Collectors’ EDITION
Treasured finds add colour and quirky character to this light and airy period property
When my sister and I first saw this property in 2007 it was pretty run-down and there were lots of pebbles stuck all over the bathroom,’ recalls Victoria Benton. Appliqué pebbles aside, the sisters could see the flat had great potential and clubbed together to buy it, giving them both a foot on the London property ladder.
The ground floor kitchen and living room were flooded with light and there were enough original features remaining – wooden floors, skirting boards and shutters – to give the property character. The garden was another boon. ‘Even though we’re a stone’s throw from a huge one-way system in the middle of Crystal Palace, the garden feels lush and secluded, which is very unusual for London,’ says Victoria. On a very tight budget, the siblings gave the flat a basic revamp. Walls had a fresh coat of paint, the bathroom was replaced and the fireplace opened up. ‘We didn’t have much money but we made it quite attractive,’ Victoria remembers.
After five years, in 2012, Victoria’s now-husband Tyson bought Jenny out of her share of the house which was now valued at £365,000.
‘And then 2013 was the busiest year of our lives,’ says Victoria. ‘Our business was going really well and Tyson and I decided to get married. We planned our wedding within three months while the flat was undergoing a second round of work. In hindsight it was pretty stressful.’ Damp was detected on the lower ground floor, so the couple had to damp-proof the two bedrooms, replacing the bathroom and installing
engineered oak flooring at the same time. Upstairs, on the ground floor, they stripped back and varnished the original wooden floors, replaced the heating system and installed a bespoke fitted kitchen.
Luckily, the work coincided with the launch of their brother-in-law’s kitchen design business, West & Reid. ‘Ours was its first kitchen,’ explains Victoria. ‘It was fitted while we were away on honeymoon but the work overran, so when we came back we had to move in with Tyson’s parents for a week or so.’ Routed handles on the cabinets expose the laminations of the birch ply, while the drawers are cut from the same piece of veneered plywood, allowing the pattern of the grain to run seamlessly across the front of the drawers. The couple were so pleased with the
‘We’ve done a lot of entertaining here. One of Tyson’s favourite things to do is spend all day cooking for friends and family,’
SAYS VICTORIA
design that they went on to commission fitted wardrobes, alcove shelving and bathroom cabinets.
Both Victoria and Tyson have a preference for mid-century design, which made Tyson’s move into the flat relatively straightforward. ‘We like exposed wood and mostly white and grey walls, but we add colour through our treasures. We’re collectors and have lots of bits and pieces from vintage shops and our travels. Tyson has good taste and he’s resourceful,’ explains Victoria, ‘but he does collect rocks and crystals that aren’t on display. I do edit his choice of trinkets occasionally!’
Having redecorated or replaced almost every surface in the flat, the couple turned their
attention to the garden. ‘When we got the house the garden was just a lawn in fairly bad condition, so we put in planters and started to grow vegetables in raised beds near the house. The kitchen window, which overlooks the garden, was replaced with a door that leads to a small balcony, creating a sense of connectedness between indoors and out.
‘We’ve done a lot of entertaining here over the years,’ says Victoria. ‘Tyson’s favourite thing to do is to spend all day cooking food for friends and family to enjoy either in the kitchen or outside in the garden. It’s definitely a really social space.’