Back to basics
A neglected 1950s house was stripped back to bare brick and virtually rebuilt to create a contemporary home with retro appeal
Some people fall in love instantly when they view a place for the first time, while others take a bit of persuasion. Rachel Bradshaw fell into the second category. ‘It certainly wasn’t love at first sight for me,’ she admits. ‘This house had belonged to an elderly couple and had been empty for 15 months. It felt like walking into a time warp with its floral wallpaper and avocado bathroom suite.’
Looks aside, the detached 1950s house in Cuddington, Cheshire ticked other boxes for Rachel and her husband Tony, who were keen to move nearer their children’s schools. ‘It was the first one we saw in our price range and in the right location, with a friendly village feel and lots of areas to walk Arthur, our cockapoo,’ says Rachel. ‘As Tony loved the garden and we knew we could extend the rear of the house, we decided to go for it.’
The purchase went through in November 2010, and the family spent six months living with Rachel’s parents nearby while the renovation work got underway. Tony was working shifts at the time, which meant he could do most of the work himself. ‘He basically gutted the house, taking it back to the bare brick,’ explains Rachel. ‘In the end we filled about 15 skips.’
Although the house had already been extended at the rear, it had a separate kitchen and reception room with a large step up to a dining area. To make it work better for family life, they decided to level the floor and make the two rooms semi open-plan, adding a vaulted ceiling with rooflights and a new loo off the kitchen. ‘The roof was removed on what turned out to be the coldest day that winter,’ Rachel remembers.
Upstairs there was less to tackle, though the bathroom was in dire need of replacing. ‘The avocado suite was hideous, as were the floor-to-ceiling tiles,’ she recalls. ‘To make it bigger we took some space from Matilda’s bedroom next door to create a double shower cubicle, then changed the layout to position our new freestanding slipper bath under the window.’
Five years later the couple embarked on another project to give them even more space. ‘We needed an office as Tony works from home and I do his admin,’ says Rachel. ‘So we decided to convert the garage and make it open plan to the hallway, which I’d always felt was quite dark.’ The conversion came in at about £7,000, which included installing two new windows with plantation-style
shutters. ‘There was enough space for a seating area too,’ says Rachel. ‘It’s a lovely spot to have my morning coffee or sit and read.’
When it came to decorating and furnishing the house, Rachel was in her element as she loves all things mid-century and enjoys experimenting with strong colours. ‘Teak furniture looks great against dark walls,’ she says. ‘And I love a good bargain – my dining table and sideboard were around £100 each.’ Rachel created an individual look by mixing one-off pieces from charity shops, flea markets and websites with supermarket and high street buys. ‘I’m not good at minimalism,’ she says. ‘I like to group things and the house is always evolving as I’m always faffing!’
Each room has a distinct feel – for example the family snug is more retro than the front sitting room – and there’s an abundance of quirky displays throughout the house, including wall-mounted plates, colourful artwork and prints featuring quotes and letters. ‘I’m drawn to interesting typefaces and art prints,’ says Rachel. ‘My favourite place is Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch, which I love visiting when I’m in London.’
She’s also relentless in her attempts to track down pieces she loves, such as the Forum lounge chair, designed in 1964 by Robin Day for Habitat, which sits by the drinks trolley in the family room. ‘We looked after a similar chair for my brother when he didn’t have space for it, but when he retrieved it we really missed it,’ says Rachel. ‘It took us about five or six years, but we eventually found a replacement on Ebay.’
Looking back, Rachel admits there are a few things she’d do differently. ‘At the beginning I tried to replicate the Laura Ashley country cottage look of our previous home, which was a mistake as that was a 1930s detached house and it didn’t seem right for this one,’ she explains.
With long-term plans to extend even further out into the back garden and install bifold doors, Rachel might still get her wish for a new dark blue handleless kitchen with central island. ‘The house was pretty unappealing at first,’ says Rachel. ‘But reconfiguring the rear and adding the vaulted ceiling has helped me to love the space and it’s now a bright workable family home.’