A LOT OF LOVE’

Lauren and Freddie lavished their period home with the attention it needed, transforming it with pastels, florals and vintage pieces for a modern country feel

LIGHT FILLED

‘It’s been two years since we finished the kitchen extension and I still love it. The units are from DIY Kitchens and stools from Barker and Stonehouse’

When we discovered this house, one of the things I loved the most about it was the loft conversion – I knew in time and with plenty of hard work it could look amazing!’ says Lauren. ‘We were moving from London back to Leicestershire where we could afford to buy a home and be closer to both our families. We viewed several properties, but it was this one we fell in love with.

The previous owners hadn’t done much to it for at least 20 years and although it was modernised, it was tired and needed some TLC. At first it seemed like all we had to do was make a few cosmetic changes, however, soon after moving in, we realised that things hadn’t been done to a high standard and every room in the house needed replastering.

Full steam ahead

The biggest job was definitely building a side and rear extension for a fully remodelled kitchen and downstairs loo. We hired an architect to draw up plans and the ground floor was taken back to bare brick – then we started doing as much of the work ourselves as we could in order to keep costs down, including digging out floors and ripping out lath and plaster. We lived on site for a while before moving in with my parents for the last six weeks of the build.

Digging deep

When the foundations for the extension were being done, the builders discovered a three-metre deep Victorian water cistern – a small well – which was commonplace in properties at that time. For safety, it had to be filled with

COUNTRY DINING

‘The mirror above the fireplace was one of the original French doors in the house; I had mirrors cut to size and painted the frame. I found the farmhouse table and chairs on Facebook Marketplace and painted them, while the shutters are from Shuttercraft’

ACCENT SHADES

‘I’m drawn to soft tones and pink is my happy colour. I found the gold oversized mirror in an antiques shop and the sofas and stool are from Next. The wood floor is from Project Floors UK’

‘I LOVE CREATING MOODBOARDS; I SCREENSHOT IDEAS AND PUT THEM IN AN APP ON MY PHONE TO MAKE SURE THEY WORK TOGETHER’

SWEET SUCCESS

‘I love how light and calm it feels in Flora’s bedroom. The Bronze Ramsey cot is from Wayfair and the canopy is from Smallable’

PASTEL PERFECT

‘The walls are in Pink 01 paint from Lick. I found the armchair for £50 on Facebook Marketplace and had it reupholstered in brushed linen’