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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

The gorgeous converted Gower barn at the end of a remote country lane that's the perfect coastal hideaway

Some homes are so dreamy that once you see them online they build foundations in your mind and end up appearing in your sleep, a topic of your dreams, because maybe they offer every element that you could desire in a home.

If you love the idea of a remote rural location just a few miles from one of the most amazing beaches in Wales and a property that oozes character and has been lavished with a tasteful renovation project to make it the best it can be, then this period property on Gower peninsula will give you insomnia.

Add to the property the fact that it is a converted barn with over 300 years of history as a dairy barn and is packed full of stunning country cottage interior design and it might just be the property that, if you aren't in a position to buy it, never totally leaves your mind.

READ MORE: Derelict barn converted into stunning rural retreat in Wales' most expensive county

Down the country lanes gets you to Rhossili beach (Google maps)
Private country lane gets you to the converted barn (Google maps)

For anyone who is in the market for a charming home that can offer peace and tranquillity surrounded by countryside, walking distance to the nearest village and a few miles from the Blue Flag Award Rhossili Beach, and has the £575k budget to buy it, then Kite Hill Barn could be the perfect dream home.

Imagine the days spent strolling through the rolling landscape or on one of Wales' best beaches, with also Whiteford Beach, Broughton Bay and Fall Bay close enough to be called a neighbour. For city experiences of socialising and shopping, Swansea is only about 15 miles away by car too.

If you can find the entrance to the private, single track, dead-end country lane you'll find it goes nowhere other than to property heaven. Then, once you turn down it, you are on the way to finding the barn plus two neighbours that are not visible through the trees and shrubs of this beautiful home and provide some nearby company if total isolation is an escape to the country step too far.

Kite Hill Barn is all that you expect it to be when you turn into the plot and park either in the covered carport or to the side of the home - a stone built beauty that rambles across three distinct sections that is pretty picture perfect.

There's a picket fence to the front, it's not white but it could be with a pot of paint if that is your daydream ideal. The facade is mainly stone, with brick window detailing, with a slate roof and some slate cladding too.

Picket fence and stone facade welcome you (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Front terrace has countryside views (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

There are charming, rambling stone steps to the side leading to the rear garden and to the front a flagstone terrace surrounded by pot plants and wildflowers that is surely an idyllic place to start or end the day, and every opportunity in between.

There is understandable excitement to step inside at once but before you do wander around to the rear of the home to find a garden that is enchanting. It is a garden that lets nature do the designing, but not in a way that is overgrown or out of control.

There's a gravel patio that includes a covered alfresco dining area at the end of the house, plus a delightful built-in stone slab bench that clings to the wall at the other end of the home that is perfect as an additional place to perch and somewhere to display pots of plants.

Then wander through the borders and beds of shrubs to find a special spot nestled amongst trees and with rural views behind that is surely the most delightful place to be, under dappled shade and surrounded by nature.

Rear terrace is a perfect alfresco spot whatever the weather (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Charming stone ledge provides places for plants and humans to sit (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Enchanting garden with secret spaces (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

As you would expect from a home full of character, there are a number of ways to gain entry to the property but the most popular is straight into the kitchen diner as the choice over a central door that leads into a small hall or the double doors at the rear. But whichever way you choose to get inside, you are in for a visual treat.

The kitchen diner is a generous space that oozes country interior design that effortlessly sweeps through the home aided by the numerous period features that are true gems of the property. In this room they flank the classic country decor with ceiling beams, flagstone floor, white-washed walls and a large fireplace that the surely expected Aga calls home.

Enter via the charming blue door at the end (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Sociable kitchen diner (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Breakfast bar within the large kitchen island (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

There's ample space for a substantial island unit with breakfast bar and a traditional farmhouse table and chairs and combined they make the perfect social hub of this special home. The added hanging pots and pans and open-shelving add to the country charm and although there is plenty of storage this house has a home for extra in the separate pantry.

This bonus extra room found just off the central hallway offers extra shelving packed with a visually appealing collection of wicker baskets for storage, open pine shelving to display treasures, and utility appliances below to make this space a dual function area.

