After selling their seaside apartment in Exmouth, England, Christina and Nigel Dickinson had their sights set on retreating to the quiet milieus of the countryside. Originally searching for a rental with no commitment, the couple couldn’t resist the charms of one of the oldest cottages in the community: a seventeenth-century property complete with a green space, outbuildings perfect for Christina’s art studio, and a workshop for Nigel. “The house was unusually light and spacious, even with its beams and low ceilings,” says Christina. “As soon as I saw the courtyard garden, I was smitten.”
