GEORGIAN GEM
Emma and David Harper’s period home was given an elegant update that both complements its history and makes it ideal for family living
This West Midlands period home combines original features with chic decor
While living in London, Emma Harper would regularly drive along a particular street of Georgian double-fronted houses and fell in love with the style. So much so that when she and her husband David decided to relocate to the West Midlands, she did an internet search and the first Georgian property that came up proved perfect. ‘It was owned by a lovely couple who’d bought it as a family home 40 years earlier, and had now decided it was time to downsize,’ says Emma.
To achieve a more open-plan feel, builders were called in to reconfigure the space, the main change being the creation of a large kitchen-diner with windows on three sides and adding double doors out to the rear garden. The Harpers moved into a rented house for nine months while construction work was going on, during which time Emma was liaising with interior designer Rebecca Hughes and coming up with a plan to create a fresh look. ‘Rebecca’s a good friend of mine, so she was the natural choice,’ says Emma.
A PERSONAL APPROACH
For Rebecca, the project was the proverbial labour of love. ‘Being Georgian, the rooms had fantastic proportions and once was opened up, the rooms had such a great sense of flow,’ she says. A prime consideration was catering for the children, Rory, 13, Lucy, 10, Freddie, eight, George, five, and Ellie, three months, and with their bedrooms, it was important that each had its own identity. After chatting to the kids about what they wanted, Rebecca gave each bedroom its own wallpapered feature wall.
As the property was much bigger than their previous home, Emma and David realised they would have to furnish the whole house from scratch. ‘Luckily, Rebecca was on hand to help us choose furniture,’ says Emma, ‘and being in the business, she had some brilliant contacts for sourcing it, too.’
CHARACTERFUL HOME
In keeping with Rebecca’s love of designing homes combining elegance with personality, the furnishings are a mix of bespoke, off the shelf and even the odd vintage item – the kitchen-diner being a good example of this. ‘Whereas the cabinetry was tailor-made for the space and the appliances, we added warmth and character with dining chairs bought from an antiques market,’ says Rebecca.
The overall effect was pronounced a success by Emma, who says she can’t thank Rebecca enough for the amazing job she’s done. ‘When we first began discussing how this place should look, my main thing was to achieve a calm feel, with little colour in mind,’ she says. ‘But she took me out of my comfort zone by presenting me with ideas that had an abundance of colour and pattern. This place has a homely feel with a sense of fun – and for our family, that’s simply perfect.’
DESIGN ADVICE ‘Don’t be afraid to choose multiple wall colours throughout – it can still flow and remain calm. People often play it safe and the overall effect is dull’