retro revival
This creative owner could not wait to put her signature stamp on a 1930s detached in Surrey
After living in Florida for two years, Colette and Jim Meechan returned to their old home in Surrey in 2002. ‘It was great to be back, but the house felt small in comparison to the grand American home we’d been living in,’ says Colette. ‘It didn’t take long for us to decide that we wanted more space for us and our two young children, Darragh, now 21, and Iona, 18.’
The couple did not have to look far to find the perfect place – a four-bedroom detached house just around the corner. ‘We wanted to stay in the area, and this was just what we were looking for,’ says Colette. ‘The big rooms gave us all the space we were missing.’ Once the Meechans had moved in, Colette was keen to put her unique interior design plans into practice. ‘I can look at a room and I know exactly what I’m going to do,’ she says. ‘It does take a while, though, as ideas then evolve over time. Through the years, the house has undergone many changes but, initially, we re-tiled and replaced all the bathroom suites, laid carpets upstairs, fitted new windows and repainted throughout.’
The couple only upgraded the kitchen a year ago. ‘I wanted a minimalist look,’ says Colette. ‘It definitely had to be white and easy to clean, but I couldn’t resist giving the room a 1970s twist. I chose metro tiles as I knew they would create a retro look, and I really didn’t want to have a standard stainless steel extractor hood, which looks too conspicuous. As an alternative solution, we had it encased inside a tiled surround.’ Ever since Colette was a student, she has been collecting all things vintage, and her greatest pleasure is visiting antiques fairs and markets. ‘I’ve always liked clothes and furniture from the 1950s, ’60s or ’70s,’ she says. ‘The quality is amazing, and it’s such good value.’
Colette’s home is a true reflection of her vivacious personality and style. ‘I have to get a creative fix each day, so I’m always looking in magazines and online for inspiration,’ she says. ‘I like pieces that have a story to tell – if I see something interesting, I’ll buy it. I often don’t know where it will go, though, and it can take years to find the right spot. In fact, I’ve had to put a stop to my collecting for now at least, as we’re running out of space and we really don’t want to move again.’