This story starts a little differently than most before and after transformations.

This property was originally my close friend's home, who decided to sell. Many fun memories were made here so it was only right that I was with my friend for moral support on the day of the auction.

As both an Interior Design & Architect I always have my design hat on, waiting for the auction to start, I started sketching out a design of what I would do with the house.

The house was sold and we got chatting with the new owner and I ended up explaining what I had worked on, and said if she ever wanted to do a renovation or extension, she could give me a call.

Fast forward a week later, the new owner Charlotte called and was excited for me to help her modernise the home, but still keeping its period features.

The property already had good bones, beautiful single-fronted cottage’s period features, and lots of natural light, However, the kitchen felt very separate from the living room and the bathroom was very rundown. This property also needed a space for a Landry as the washing machine was originally in the kitchen.

The original design that I had quickly sketched up at the auction, included a roof terrace and a second storey. These extra additions didn’t fit in with our clients budget, meaning the renovation was going to be on a smaller scale than the original sketch. We also found some structural issues that needed to be urgently rectified.

On further analysis of the property other things needed to be done. Structural issues meant the house needed to be re-stumped, the roof was severely rusted, there was rising damp and a heating system was leaking carbon monoxide.

We wanted to open the small kitchen to the living area at the back. To the wall separating the spaces, we lowered it to allow for a better connection between the two. A vertical window was replaced with a horizontal servery window which, as well as providing light and views of the side courtyard, allowed the space to be better reconfigured with the cabinetry above. This new cabinetry was expertly made by ply specialist Jonathan Venville from Myrtleford-based Staunchwood Furniture which adds warmth and softens the contemporary “industrial chic” look elsewhere. A sleek black fridge, oven, and dishwasher complete the kitchen’s transformation.

Before:

After:

Lygon St · More Info

Lygon St · More Info

Lygon St · More Info

Lygon St · More Info

The dated terracotta floors at the back of the house were modernised with a hard-wearing grey concrete screed with Epoxy resin. This was not only an aesthetic choice but very practical, as it is super easy to clean, and provided a cost-saving advantage of being able to be installed directly on top of the existing tiles. We also added this to the walls of the compact bathroom, where the old bath, generic white tiles, and rusty chrome taps were replaced with a glamorous floating vanity and a walk-in shower.

Before:

After:

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Next door to the bathroom, the washing machine has also found a new home in a discreet cupboard that serves as both European laundry and further storage space.

Check out the entire project here!