Our Home Stay Specialist Kelly caught up with Nikki from Galleon to find out a little more about her stunning cliff side home in Portreath, Cornwall.
Hello Nikki, thank you for taking the time to talk a little more about your beautiful coastal home. Let's start with the most important questions: what makes this house a home to you?
As my late father built this house it has made it extra special and homely. Throughout the property you can see my father's passion for wood from the bespoke handmade skirting boards, to the window sills in the conservatory, through to the beautiful handmade sleigh beds. For us as a family, being at Galleon offers great calmness and pride of what my Dad has achieved and a sense that his passion still lives on. Allowing guests to visit our home is very personal for us and we hope that they can enjoy his craftsmanship too.
What was your inspiration behind the interiors?
Our whole family loved wood, dating back to my Grandparents who had Ercol furniture (the side cabinet in the front room and the two Ercol chairs in the conservatory were my Grandparents). I still love the look and the Ercol daybed in the front room is from my collection. Galleon interiors are mainly made up from the collection of my family's pieces as well as handmade items by my father. We have used cleats from my father's wooden boats to hold the blinds up on the windows, so it's very personal throughout. The paintings were collected by my Dad and some include my Granddad sailing and logos of his businesses. We worked with two designers, who have done a fantastic job in showcasing our family treasures and making the most of the space at Galleon. We hope our guests enjoy it as much as we do!
Many items in the house are reclaimed from your family, which is your favourite and why?
Oh this is a hard one... I might have to say two...The coffee table in the lounge was made by Dad, early on in his career when I was very young. This table has been in every family home and has seen us grow and has been witness to many family occasions from births, deaths, celebrations, late nights and early mornings! I love that it has been through our lives with us and is still a very beautiful, usable piece. I love polishing it and feeling the beautiful natural wood curves - it makes me feel closer to our family life. I also love the two wooden fishes (in the second bedroom) these were one of my Dad's first wooden projects from his school days. It shows from an early age his passion and love for wood, I love that it is in the room for our guests to enjoy and that it is a very usable piece.
What do you enjoy most about Portreath and the local area?
We love to walk our dogs, so often visited Tehidy Woods and Gwithian Towans - both so beautiful! We like to go to Trevaskis farm as well for good wholesome meals - my Mum was a great cook so I often came in to the lovely smell of fresh bread and fresh brewed coffee. We are quite a homely family which love each others company and making dishes for each other from homemade pies to cakes...to the house we lived in!
What long lasting memories do you have from your time spent at the property?
As I love Christmas, my fondest memory has to be Christmas at Galleon, I loved spending quality time with my parents having the traditional roast, a lovely family walk on the beach and to see the local reindeer! Playing board games together and then maybe even a cheeky nap! I also have fond memories of watching Galleon being built, I often visited the site during the week and then at weekends we always had family meetings including the dogs to see how things were progressing. As a hands on family we all pulled our weight where possible and I often remember helping to tile at weekends to get things finished. It has been a real family affair.
Thank you Nikki, we are thrilled to have Galleon on the portfolio!
