FROM THE EDITOR
The first home I owned was a lovely Victorian terrace in London. Full of original features including fireplaces, ceiling roses and even a built-in dresser, my husband and I were won over by its charm as soon as we walked in the front door. After months of looking at properties and not finding anything we liked within our price range, we couldn’t believe we might be lucky enough to get our hands on this gem of a house.
Of course, not everything about it was perfect. Like so many period terraced homes up and down the country, it lacked the open-plan layout so many of us crave, and it still had a ground floor bathroom as it hadn’t yet been extended to create space for one on the first floor. All fairly minor issues for us – until our first child came along, that is! Then trips downstairs in the middle of the night and separate closed-off rooms where we couldn’t keep an eye on our daughter while cooking, for example, suddenly highlighted the changes we needed to make to the house.
Ultimately, we decided to move out of London before we got round to tackling the house redesign, but had we gone ahead with it, I know I would have found plenty to inspire in our guide to terraced homes on page 75. The three properties featured have all been imaginatively redesigned, turning dated, impractical layouts into light, bright and contemporary spaces that work perfectly for 21st-century life. Make sure you take a look if you’re considering an extension or redesign project (to any style of house) in the coming months.
One of the best things about that same Victorian terrace I lived in was the storage – how I long for such amazing built-in storage now. In a small twobedroom house like that, good storage was key to making the most of limited space and keeping things organised.
If, like me, there are days when you feel as if your belongings are taking over your house (and your life), it could be time to have a good look at your storage solutions – as well as your shopping habits, perhaps! Head to our guide on page 43 for plenty of stylish ideas and top tips on how to choose or design the right storage for your space. Your house (and sanity) will definitely thank you for it. I hope you enjoy the issue.