Karen and Kevin Keable swapped life as an ex-pat family to come home to Suffolk, and now run a holiday home in Southwold

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1 W e l c o m e t o t h e b e a c h h o u s e Karen and Kevin Keable swapped life as an ex-pat family to come home to Suffolk, and now run a holiday home in Southwold After 15 years of living abroad Karen and Kevin Keable decided to come home to Southwold at the end of the 1990s. Kevin s career in the oil industry had taken them around the world to Norway, Singapore, Thailand and Australia, but the pull of their home county was strong. They both have connections to the area Karen was born in Gt Yarmouth and Kevin in Aldeby so when, one day, they discovered Dunburgh, a guest house, on the sea front in Southwold, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. They settled there with their two-year-old son, Charlie, to take care of, and Karen took on the running of the guest house from 1999 to It was an amazing place to bring up two young children, she says. In fact Olivia, our daughter, was born, just before breakfast, in the house on August 10, 2000 with a house full of guests. Karen, also an artist, exhibited in the Garden Gallery on the High Street. Success came quickly with solo exhibitions, two paintings hung in the House of Lords and a commission from Dorling Kindersly to write a book on acrylic art, which was published in 14 languages. After a few years the couple bought the gallery and renamed it Southwold Gallery. Karen still exhibits there along with 40 other local artists. We ve now owned the gallery for 11 years and run it as a family business, she says. When they bought South Green House in 2015 it was already familiar to them. 4 below Calm blue tones in the master bedroom right South Green House showing the belvedere 70

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3 Our friends rented it back in early 2000s. We used to go to parties there and fell in love with it then. Unusually for Southwold it has a large walled back garden with a great entertaining area, a summerhouse/games room and a triple garage. It had been in the same family for nearly 50 years but we always said that if it ever came on the market we d love to buy it. We have an amazing house near Norwich, which the children love, but this house in Southwold is somewhere we can be quite sure that, if we re lucky enough to have grandchildren, they ll want to come and visit. We can envisage large family gatherings there. The house is early 19th century, and the belvedere a structure designed to take advantage of the views was added in the 20th century. When we bought it, structurally it was sound, but needed an update, says Kevin. The décor was quite tired and plain. The kitchen was maybe early 1970s and the garden needed a lot of TLC. The summer house, had been turned into a junk room. The only part of the house we didn t work on was the triple garage. In Karen s and Kevin s hands the house has had new bathrooms, new radiators, a new kitchen and new decoration everywhere. The kitchen was the biggest project, says Kevin. We stripped it bare and sanded down the solid oak floor which had been colour-stained to within an inch of its life. Although it was all white, it felt quite dark and oppressive. We removed the overhead cupboards that split the large room in two, letting light flow around and The dining room is full of colour, with various coloured metal dining chairs, red leather tub chairs, wood and aged steel. Deck chair striped curtains line the French doors, which open out onto the teak decking giving a much more airy feel. We added a large cooking range and American fridge-freezer and a 32-bottle wine chiller. The Beach House sign was Karen s idea, to add a feature, something she d done in our current house in the pool room. The house decoration had to be modern for us. We wanted to give the house an element of seaside fun, with designer luxury. The dining room is full of colour, with various coloured metal dining chairs, red leather tub chairs, wood and aged steel. Deck chair striped curtains line the French doors, which open out onto the teak decking. The main lounge has turquoise and copper highlights, an open fireplace, dark wooden floors and a bright green comfy chair. The snug was designed mainly for children, but as it links with the lounge, Kevin and Karen kept a contemporary, comfortable feel. The downstairs bedroom is handy for extra guests and people who struggle with stairs. One of the upstairs rooms was just a dressing room, says Karen, with cupboards fitted either side and taking up most of the space. We cut them right back and fitted a pair of adult or child-friendly bunk beds. This means that there is now a versatile suite of rooms that can accommodate one very large family or two smaller ones. All the bedrooms are now large and 4 72

4 In th e know Karen and Kevin s advice on owning a successful holiday home above The cheerful contemporary styled interior includes colourful metal dining chairs below The kitchen was the biggest part of the renovation of South Green House You want people to walk in and immediately get a wow feeling and walk out with design ideas for their own home! From the feedback we re getting we greet the majority of guests we ve succeeded in the first part of that. Comfort is important, so we have a full Sky package, 6 TVs, an Apple computer, high speed internet, Wii with a selection of games and more importantly a dart board and table football game, plus a good selection of magazines, books and board games. The summerhouse really comes into its own on rainy and sunny days. Children and teenagers (and dads when the kids have gone to bed) seem to really enjoy that space. The belvedere, with fantastic views over South Green, the sea and over to Walberswick and beyond, is a popular spot in all weathers to enjoy a glass of something lovely. Top quality Hypnos mattresses, anti-allergenic goose down duvets and pillows, crisp Egyptian cotton linen and fluffy towels ensure guest comfort. Aqualisa power showers, baths, plenty of hot water. A very generous welcome basket, fresh flowers, chilled wine and good quality toiletries. A well stocked kitchen with quality china and cookware. We try to anticipate our guests needs to provide a 5 Star Gold Award experience. Keeping it in tip-top shape just takes time and effort. We have a good cleaning company, but we always make sure that one of us visits before guests come in, to ensure that all the light bulbs are working, the grass is cut, pillows and cushions are plumped and that every single inch has been cleaned properly and sparkles. Working with a good holiday letting agent is also essential. We work with Suffolk Secrets and So Southwold, with whom we have a very good working relationship. Being local, they are always available if we have any queries or issues. August

5 left The colourful theme is extended to the outdoor dining area. below The decor is kept modern and stylish throughout, including the bedrooms and children s snug/games room. The belvedere, with fantastic views over South Green, the sea and over to Walberswick and beyond, is a popular spot in all weathers to enjoy a glass of something lovely Why Southwold? What s not to enjoy about Southwold? say Karen and Kevin. We are an eight-second walk from the Red Lion and 30 seconds from the nearest shop. If we are staying there and one of us is working at our gallery, it s a two-minute walk to work. Of course, short walks is not what you come to Southwold for, in fact quite the opposite. Walking Popcorn and Coco, our pet labrador and spaniel on the beach, the dunes and the harbour is amazing. I would estimate that we have walked the beach well over 5,000 times. We ve seen seals and even a porpoise, although we ve never found any amber yet. There are so many good restaurants and pubs, shops and a very good gallery! There s even a pier for goodness sake. We tend not to venture outside of Southwold when we visit for a week, we drive there, park the car in the garage and that s that. But there are so many beautiful places you can visit, a very short distance away. We make sure we use the house ourselves we all love being there. We book a week and invite various family and friends to join us. This year, we ve already had one week there and another for our son Charlie s 20th birthday. We ll be back again before Christmas, although it is heavily booked up, so we have to plan ahead. airy and each has a distinct coastal character. The faux wood panel wallpaper is so realistic that most people think it s actual wood until we tell them otherwise. Karen s original artworks adorn the walls throughout the house. She has a flair for interior design, and hand made all the headboards and lined curtains in the entire house, ensuring they co-ordinated with the Farrow and Ball colour schemes, furnishings, and quirky finishing touches. The once overgrown gardens have now been landscaped, and decking added around the ornamental pond. Some very old children s play equipment has been removed and replaced with an outdoor dining table and a huge gas barbecue. We have had large families staying here, some bring a whole household of nannies, cooks and housekeepers with them, says Karen. But smaller families, and groups of friends and families also come to stay. They come from all over the country and abroad. We have excellent reviews and many re-book straight away for next year. South Green House is available through Suffolk Secrets