The painstaking renovation of this period home was years in the planning
Taking the time to plan a stunning, light-filled extension to their home paid off handsomely for Laura and Kevin Purdy
Tempted by the generous, high-ceilinged rooms, Laura and Kevin bought their three-storey Victorian house nine years ago. Determined to refresh its dated decor, the couple, both graphic designers, immediately began an extensive refurbishment project. ‘We started at the top of the house and painstakingly worked our way down, tackling all the renovations ourselves,’ says Laura. ‘We blitzed everything as fast as we could, but by now we had two young children, so our progress wasn’t speedy.’
However, those years gave them time to save for an extension to create a more family-friendly space on the ground floor. By building over the side return at the rear of the house, the pair realised they could double the size of the existing kitchen, improve its connection with the garden and make space for a dining area and separate office. ‘Having a father as an architect was a major advantage,’ laughs Laura. ‘He retired to Cornwall to sail and paint and is now in his seventies, but he was keen for one last hurrah – and embarked on the design and drawings for us, all done by hand.’
After finding a friendly team of builders, work on the extension began. The family, including Alice, now nine, and Maxwell, seven, camped out in the sitting room, where they made a temporary kitchen. ‘My freelance work allowed me to be on site, making day-to-day decisions, and my father hopped on the sleeper train fortnightly, arriving in Paddington at 5am to be ready for a site meeting at 7.30am!’, recalls Laura. ‘I enjoyed the whole process and felt so lucky to be able to complete – and then enjoy – the extension during lockdown.’
The design of the extension is contemporary with a super-size glazed pivot door affording a wonderful view of the garden, but the structure itself is built of reclaimed bricks so that it sits comfortably with the Victorian architecture. ‘I love mixing old and new to create a sense of character and soul,’ says Laura. Walls were painted white to accentuate the roomy, light-filled space, wood flooring was added and Shaker-style kitchen cabinetry was chosen for warmth and personality. ‘Injections of colour, such as the pink of the larder cabinet and the ochre cushions in the home office catch the eye and draw you in,’ she notes.
Laura says she and Kevin share similar taste and adopted the same old-meets-new approach throughout the house. Original features, including fireplaces and cornices, have been restored, and the couple spent hours and hours sanding, lye bleaching, oiling and buffing the floorboards in the whole house to create a beautiful finish.
Rooms are filled with antiques, as well as family photographs and paintings, many created by Laura’s artist grandfather and passed down through generations. ‘I like to respect the era of the architecture to an extent,’ she says, ‘although it doesn’t need to be slavish, nor bland – I love to use colour, pattern and contemporary pieces to bring the rooms alive. It’s a wonderful home and we’re so happy here.’