from the kitchen or from the snug. The first room on this level is configured as a home cinema, with high ceilings and walls painted in ‘Cordoba 277’ by Little Greene. Adjacent is a second versatile space with flush cabinetry, ideal for use as a home office. Crittall-style doors open to a well-considered gym laid with black rubber flooring and fitted with a Sonos system. A relaxing sauna suite, with a walk-in shower and separate WC, completes the lower-ground floor plan.

The first floor, accessed via a staircase ascending from the kitchen, is home to three thoughtfully designed bedrooms and a separate family bathroom. The principal bedroom, finished in neutral tones, has an adjoining dressing area with a run of capacious built-in wardrobes. An en suite bathroom, laid with black Bejmat cement floor tiles from Bert and May, has a free-standing Lusso Stone oval bath, twin sinks, and handy storage. Two further bedrooms are laid with muted grey carpets and crowned with shallow vaulted ceilings; one is painted a light sage shade, while the other has dusky pink shaker-style wall panelling. A family bathroom on this level, also with a Lusso Stone free-standing bath, beckons in natural light through a black-framed frosted window.

At the rear is a two-storey annexe, accessible via a private side entrance or through the main house. On the ground floor is a light and versatile room currently used as a home office that leads to a spacious utility room with an adjoining WC. Stairs ascend to the first floor, where there are two generous double bedrooms; one has access to a smart en suite, while the other is flanked by double-aspect views. A pocket door at the end of the second bedroom opens into a hallway within the main plan, where there is a bank of convenient built-in wardrobes.

Outdoor Space

A secluded courtyard garden flows from the rear. Two sections of porcelain bench seating rest in front of olive green rendered walls topped with thoughtfully planted beds housing thistles, grasses, rosemary, clematis and verbena. There is space for lounge seating, a dining table and a barbeque, with Portreath wall lights by Pooky for al fresco evening meals.

The Area

Farnham is a historic market town, routinely named one of the best places to live in the UK thanks to its historic town centre, vibrant cultural life, excellent transport links and beautiful surrounding countryside. There are many delightful places to eat and the town has a host of amenities including a Waitrose. It also has a renowned arts centre, the Maltings, and a well-regarded university. The new Brightwells Yard development has also recently opened, bringing more shops, restaurants and a cinema.

The house is also within easy reach of many pretty Surrey villages, such as Tilford, with its riverfront and picturesque village. The area is characterised by the River Wey navigation. Now mostly used by pleasure boaters, walkers and swimmers, the canal was once an important trade route and cuts through the bucolic countryside.

The surrounding area is excellent for walking and cycling, with the rolling hills of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offering rolling fields and sandy expanses of open common land at Hankley and Puttenham, which are teaming with birds. Frensham Ponds is a brilliant lesser-known freshwater swimming spot.

Farnham has a number of excellent schools, including Frensham Heights and Barfield Prep School.

Train services run from Farnham Station (a 20-minute walk from the house) to London Waterloo in under an hour. Nearby Fleet Station is more accessible and runs services to London in under 45 minutes.

Council Tax Band: TBC; awaiting reclassification after conversion from commercial use.

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.