Sensational Grasmere home made with love

Above all, it’s a place where Kevin and Trudy, who married at Storrs Hall on Windermere at the end of July, want their grown-up children and grandchildren to enjoy spending time.

Kevin, founder of Red Rose Consulting, business guru and bestselling author, says: “We’ve got five grandkids - they’re all between the ages of two and seven - and we want them all to be brought up here.”

He can’t wait for the youngsters to see their bunkroom, with its bespoke mural and their own play house or mini theatre, complete with a stage and a moveable wooden castle on wheels.

Guests will find a covered outdoor games area where they can play table football, darts and table tennis and a separate area for outdoor dining, with a gas fire, built-in barbecue and pizza oven.

The front of the first floor of the house is given over to one large reception room with a bar, jukebox and plenty of space for dancing.

The room’s windows - which extend from the floor right up to the roofline - and balconies provide exceptional views of Easedale and Helm Crag, or the Lion and the Lamb. In the garden, a separate building has been converted into a pub where Kevin loves to get behind the bar and pull pints for his guests.

Trudy says: “We wanted to make this house very welcoming and we wanted to make it for the family and grandchildren, who are our number one and to give it a very loving feel.

“The guests that we’ve had so far seem to not want to leave - they just love it - so I think we’ve accomplished that.”

Kevin, who has two sons and two daughters and Trudy, who has a son and daughter, also have homes in Arizona, New York and Auckland in New Zealand but Grasmere is particularly close to their hearts.

Kevin’s love for Grasmere dates back to 2006 when he bought Michaels Nook Cottage, his first property in the village and his roots in the north west go back to his upbringing in Lancaster.

Kevin says they’ve arranged for the house, Beckwood, to be handed down via a 500-year trust which means it can’t be sold out of the family during that time.

“There will always be this place in Grasmere for the family to come and share,” he says. It’s the only one of their homes for which they’ve made the special arrangement and as Kevin points out: “It says something.”

Kevin and Trudy attribute the success of the finished house to project manager Paul Dixon. The builder and specialist in stone work oversaw every detail of the 18-month project, employing 120 people in total and communicating with Kevin and Trudy every day.

Paul, who is originally from Grasmere and now lives in Hawkshead, began planning the project in April 2014. He held weekly meetings with the Ambleside-based architect William Sutherland and Jan Walker, of Lancaster concierge and property company Allinspired, during which the trio discussed design ideas and solutions. William put down the ideas on paper and these were sent to Kevin and Trudy for approval or further work.

Work on site involved rebuilding large parts of the existing house. Kevin, who is committed to using local craftsmen on all his properties, says he chose Paul after first hearing of his reputation. He praises Paul’s ability to focus on the details of a project while not losing sight of the bigger picture.

Comparing Paul’s role to that of a company CEO, Kevin says: “Leadership is like the wind - you can’t see it, you don’t necessarily hear it but you’re aware of its impact and its effect.”

Paul says that the reconfigured house combines traditional Lakeland design elements, such as extensive use of local stonework, with contemporary features such as the large windows.

The garage gives an indication of the design and decor throughout the house, which has been overseen by Lancaster interior designer James Mackie. Instead of bare concrete, the garage walls are covered with a woodland design wallpaper and hung with a collection of Lake District scenes by Lancashire photographer Jon Sparks.

The entrance hall, with a stone floor in Burlington Stone’s Brandy Crag Silver from Coniston, features a collection of The Herdy Company’s Herdwick soft toy figures. The walls throughout the house are covered with art depicting Kevin’s music and film heroes from the 60s and 70s, including Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Sophia Loren, Steve McQueen, Debbie Harry and Muhammad Ali.

The children’s quarters include a bunkroom with a bespoke mural created by Diane and Spencer Hannah of The Herdy Company, bathroom and Ju Ju’s Play House playroom and theatre, which is named after their nickname for Trudy.

The kitchen, which has natural elm units, was supplied by Kirkland Kitchens of Kendal and is free of any clutter. Trudy planned the room so that appliances such as a glass washer are kept out of sight in the neighbouring utility room.

The wooden floors were sourced from Highgate Carpets in Kendal and the stairs were made by Quay Fabrications in Lancaster.

On the first floor, the artwork segues into sporting memorabilia, including many items relating to Manchester City, Kevin’s team since childhood. The Blue Moon bar is named after the club’s anthem and the team’s Latin motto, superbia in proelio - or pride in battle - is carved into the bar top.

The view from the room was the reason Kevin and Trudy bought the house.

“That’s the best view in Grasmere and it changes every day,” he says.

The balconies, which have glass balustrades and outdoor fire tables for warmth, are a draw for guests: “Everybody goes out there in the evening, no matter what the weather’s doing.”

The room’s decor includes a jukebox, an Austin Powers-themed pinball machine, a Vivienne Westwood rug and many more portraits and art such as Daniel Dens’s red and black All U Need is Love print.

The green room - one of two guest rooms - is furnished with original 60s’ Barbie dolls. Decorative red and white felt lifebelts, embroidered with the word ‘love’, were bought from New York. There are references to the designer Mary Quant, who Kevin credits with giving him his first big career break. The second guest bedroom, the gold room, has sheep-themed decor.

Trudy and Kevin’s accommodation includes a large study where they each have a desk. The couple’s bathroom, by Billington Design of Kendal, has red and yellow fittings and the colour scheme is continued in Trudy’s dressing room, with open shelving and a heart-shaped central island for her shoes. The dressing room, by Kirkland Kitchens, includes design features such as a concealed mini ironing board.

In the garden a separate building has been turned into K and T’s Lancastrian Pub. Kevin says it’s a reference to his teenage years in Lancaster, when he was expelled from the grammar school aged 17 because he wanted to marry his pregnant girlfriend. He says he had to take on four jobs - one of which was at The Lancastrian - and decided he would own a pub one day.

“It’s every boy’s dream to have your own pub.”

The oak bar was made by specialist firm R&S Tonks of Stoke-on-Trent - one of the few firms from outside Cumbria to be involved - and has the Lancaster Royal Grammar School motto, praesis ut prosis, or lead in order to serve, carved into the bar. Kevin is a keen supporter of his former school. A spiral staircase leads down to a gym.

Outside, an area of the garden has been designed for the grandchildren and includes flags laid out for hopscotch, giraffe sculptures half hidden in the trees and Beatrix Potter and fairy figures in the flower beds.

On the lawn - created from artificial turf for easy maintenance - is an almost life-size statue of a rearing horse by Priscilla Hann, called Losing his Marbles.

Kevin loves the Lake District and makes no secret of his joy at returning to his roots.

“I’m using this place to work as well,” he says. “A lot of business people come up to the Lakes and see the best of the Lakes when they’re here - we want them to have an optimistic and uplifting experience.”

Trudy, a New Yorker who says she already feels part of life in Grasmere, hopes their personalities shine through in the design of the house. “People should have this feeling when they come here that it’s not just this structure that they’re experiencing - it’s us.”

* This article first appeared in Cumbria Life.