Welcome to my home
When Sasha Wright-neville first saw this house, its historic appeal was hard to resist: ‘The Edwardian facade was beautiful, the 12-foot-high ceilings made the rooms feel larger than they were and the intricate detailing of the cornice in the bedroom was breathtaking. The location was also fabulous, close to the city centre, local shops and transport,’ she says.
‘Sasha bought the house in 2004 and lived in it for some time before we made the decision to renovate,’ says Julia. ‘Originally, it was part of the Rippon Lea estate [a local historic mansion]. The back of the house had seen better days. We wanted to maintain the heritage of the house while adding the latest mod cons.
‘We designed the space ourselves and had an architect draw up the plans. At the top of our wish list was a big, bright space, flooded with natural light. We kept the original 12 foot ceilings, installing feature windows for added impact. Conservation rules meant we had to retain the facade. With that in mind, we kept the front bedroom and knocked down the rest of the house. The only other section that remained was the original bay window in the open-plan area. The renovations took six months, to the day, finishing bang on time and budget.’
‘We both love to decorate, but Julia does it for a living and takes responsibility for the overall look and feel,’ says Sasha. ‘We’re minimalists at heart and prefer clean lines with contemporary accents. There’s a lot of white in the house, as we love the sense of space white gives. It creates a neutral base to work with. You can pretty much throw anything at it and come up trumps! We decorated this property room by room as it was our first project together and we were trying to find our style.’
‘The light in the open-plan kitchen, dining and living room is incredible and it feels so open and spacious. We spend the majority of our time in the open-plan area with the doors flung wide open. There’s nothing better than the sea breeze wafting through. When we’re not cooking in the kitchen, you’ll find us relaxing in the bay window or enjoying the tranquility of the seating area.’