Welcome to my home
Malcolm Menzies looked at more than 70 houses before finding something that suited his family yet could also be hired out as a location for photo and film shoots (6ixteenhouse.com). ‘We’d done the same with our previous home until a neighbour complained about vans and catering trucks blocking the road,’ he explains.
‘Our criteria was strict: no-one living opposite, a large drive, big rooms, nice windows, plus wide corridors and doorways for crew and equipment. We’d never been to Beckenham before but we love how green and suburban it is, yet still close to London. This house was perfect. The top floor would be ideal for creating a private sitting room, small kitchen and bathroom, alongside the girls’ bedrooms, which meant we could happily live up there during shoots rather than being banished to a little room with a microwave like we were at the time.
‘The 4,000 sq ft house was a big step up from our previous 2,500 sq ft home, and it took a year to extend and renovate, but we secured it with a big mortgage and family help. It took four months to renovate the main rooms. The decor was very “footballer’s wife”, with shiny electric and gas fires and lots of bling, but we’ve installed wood-burning stoves, put ceiling roses back and given it a rustic feel with panelling and exposed brick walls. New flooring was put in the library, hallways, kitchen and master bedroom, while in other rooms we sanded and painted floorboards. The only structural work was knocking down a wall between the master bedroom and dressing room so it flows.
‘Décor-wise, I’m very keen on having different textures to add warmth, especially in the living room. All the things I would never have done to the place if it wasn’t a location house are all the things I love most now. I would definitely do them again if we ever sell up and move.’
“We often end up playing darts and drinking whisky till the early hours in here”