RETRO REVIVAL
These owners used mid-century furniture to give their Sixties detached in Kent fresh character
When it comes to talking about her home, Sarah Stretton, a primary school teaching assistant, isn’t shy about admitting that she wasn’t fully sold on it at first. After losing out on the Victorian property of her dreams to sealed bids, she couldn’t see herself – and her family – settling in a Sixties house with what felt like a serious lack of character. Her husband Adam, however, recognised its potential. ‘Adam saw this house on the internet and couldn’t get it out of his head,’ says Sarah. ‘I agreed to check it out, but I didn’t really like it, even though it had a driveway, a garage, a huge wrap-around garden and was in close proximity to a great primary school for our sons, Luke, now nine, and Jake, who is seven. I could see the positives, of course, but I didn’t get the feeling that I hoped I would when finding the perfect family home.’
Despite Sarah’s uncertainty, the pair realised it was too good an opportunity to miss, so they put in an offer and managed to secure the house for less than the asking price. Ideal, since the property needed a fair amount of work to make it liveable. Its drab interior left a lot to be desired and the dirty floors and surfaces certainly dampened any moving-in-day excitement. ‘The removal men even commented that we’d left a palace to come to a dump,’ Sarah recalls. ‘It wasn’t quite that bad, but it felt lifeless. There were balls of cat fur on the floor where the previous sofa had been and cobwebs on the walls. We spent almost a full day vacuuming.’
Having already completed one huge house renovation in their previous property, Sarah wasn’t sure that starting another project was the best idea with two small children. But with an increasing need for
more space, the couple settled on a singlestorey extension to expand the kitchen to make way for a generous family dining area.
Light, along with easy access to the garden for Luke and Jake, were priorities, so Sarah and Adam had bifold doors fitted at the end of the kitchen and added large glass panes elsewhere to allow more sunshine in. ‘The extension has tripled the size of the kitchen,’ says Sarah. ‘My favourite part has to be the view into the garden through the bifold doors. We love throwing them open in the summer, but even when it’s cold and grey and the rain is beating down you can still sit with a cup of tea and enjoy the view.’
Eventually succumbing to the period style of the property, Sarah settled on a retro-inspired scheme downstairs. ‘I wanted our decor to be sympathetic to the age of the house,’ she says. ‘Plus, I had fallen in love with the interiors on the TV show Mad Men.’ The pair sold their oak furniture and sourced pieces with a mid-century feel. ‘Luckily, retro furniture was making a comeback, which made it easy to get hold of,’ says Sarah. ‘The only drawback was that due to its popularity it became difficult to find bargains.’ Local charity shops and ebay were her go-to haunts for furnishings, while jazzy patterns and a palette of grey and primary colours enhance the look. The bedrooms are more modern and trend-led, with deep colours on the walls and metallic accents.
While Sarah and her Sixties house may have got off on the wrong foot, she couldn’t be more relieved that she took the risk and bought this place. ‘ We love living here,’ she says. ‘It’s perfect for our family and lifestyle, and that’s the best you can hope for.’