City heights
Imaginative use of space and windows with spectacular views give this topsy-turvy home plenty of wow factor
Great views from an apartment in the heart of Newcastle
Faced with the choice of a house on the outskirts of town or an apartment in the heart of Newcastle’s lively Jesmond area, Kerry Wallace didn’t take long to make up her mind. ‘I looked at various properties within my budget of £250,000,’ she says, ‘but quickly realised an apartment at the centre of all the action would suit me better than a two-up, two-down further out, and I’d actually get more floor space.’
Eventually Kerry found the perfect place just set back from Jesmond’s busiest main road. The maisonette, spanning the second and third floors of a grand Victorian building, had been rented out for the previous eight years. During the 1980s the building had been converted into flats and the decor was tired, with navy blue carpets, Anaglypta wallpaper and a dated kitchen and bathroom. But there was one amazing feature that sold the apartment to Kerry.
‘As soon as I walked up the stairs and saw the vaulted ceiling, I was hooked,’ she says. ‘The flat was about one-and-a-half times the size of the houses I’d seen on my househunt, so the proportions seemed enormous in comparison. My favourite part was the top floor, though. The tenants had used the room below as their main living room, but the top floor has windows that run right across one wall, and it had loads of potential. I could picture it as a fantastic entertaining space.’
As Kerry has a busy job, a friend recommended interior designer Cathy Dean to project manage the three-month renovation. ‘It took all the pressure off me as she dealt with the niggly things such as telling the builders where every switch should go,’ says Kerry. ‘It also allowed me to be a bit braver. Cathy has access to a lot of products, so she introduced me to some amazing homewares that I’d never have come across by myself.’
Cathy also came up with a radical design for the maisonette that involved knocking through the two front bedrooms on the lower floor to create a large open-plan kitchen/diner and sitting room that would be open to the hallway. The top floor was to become an ultra-indulgent main bedroom with a dressing area and ensuite.
However budget constraints meant the plans had to be scaled back and Kerry returned to the idea of a top-floor living and dining room to make the most of the panoramic views. She also considered having the slightly larger front bedroom as her master suite, but in the end chose the quieter rear room.
‘It looked like a bedsit, with an ugly shower cubicle and cheap plastic sliding door in the corner, but Cathy suggested installing a basin and creating a walk-in shower that’s open to the bedroom, which looks altogether more luxurious,’ says Kerry. ‘Luckily, after we ripped out one of the wardrobes and an understairs cupboard, there was enough space.’ As the shower area is on show all the time, Kerry chose top-of-the-range fittings including a stone shower tray and high-end basin.
The kitchen on the first floor has also been totally transformed.
‘It was a pretty uninspiring layout with dated units all around the outside and a breakfast bar in the middle, and the first thing you saw when you walked into the room was a wall-mounted boiler,’ says Kerry. Now it has plenty of wow factor with a sleek new white
kitchen, a peninsular unit and a bank of tall cupboards where the boiler is now hidden. ‘It makes the most of the panoramic views and when friends come round they can sit on the bar stools and chat to me while I’m preparing the food,’ explains Kerry.
Also consigned to the skip was the navy patterned stair carpet in the hallway and landing. This space is now an office area with three large lights suspended from the vaulted ceiling and a new window bringing light from the top-floor living room.
Despite the odd hiccup along the way, such as a water leak caused by defective lead flashing on the top-floor windows that delayed the floor fitters, Kerry is delighted with the end result.
‘I did have to make some compromises,’ she says. ‘I wanted the original floorboards to be sanded but there were too many gaps, and the engineered wood I liked was too expensive so I chose a quality laminate instead.’
Kerry believes she saved money by using an interior designer as everything was meticulously planned from the start so costs didn’t spiral out of control.
Now, whether she’s entertaining or having a quiet night in, Kerry is delighted with her new home. ‘All my favourite places are just a few minutes’ walk from the front door, and it’s handy for meetings in the city centre. I’m so lucky that I didn’t have to compromise on space to get the location I really wanted.’