Spacious hub of the home perfect for socialising (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Classic country cottage interior design (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Aga nestled within the former fireplace (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

The lounge is central to the home and it is a truly beautiful space. More white-washed beams and walls provide continuity with the kitchen as well as the classic country cottage features, but in here the flagstones change to warm honey blonde stripped floorboards.

The room has windows to the front and French doors that open out onto the rear garden to connect the pretty inside to the pretty outside in the summer, and there's a sizeable log burner nestled into the fireplace for the cosiest of evenings in the winter.

Central lounge is a wonderful space (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Spacious and stylish and spills out onto the garden via French doors (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Of course there's a log burner in the fireplace -as all good country cottages should have (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

This room showcases the current owners' interior design style that is embedded in tasteful, cottage tradition but adds pops of arguably more contemporary colours and patterns via cushions and rug. This is not in a bold way however, but via layers of soft colours across the blues, pinks and yellows colour spectrum.

The textures are natural and tactile and include cotton and wool, and the stripped pine furniture that are all statement pieces to notice and enjoy. The sofas are the timeless, elegant style that also promote total comfort - it would be rude to ignore them and not loll about on them for hours of relaxation.

Even the pantry and utility room oozes style (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Front door area in hall turned into office and study space (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

Into the hall where you will find the pantry and also get to understand the choice of the kitchen door as point of entry. The space by this central front door has been transformed into a pleasant and practical home office study area that could easily be an enticing reading nook too, separated from the bustling reception rooms of this family home by a door to the lounge and a corridor to the bedrooms.

Into the bedroom wing at the far end of the home and there are three to discover plus a shower room that continue the visual delights.

The shower room has a large walk-in shower elevated on a slate plinth to raise it above the stunning multi-toned stone floor, plus metro wall tiles, a modern suite and numerous, well-placed accessories to provide visual interest as you shampoo your hair.

The window is particularly interesting because, as well as providing a fantastic place to pop said shampoo, it can also show you the amazing thickness of the exterior walls of this home, surely helping it to stay warm in winter and cool in summer?

Super stylish shower room with elevated slate based shower (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Master bedroom on the hidden first floor (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Amazing views from the master bedroom are mesmerising (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

There are stairs that take you to a surprise master bedroom on the top floor that's hidden from the front of the property unless you look closely. There's built-in storage within the end wall that cleverly utilises the space available, plus amazing country views from the windows, and an ensuite cloakroom too.

Maybe a new owner fancies turning one of the roof window spaces into a push out, collapsible mini balcony, providing a semi outside spot to sit and marvel at the location from this elevated position.

Bedroom two is a stunner and you might be stunned to see it has a log burner too (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
No chilly toes in this bedroom (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

Back downstairs to the two remaining bedrooms and they are both special spots too. The bedroom at the end of the house makes use of the height of this single-storey section of the house - there's no ceiling, just a double-height space up into the roof that includes exposed beams.

The addition of a log burner is a surprise and a bonus - no cold toes on a chilly winter's evening in this bedroom. Maybe this space was previously an extra reception space or study, and could be again if only two bedrooms are required, but if it stays as a slumber space it's likely everyone will be fighting over who gets this cosy and charming bedroom.

Bedroom three is a peaceful place to dream about this dreamy property (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)
Classic country cottage ticks all the boxes (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

Lastly, the third bedroom has built-in wardrobes with more stripped wood flooring and offers a soft yet fresh blue and white decor, presumably a homage to the home's near coastal location. Again there is so much to see in here - added accessories and fabrics that give the room personality and interest but don't overwhelm it, ensuring it is a peaceful place to relax and drift off to sleep.

And who wouldn't sleep soundly in this room or in this house, knowing that you are lucky enough to own and live in a property that is so many people's perfect dream home?

View from the back reveals the master bedrooms and the French doors in the lounge as well as the idyllic garden (Astleys Residential Swansea / onthemarket.com)

Kite Hill Barn near Llanmadoc is for sale for £575,000 with estate agents Astleys, call their Mumbles office on 01792 369139 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, renovation stories and interiors, join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter which is sent to your inbox twice a week.

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