Sitting on a pretty tree lined street in a conservation area, this three-story, four-bedroom Victorian home belongs to a delightful family of three, ‘Ms P’ & her two children. After living in the property for 9 years and never having had any renovations the property during this time, this lovely family invited ‘His & Hers Renovations & Interiors’ to give the entire home a makeover, but more importantly we were asked to help this family create a new lifestyle. During our initial consultation they asked us to re-design the home in a way that encouraged them to spend more quality time together. ‘Mrs P’ who is a keen cook and baker, also wanted her dream kitchen and a space where she could host large dinner parties and family gatherings.
We all agreed that this project required an “Out with the old and in with the new” approach, we donated all of the old furniture from the home, keeping only two items; the two oversized traditional mirror that can still be seen hanging in the hallway.
The masterpiece of this home is the brand new stunning open plan kitchen, diner and living room. We decided early on that to give them the more connected lifestyle that they have asked us for, the wall between the kitchen and the living room needed to be removed to create one huge airy space. We selected a traditional shaker timber kitchen in a unique and contemporary cornflower blue to ensure the kitchen was a talking point of the home. We paired the blue cabinets with brass handles and quartz counter tops. We opted for an impressive oversized canopy to showcase the top-of-the-line Rangemaster dual fuel ovens, and there is also a beautiful hidden pantry. The light-coloured parquet flooring flows seamlessly between the two spaces drawing your eye to the elegant, inviting and comfortable lounge area. Here the children do their homework and watch movies whilst mum lovingly bakes and prepares meals, only now there isn’t a wall between them, so they have more quality time with one another.
‘Miss S’ (Age 13) is a very talented artist and had strong ideas on what she wanted out of her new bedroom. It was so enjoyable to work with her on creating a room that felt age appropriate but yet still allowed for her to grow up in the space without it eventually feeling too young for her. The bold colour scheme came from her favourite colour, Teal, but we added the geometric wall to add interest and the delicate pink to keep it feminine and youthful. We also added a built-in art cupboard and a pin board for her to display her incredible drawings and watercolours. The is also a dressing table to help her transition into her teen years.
‘Master R’ (Age 10) also wanted a room he could grow into, but with a keen interest in gaming, we used simple tricks with gaming themed artwork and customised accessories to encourage his hobbies and pull his identity into the room. Again, we introduced a bold use of colour by paring an Olive upholstered bed with dark blue walls and ochre accents.
The master bedroom was a fun project as the client wanted us to make her loft room that originally included a huge chimney breast as well as the tell-tale angled ceilings feel less like a loft room and more like the master bedroom. She also wanted her dream walk in closet. So, with a few tricks involving hidden joinery and a cleverly constructed and positioned closet we managed to completely loose the chimney breast and create a calm and tranquil sleeping area with the grandeur of a separate closet room, however we kept the closet open with some bespoke lighting, so it had the feel of a suite.
The bathroom was the most difficult element to design, the floor plan was vast, however with many peculiar angled ceilings and problematic historical plumbing issues our design had to consider these restrictions and our team had to strip the room all the way back to correct the previous plumbing. The client wanted the room to feel like a luxury hotel bathroom. So, we opted for contemporary stone resin furniture and brass hardware with a gloss porcelain tile over underfloor heating. We also included some niche lighting to add that extra element of luxuriousness.
The end-result was a warm and welcoming family home, with our signature classic and contemporary blend. We ensured the home kept a strong sense of its Victorian history in details such as the newly installed Victorian tile entrance hall and front door, parquet style flooring and stunning cornice and ceiling rose details. But we modernised throughout and made a cold house that lacked identity a family home that showcases the loving family that live there.
Photography & Videography by: Barney Banks
Copyright belonging to His & Hers Renovations & Interiors 2021
