TO CELEBRATE’
Transforming a ‘fixer-upper’ into a stylish, pared-back home gave Justin and Zunaid the space they wanted to welcome guests
Being raised in South Africa meant Christmas for me used to be spent by the pool,’ says Justin. ‘December is midsummer there, so it’s all cold meats and salads, and ice cream for pudding! It’s 35 degrees and the last thing you want is a hot dinner.
But I love Christmas in the UK, getting warm and cosy, and lighting the fire when it’s snowy… I actually prefer it.’
Starting point
We wanted to be able to welcome mine and Zunaid’s friends and family in to enjoy the house at Christmas, and now that we’ve finally completed a top-to-bottom renovation, we can. The property looked a lot different when we first bought it in 2017, but we were determined to get on the property ladder after years of renting. We wanted to stay south west of London, but needed easy access into the city, and it only takes 19 minutes by train from here.
The house is on a main road which really put me off, but Zunaid said, ‘Let’s go and look at it and keep an open mind’. As soon as we walked in, we both just knew this was the one. It had a nice feeling of space and the thing that really sold it to us was the ceiling height, as both of us are over six feet tall!
A project worth tackling
We knew we’d need a ‘fixer-upper’ to be able to afford to live in this area, and I wanted to exercise my design skills. The sad thing was that the previous owner, in an attempt to modernise, had ripped out all the period features. I decided that was a good reason to go more contemporary in the interior, because those features were already gone.
We couldn’t afford to rent anywhere else while the work was being carried