WE all love the idea of a real family home, one passed down through the generations and simply bursting with happy memories.

What we don’t always love, however, is how those same homes can sometimes become a little, well, dated… You can then tinker around the edges, do a bit of decorating, maybe put in a new kitchen or bathroom.

Or you could do what Max Christian-Chance did – and create a wonderfully renovated contemporary new home from the shell of the old.

The property in question is Chapel House, in Main Street, Naburn. Back in 1981 Max’s grandmother built a house on the site of – as the name implies – an old Methodist chapel.

It was a smart house but very much a house of its time and so Max decided last year it was time to make some serious changes.

As he explained: “Although the house is in a good central position, the original design was quite ordinary and uninspiring. I felt the property was ripe for modernisation and at the same time I wanted to consider a contemporary look rather than refer back to the original design.”

The latter, he said, was important to his vision: “In my view there is a distinct lack of contemporary, imaginative design, particularly in village locations.”

Well, the new Chapel House certainly stands out as a fine example of contemporary design. and, in its own small way, has done much to redress that imbalance.

It is a beautiful home, with some wonderful open internal spaces and with lots of light, bright rooms and a high-spec high fashion finish.

There is a lovely flow to the rooms, too, with the sparkling kitchen dining room meandering gently into a large lounge with full length, floor to ceiling sliding doors opening up on to (and inviting in) the rear garden.

Other nice touches in this room include engineered oak flooring and an Inglenook-style fireplace with log-burning stove.

The kitchen itself is superbly fitted with a range of white matte base and wall units with solid surface worktops and with a range of integrated appliances including Bosch induction hob with extractor hood over, Bosch double oven, integrated microwave and fridge/freezer and Bosch integrated dishwasher. There is a separate utility room with sink, Bosch washing machine, space for an additional freezer and built-in matching base and larder units.

On the other side of the lounge there is – clever touch here – a concealed ‘bookcase door’ leading to an excellent family room/study which runs along almost the full width of the side of the house and which provides an excellent ‘away from it all’ spot.

Max says: “My vision was for something fresh and clean using contemporary materials that both complemented and enhanced the area. The original design of the ground-floor area made the space dark and not particularly welcoming.

“By opening up the ground floor it created a much lighter and flowing living space. We added the large window to the front to transform a once-dark space into a lovely dining area. The sliding glass doors to the rear were added to take advantage of the south-facing garden.”

There is another light and bright touch in the hallway where a semi-open staircase leads up to a run of four bedrooms and a house bathroom. The master bedroom has a modern wet room en-suite with rainfall shower.

It’s all quite exquisitely put together – and the result of some great teamwork, says Max. “After considerable research I decided to instruct as architects the Miller partnership. This is a husband and wife team of Steve and Jane Miller. I chose them as they had a vast amount of experience gained with large firms and had just started their own practice with a very contemporary leaning.

“I wanted them to help my mother and myself realise our goal and bring what was once grandma’s house into the 21st century.

“Throughout the project I worked very closely with Steve and Jane and found them both extremely professional and a pleasure to work with.”

This was not just an internal makeover, however, the exterior of the house was also given a facelift.

“We used aluminium cladding to the front extension to complement the windows and timber cladding. It also sets off the traditional brick nicely.”

“The extensions to the side of the original house have been made to feel like they were always there.”

There’s nice space outside to enjoy the look of the house, too, with a low-maintenance gravel front garden with hard-standing for several cars. and a good-sized south west facing lawned rear garden with paved terrace.

All in all something of a triumph then – so had Max tried anything like this before?

“While I have had an interest in property and design for quite some time and renovate and develop properties myself, this project has been on a much bigger scale, with the use of materials I have not used in the past, such as the Wetherby rendering and timber and aluminium cladding.

“I had also never used steel, plastic and timber in a staircase application and love the way its turned what was once a 70s type staircase into a staircase fit for the design of the house.”

And now that it is all finished and the family home – memories and all – has been brought into the modern age, what does he find most satisfying?

“I really love that it is light, bright and modern and uses contemporary materials but that it still feels like a practical living space. The garden’s lush too, it maximises the space and provides a lovely secluded area to both look onto and enjoy al-fresco dining when the weather’s suitable.

“I’m really happy that we have been able to bring gran’s dma’s house into the 21st century.”

Quite. And we get the impression she may well have approved.