JEFF and Roberta Newton's house wouldn't look out of place on a chocolate box. All the ingredients for a fairy tale cottage are here - whitewashed walls, dark foliage creeping round the cute leaded windows and pots of colourful plants flanking the doorstep. Certainly, that's what the couple thought when they used to walk past the property on their evening strolls.

"We've lived in the neighbourhood all our married life and we had always noticed this house. We thought it looked fabulous, " says Roberta.

Three years after the couple first set eyes on The Hollows, it came on the market and their dream eventually came true - they moved in.

Built in 1936, the house retains many original features including leaded window panes on the windows and decorative ironwork around their exterior. Inside, white-painted wooden panels on the open staircase and on most of the ceilings are also original and, together with the hardwood flooring, create a real country cottage feel.

One of the most appealing aspects of the house is the sense of individuality created by the numerous nooks and corners and sloped alcoves throughout. The hallways are also punctuated with archways and tiny windows that look out onto the dense foliage of the garden.

The Newtons had relatively little to do to the property when they moved in. They had bought the house from a couple of interior designers who had installed various bespoke features. One of the most striking is the custom-made rustic kitchen, complete with Fired Earth floor tiles. The room is divided from the informal dining area by a wall. A large archway above the kitchen worktop looks into the dining room and together with the similarly themed decor, it creates a feeling of two halves of the same room.

A lounge and formal dining room are also on the ground level and provide ample space for the couple to indulge their love of playing hosts. ?We've done a lot of entertaining here over the years. I think family and friends are slightly worried about the move because whenever there is something to celebrate, everyone comes to The Hollows, " says Roberta.

While the lounge runs the full width of the house, it is still a relatively cosy space. A thick cream carpet, warm beige walls and beamed wooden ceilings painted white and dotted with spotlights, make for a relaxing room whose focal point is the fireplace. The back wall is taken up with a fitted cocktail cupboard and a glass door leads out onto the patio.

Next door, the dining room boasts a custom-made carpet and a specially-designed radiator that stands less than a foot high in order to display the unusual red patterned wallpaper.

Upstairs are the four bedrooms - all of which have fitted cupboards - and the family bathroom with its marble f loor and unusual octagonal white suite. Further down the hall is a sleek shower room with a large corner power shower and unusual marine-themed wallpaper.

Jeff also enjoys a lot of quiet time in the house and he spends many hours in the small room at the front of the house dubbed ?the library". Although still a cosy room, it has been extended at the front by a couple of feet to create a book-lined alcove which looks on to the neat front garden.

Another quiet spot is the small office space situated in the single garage, which is located in the front courtyard. The whitewashed stone walls are warmed by a heater plant and because of its separation from the rest of the house, it enjoys absolute peace and quiet.

Outside is a Mediterranean-style patio which the couple had installed last summer to enjoy the long hours of sunshine in their secluded back garden.

Now after 12 happy years, the Newton's dream home has become an empty nest and the couple are downsizing to a more compact home.

IN BRIEF

What: A pretty 1930s four-bedroomed detached house set in manicured gardens.

Where: Close to Ayr Road in Newton Mearns on the south side of Glasgow.

Price: Offers over GBP445,000.

Contact: Slater Hogg and Howison Newton Mearns office, tel: 0141 616 2366.

TWO OF A KIND

1 BEARSDEN

FIXED PRICE GBP499,000

WHAT: A six-bedroomed detached villa with two public rooms and a breakfasting kitchen. A south-facing rear garden and patio doors in both of the public rooms make the best of the sunshine.

WHERE: Thorn Road, in the heart of Bearsden in East Dumbartonshire. The surrounding countryside and relatively short distance to Glasgow city centre has made the town enduringly popular with families and commuters.

WHY: Location. The house is within 500 yards of all the amenities at Bearsden Cross including banks, shops, pubs and a train station.

CONTACT: Clyde Property, tel: 0141 570 0777.

2 INVERARY, ARGYLL

GBP575,000

WHAT: A seven-bedroomed house with four public rooms and six en-suites over three levels. The impressive villa house is set in 0.74 acres of land.

WHERE: 65 miles from Glasgow, on the outskirts of the Argyll town of Inverary, with panoramic views over Loch Fyne.

WHY: Development potential. The size and layout of the house means that it could work as a guest house. In addition to the main house is a detached outbuilding which could be developed into further accommodation.

CONTACT: CKD Galbraith Glasgow office, tel: 0141 953 3070.