A move from London to their hometown in Berkshire opened up a colourful new chapter for Kate & Tom Pickford’s Victorian property
Words MARISHA TAYLOR Photography JAMES FRENCH
Young professionals Kate and Tom Pickford had fully renovated their two-bedroom flat in Streatham, South London, and loved their city lifestyle – but there were a number of factors that influenced their decision to move back to where they’d grown up near Reading in Berkshire.
‘Tom was keen to reduce his daily commute, and after my father passed away, I wanted to move back to be near my mum,’ explains Kate. ‘We’d also been thinking about starting a family, and as our flat had almost doubled in price since we’d bought it, we knew we could trade it in for a much bigger house, including a garden, close to where my Mum lives.’
Despite some family reservations, the couple found a run-down three-bedroom Victorian property with a large, overgrown garden on the outskirts of Reading. ‘The house needed so much work that they were unable to see beyond the damp and rotten windows, but I was in awe,’ recalls interior designer Kate. ‘All I could see was the potential to transform it, as it had beautiful proportions, original features and was bursting with character.’
Although dark and dirty, Kate loved the rustic charm of the kitchen, with its original terracotta floor tiles, bespoke wooden cabinetry and blue aga. The previous owners had also added a conservatory to the back of the property and knocked through from the kitchen and living room, creating an open-plan kitchen and dining room with easy access to the living room. ‘Both areas needed restoration work, but we didn’t need to make any structural changes to the property as there was plenty of space,’ explains Kate. ‘So apart from reconfiguring the utility room and adding a downstairs toilet, we kept the layout the same; but cosmetically, the whole house needed updating.’
Before they moved in, the couple stayed with Kate’s mum while initial work on the property took place. In this time, the house was completely rewired, ceiling lights fitted throughout the ground floor, a new bathroom, boiler and radiators installed, the utility area reconfigured, a
