TERRACE’S COLOURFUL SECRET
IF YOU’RE wandering down this suburban street in Cardiff you are flanked by terraces of bay window, period properties that are so typical of large areas of the capital. It’s a lovely residential road in Roath but nothing out of the ordinary; until you come to Jo’s house. Behind most front doors on the road, you might hope to find at least some original period features remaining – but in Jo’s five-bed house, not only are they still in residence, they have been restored and joined by Jo’s incredible and very visual interior design style.
The house didn’t always look so moody and magnificent, it was more a blank canvas, but Jo had the vision as soon as she walked in, saying: “When I saw this house it was a total gut response to it and it felt like a home.”
Jo is not new to being brave with colour, having started experimenting with the darker side of interiors at least 30 years ago, long before most of us could even contemplate wandering away from magnolia.
She puts her love of the deep and dramatic to her job at that time, saying: “I was a fashion stylist and you’d quite often be working in studios which were always white and I didn’t want to come home to a white house, so I just started using colour and it just got darker and darker.”
Moving from London back home to Cardiff Jo has brought her design style with her, and it’s a look that was so well created in her London pad that it generated income as a location destination – the backdrop of filming TV series, films and music videos.
Decorating over lockdown meant Jo had the chance to play with colours, put layer upon layer of paint on the walls and ceilings, and almost giving herself a major neck issue while creating the incredible ceiling in the front room that incorporates the original plasterwork detailing and three colours. Jo said: “I understand that it’s a marmite house, I totally get that some people are going to think that it’s revolting or just too dark and that’s totally fine, I don’t mind, but most people are really positive and are just like, ‘wow, it’s amazing’ because everyone’s home is personal to them.”
As soon as you step inside Jo’s home you know it’s going to be a jaw-dropping journey through restored period features cocooned in incredible design and wrapped in a welcoming ambience.
The front room is one of Jo’s favourite spaces, she says: “The painting almost killed me but I’m glad I did it, it was so much work, so much cutting in and moving furniture, I can’t begin to tell you how painful it was, but I’m really glad I did it – I think it looks amazing, it really suits the room and the furniture that’s in there.”
The second reception space is a snug and study with workspace, plus doors out to the garden, that continues the deep and dramatic décor, cocooning you in a cosy atmosphere that is also conducive to being creative.
Almost everything inside Jo’s house is upcycled, salvaged, something she has picked up on her travels or a gift attached to a special memory.
The kitchen is a social space that Jo has completely transformed from the white and red of the previous owner but has kept all the units to keep costs down – she has unified the space by painting almost everything else the same colour.
She says: “Do the lot – do the skirting boards, do the ceilings, in a couple of the rooms I’ve picked out the coving in a colour and in white, but generally I would say paint it all in the colour because it takes away the breaks for the eyes, and the painted woodwork just looks so elegant.”
Styling is an important part of creating a home with the most impact and personal to the owner and it needn’t be expensive. Jo says these shelves are from the Ivar range at Ikea and virtually everything on it is from charity shops and online auction sites.
Every nook and cranny has been thought about and given a purpose, from storage to creating an extra work space. The principal bedroom is very spacious and has been lavished with more atmospheric colours, creating a calm and peaceful space, with the addition of sumptuous fabrics.
The main bathroom of the house is on the first floor, the rear bedroom has an ensuite too, and it is a complete bubble of matt black that is the perfect backdrop for the accessories Jo has brought in to create the most impact and, maybe surprisingly, the paint also does a good job of reflecting light.
Jo says it usually takes five coats to create the depth of colour she wants but advises to not worry about the more expensive paint if you’re on a budget – all major paint brands do a good range of amazing colours.
A rare sight of wallpaper in the rear bedroom that is accented by a warm colour palette and predominantly stripes – one of the most versatile ‘stable’ patterns to mix with busier designs and help to visually tie a
room’s décor together.
Jo started the transformation to her personal taste in the ground floor shower room because it was the one that she disliked the most, and then worked her way through each space, doing bits and pieces within each room rather than one room at a time.
It’s not all dark shades and moody tones in Jo’s house – she likes to experiment too and is loving the ‘dirty pink’ bedroom.
The handy top floor attic room is a space for work, rest and play, cocooned in a delicious shade of dark purple and joined by amazing views over the capital from its elevated position.
The house has a private and sunny garden but out here Jo leaves adding colour to the space to nature.
Jo’s house in the Roath area of Cardiff – just a short stroll from the lake and park, shops and cafes – is on the market with a guide price of £550,000 with Hern & Crabtree. Call the Heath branch on 029 2062 0202 to find out more.