HOME PROFILE

WHO LIVES HERE Victoria Gold, head of brand and communications at Just Eat UK, her husband, Simon who works in equity management, daughter Selma, three, and son Ezra, six months

THE PROPERTY

A four-bedroom Victorian terrace in north London

PRICE £1.33m

MONEY SPENT £67,000

WHAT IT’S WORTH NOW £1.176m

property larger and brighter, had built in hidden storage and laid new flooring, and installed a modern bathroom and kitchen with high-end appliances. But in doing this, they had ripped out all of the property’s original features; what we needed to do was put the character back in.’

With no building work to worry about, the couple were able to use their budget on getting the decoration exactly as they wanted it.

‘The month we moved in, we kick-started the interior design,’ says Victoria. ‘My close friend Barbara Romani, who lives on a neighbouring street, was about to launch her interior design business, so the timing was perfect. She knows our family intimately – our interests, likes and dislikes, and way of living, and she has creative vision, passion and flair, so we embarked on a creative journey together.’

They began with the areas of the house they knew would be used most – the living room, dining room and kitchen, followed by the bedrooms. ‘Phasing the work was crucial for us, as it meant we always had somewhere to sleep as well as the room to store things, all without getting in the way of the work. It also had the added benefit

‘The reality of finding the perfect house was turning into a pipe dream – we were going to have to take on a project’

‘The previous owners had altered the layout to maximise space but, in doing so, had ripped out all the original features; we needed to put the character back in’

of helping us to think about how to best use the spaces in the future,’ explains Victoria.

Both Victoria and Barbara are firm believers in getting the maximum use out of all areas in a home. So, converting one of the reception rooms back into a dining area using a Crittallstyle divider to zone it off, was the obvious thing to do. ‘We didn’t need two lounge areas side by side’, says Victoria. Similarly, the couple decided to turn their spare room into an open workspace, rather than have a fourth bedroom. ‘We don’t have guests regularly enough to justify dedicating a whole room to it.’

Victoria says some of her favourite things about the refurbishment are the unexpected touches. ‘I love the hidden mice in Selma’s mural and the brass woodland creature handles on her cupboards. I’m also so proud of the workmanship applied to the geometric design in Ezra’s room. Our bedroom is probably my favourite space of all, though - it has a romantic, botanical feel and the lighting bounces off the walls to create different hues and moods. This is my calm space, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.’

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